Advertisement

Bearded buddy trades places with bride in hilarious 'first look' wedding prank

The wedding of Brianne and David Hofmann in Snohomish, Wash., on Saturday is bound to be a memorable one — not just for their guests but for many of those on social media, thanks to some unlikely ‘first look’ photos posted by the couple’s photographer, Anna Morrison. The priceless images show a hirsute “bride” who happens to be the couple’s close friend, Timmy Horton, pulling off an epic prank on the emotional groom.

The groom and his best friend getting silly on the big day. (Photo: Courtesy of Anna Morrison Photography/Facebook)
The groom and his best friend getting silly on the big day. (Photo: Courtesy of Anna Morrison Photography/Facebook)

It turns out it was all Timmy’s idea. After seeing his fair share of wedding gags online, he pitched the idea to Brianne, who was hesitant at first. “She was all about having a serious wedding, but I was like, ‘We gotta do it,’” he told Yahoo Lifestyle. It didn’t take long for him to convince the bride to get onboard. Then she roped the photographer into the scheme too.

“Brianne said, ‘What if we tricked David and did a fake first look?” Anna recalled to Yahoo Lifestyle, referring to the tradition of a bride debuting her look to her husband-to-be moments before walking down the aisle. “My immediate reaction was ‘OMG YES!’” she wrote in a Facebook post that’s now gone viral.

“Timmy is a real character, always making people laugh, lively, fun, energetic,” Anna said. The photographer also happens to be the couple’s friend, so she brainstormed a plan to execute the prank perfectly while the real bride waited in the wings. Anna dug out her own wedding dress and brought it to the venue, Lord Hill Farms, for Timmy’s highly anticipated costume change.

Timmy was ushered into the ladies’ dressing area, he said, while most of the bridal party remained in the dark. “The groomsmen were stressed out that I wasn’t around,” he said. Amazingly, he fit perfectly into the gown — and he even topped off his ethereal look with a flowing chiffon veil that framed his full mustache and beard and a perfectly cheeky grin.

Meanwhile, David was waiting patiently with tears in his eyes, expecting a different kind of first look. “We told David, ‘Brianne’s going to come over and tap you on the shoulder,” said the photographer, who was ready to catch the the groom’s reaction in real time. “Timmy followed directions — stayed quiet while looking beautiful and approached David while he thought he was waiting to see his bride,” she wrote.

“It was so hard not to laugh,” Timmy told Yahoo Lifestyle of the ridiculous moment he locked eyes with his best buddy. “He was really anticipating this first glance, but he turned around and was like, ‘Oh my God!’ We couldn’t stop laughing. We couldn’t breathe,” he said. “When it was time for the real reveal, he told me he had PTSD.”

“We made a forever memory and laughed so hard everyone was crying!” Anna wrote. Her Facebook post already has more than a thousand reactions, and commenters are in love with the sweet practical joke.

The incident wouldn’t have been as genuinely adorable, though, “if it weren’t for the fact that I love these two like I do,” Timmy said. “I loved every moment of it.” When asked if he’d ever consider turning his prank into a paid gig, he told Yahoo Lifestyle that anything is possible. “I’d definitely do it again!” he said.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.