A groom jumping into the Gulf of Mexico right before his wedding may sound odd, but Zac Edwards from Alabama certainly had good a reason — a drowning swimmer.
Zac was apparently in the middle of taking photos on the beach with his bride-to-be, Cindy Edwards, when a stranger approached them. “A lady had come up to us and said that guy is out there struggling,” Cindy told Fox 10 WALA. “He can’t get back, he’s having a hard time.”
Luckily, Zac is a former lifeguard and a coast guardsman. Cindy urged him to go, telling him not to worry about his pants. “See you’ve got to listen to your wife because otherwise, you’re in trouble,” Zac said.
The water was particularly rough that day, but the red flags along the beach weren’t enough to keep some swimmers away. As a result, first responders were already helping a different person drowning when Zac jumped into the water. He and the man quickly got stuck.
“It’s scary. You don’t wanna lose a loved one, unfortunately, living here, we hear about it way too often,” Cindy said. “Just be mindful of those flags and knowing to be cautious.”
The two were eventually rescued and brought to safety. Despite the seriously scary situation, when Zac was reunited with his wife, all he could think about was keeping her dress clean.
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“It beat us up pretty hard getting in and we pulled up on the beach everybody grabs him. I got up and she’s running out in her wedding dress. I’m bleeding from the nose and trying to tell her get away because I know how important that dress was and I didn’t want to ruin that,” he said.
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Though Zac had to change his pants (he instead opted for a pair of stylish board shorts!), Cindy’s dress seemed to be perfectly in tact.
The day’s madness didn’t end up phasing the couple. “It’s a story to tell. I told her. The grandkids are going to have a story to tell. It was a perfect day. Beautiful wedding,” Zac said.
