PEOPLE
Bride Stunned Everyone by Dropping 'Dead' During Wedding Rehearsal. Then a Surprise Murder Mystery Unfolded (Exclusive)
By Ashlyn Robinette Published on May 22, 2025 12:00PM EDT
A bride dropped "dead" at her wedding rehearsal dinner — on purpose.
The night before Ian and Alexandra Lahde's wedding, the couple of four years hosted a rehearsal dinner on March 20 at Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada. What the groom and their 30 guests didn't know was that there would be a secret murder mystery to solve.
Alexandra, 28, is a barista, but might want to consider a career in acting after pulling off a performance that left everyone in shock.
The bride stood in front of her friends and family, all of whom were dressed in "old Hollywood glam," and clinked her wine glass to raise a toast, as seen in a viral video taken by videographer Alesia Hardy of Alesia Films.
However, Alexandra struggled to get her words out because she began coughing uncontrollably. She took a sip of her drink to help clear her throat, only to cough yet again. Suddenly, she clutched the counter beside her, shrieking, "Oh, my God!" before dramatically dropping to the floor, knocking over a candle in the process.
As guests gasped and screamed, Ian, 28, quickly stood up and rushed over to his bride's seemingly lifeless body.
"He immediately got up and came to my rescue — until he realized it was all a ruse!" Alexandra tells PEOPLE. "My dad and one of my best friends were also very concerned and moved to help, before they heard my mother cackling and realized it was all a part of the act!"
Alexandra's mom and officiant had spotted clues around the room that hinted at a murder mystery, such as a vintage typewriter welcome sign and magnifying glass place cards from Royal Stationery & Design. "Excited to realize they were dead on," the pair sitting next to each other exclaimed, "She's dead!" when Alexandra fell.
Before anyone reached the bride, a detective burst through the doors into the room.
"Nobody move!" shouted an actor named Eric from THEY improv. He held up a fake badge while suspiciously looking around at the laughing partygoers, who all now realized they were a part of a game.
The faux detective continued, "Nobody move! My name is Bert Hammel. I'm from a bad police department. I've been told there's a murder … I can't feel a pulse, the bride has been poisoned!"
Alexandra secretly began planning the murder mystery in April 2024, nearly an entire year before the dinner. Only her sister, who helped pick out "suspects," knew about the surprise.
"As a long-time lover of true crime, Nancy Drew and anything considered macabre, I knew I needed to find a way to keep my guests on their toes," Alexandra explains. "The idea popped into my head very early on into the planning and I knew we had to make it happen."
Alexandra's wedding planner, Melissa Alison Events, helped her find the perfect vendor to make her "dream a reality." The murder plot was even tied to the infamous ghost bride of Fairmont Banff Springs.
"I didn’t get word on how this was going to work until I arrived at the dinner about 15 minutes before our guests were set to join us," Alexandra says. "I had told the improv company I wanted to 'die' while giving a toast and they came up with the perfect script to match."
"I find I work best when I have little to no plan, so I went into it pretty blind — only having practiced my expression and fall in the bathroom a few times before!" she adds.
Detective decor, candles and moody florals from Flowers by Janie set the scene.
"I curated a playlist with classic Hollywood jazz music, movie scores from films like Knives Out and Murder on the Orient Express, with some pop hits related to murder sprinkled in like 'Killer Queen' by Queen and 'No Body, No Crime' by Taylor Swift, featuring HAIM," Alexandra notes.
She selected which guests would play characters beforehand.
"When they arrived at the dinner, they were pulled into a separate room, briefed on the plot and given a briefing on their characters," Alexandra explains. "Once I was poisoned, they then improvised along with the detective. After my murder, they were all questioned by him in front of the group. After the detective’s round of questioning, they were sent to the tables for one-on-one questioning with our guests! Broken up in teams, guests then had to pick the murderer and their motive."
The murderer was revealed to be the bride's "sister" in the story.
Many prizes, including fitness gear, mega chocolate bars and classic movies, were awarded to the winners. Furthermore, different superlative recipients earned titles such as best actor.
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