A California couple was preparing for a quiet riverside wedding when an unexpected guest floated into the background, Shaboozey.
The country star behind “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” unexpectedly drifted past an anonymous bride and groom on an inner tube during their Aug. 8 wedding at Brown’s Owens River Campground near Mammoth Lakes, California. A group of other recreational floaters followed behind him on the Upper Owens River.
The timing looked almost too perfect to be accidental. The newlyweds posed at the riverbank while Shaboozey floated behind them, eventually raising his arms for the camera as the surrounding group cheered.
But wedding planner K. Rose Events made clear that the encounter had not been staged. What could have been an interruption instead became one of the couple’s most memorable wedding-day moments and a video of the encounter quickly went viral.
The Wedding Planner Paused the Ceremony for the Floaters
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The bride and groom, who have chosen to remain anonymous, were only minutes away from beginning their ceremony when the group appeared on the river.
Wedding planner and day-of coordinator Callie Smith told PEOPLE that family members first noticed a line of approximately three dozen people floating toward the ceremony area while the bride was down near the river.
Rather than start the ceremony while the group passed, Smith decided to wait. “As the planner, I decided to hold off on the ceremony to allow the crowd to float by,” she said.
“When the crowd got closer, they informed us Shaboozey was on the float heading our way.” Once the singer reached the couple, Smith asked whether he would pose for photographs with the newlyweds.
Shaboozey Agreed to the Photo With One Condition
Shaboozey was willing to participate, but he apparently had no intention of abandoning his inner tube. “Yes! But I’m not getting off the float!” Smith recalled him responding. Smith pulled out her phone and recorded as the bride and groom posed near the grassy riverbank.
Shaboozey remained in the water behind them, throwing his arms into the air and sticking out his tongue for the camera. The rest of the floating group joined the celebration. PEOPLE reported that they waved hats, raised drinks and cheered for the newlyweds, with the biggest reaction coming when the couple kissed.
Once the entire group had floated past, Smith returned to the original schedule. “Once the whole train floated by, we lined up and they got married,” she said. “It was a beautiful day!” The video quickly found an audience online. PEOPLE reported that the clip had surpassed 500,000 likes after Smith shared it through K. Rose Events.
Shaboozey Explained Why He Happened to Be on the River
Shaboozey later appeared in the comments beneath the viral post, congratulating the newlyweds and identifying the group he was with. “CONGRATULATIONS! From Shabozzey and @thewoollyrun !! 😂,” he wrote, misspelling his own stage name in the comment. The Woolly Run account joined in with its own response: “We know how to crash a wedding.”
The encounter was connected to The Woolly Run, an annual outdoor trip built around camping, motorsports and recreational activities. The group’s website describes the event as a Wednesday-through-Sunday trip for people interested in motorsports and the outdoors.
Participants begin with a night of camping in the Alabama Hills before spending three nights at a campsite along the Owens River in Mammoth, with activities including dirt biking, mountain biking, horseback riding and floating the river. PEOPLE reported that this year’s Woolly Run took place from Aug. 5 through Aug. 9, putting Shaboozey on the river the day before the trip ended.
The Accidental Cameo Came Days After Shaboozey Released His Fourth Album
The wedding-day cameo arrived just over a week after Shaboozey released his fourth studio album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee & Other Western Tales, on July 31. The 20-track concept album follows the fictional story of Cherie Lee and includes appearances from Jamie Foxx, Sam Elliott, Teyana Taylor, Gunna, Leon Bridges, Kehlani and Orville Peck.