A newlywed couple was pulled over five minutes after their Tennessee wedding, then the officer told the groom he had a warrant for his arrest

A newlywed couple was pulled over just minutes after leaving their Tennessee wedding, and the bride says her “heart sank” when the officer told the groom he had a warrant out for his arrest. The officer turned out to be joking, according to People, but the couple says the prank felt very real in the moment.

Kara Lewis Webb (@karaxlewis), 25, and West Webb, 33, got married at Ramble Creek in Athens, Tennessee, on a day the bride described as “truly a fairy tale.” Within five minutes of leaving for their honeymoon, the newlyweds were stopped by an officer. Kara says she assumed it was over something minor, like a missing headlight or a problem with their tag.

Instead, the officer asked the groom, “Have you ever been in California?” When West said yes, the officer followed up, “Well, have you had a speeding ticket there that you never took care of? Because I have a warrant for your arrest.” Kara says the prank felt believable because the couple actually lives in California, which made the question hit a little too close.

The officer was only kidding, but not everyone online thought the prank was funny

Moments later, the officer told the couple, “I’m kidding.” West can be heard reacting with “Oh, my gosh,” before calling the whole exchange “insane.” The officer then congratulated the newlyweds and told them to “be careful” and “slow down” as they drove off. “For a moment, I genuinely had no idea what was happening,” Kara said of the stop.

Kara shared the traffic stop in an Instagram reel that has racked up over five million views, with on-screen text reading, “We got pulled over on our wedding night.” She captioned the post, “Well, that was unexpected.” Neither the officer nor his department has been named, as the couple kept the focus of the video on their reaction to the stop.

Many viewers loved the officer’s sense of humor. One commenter said she and her husband were also pulled over on their wedding night, joking that officers are at least nice about it then. Another told the couple they now have “an awesome story to tell your children,” while a third joked about what they would have told an officer while speeding toward the next stop of the night.

Some reactions focused on smaller details. One viewer joked about Oreos and ice cream melting in the car the entire time the couple was stopped, while another recalled being pulled over while rushing home with a toddler shouting from the back seat, only to be handed a ticket anyway. That viewer said her daughter was two at the time and in the middle of potty training.

Not everyone was amused, however. One commenter bluntly said the prank was not funny, while another questioned whether the stop was staged at all, pointing out that the camera was already rolling and asking how the officer knew the couple had just gotten married. Lighthearted traffic stops have gone viral before, as seen when an officer paid a driver a compliment after warning him for rolling through a stop sign.

The couple says they would like to take the officer out to lunch. However, it is unclear whether he has seen the video or reached out to the newlyweds since it took off online.

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the officer’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from Kara Lewis Webb’s Instagram video.