Bride wears gown in stunning underwater photo shoot

A newlywed in the nation's capital really made a splash with a photo shoot to mark her special day.

Nicole Hardesty, 30, told WUSA that she is a competitive swimmer, so it felt natural for her to pose underwater while wearing a wedding dress.

Her grandmother, who spent four weeks making her blue wedding dress, did not approve of Hardesty taking her creation underwater, WUSA reported, so Hardesty wore her reception gown instead for the photo shoot.

Hardesty told WUSA that she wanted to "look like a mermaid."

The dress used in the photo shoot will not hang in a closet. Hardesty told WUSA that the dress will be professionally cleaned and donated to Forever Angels of Virginia, a charity that makes gowns for infants who die due to miscarriage, stillbirth or other causes.