Niki Chanel: Wedding Photos Gone Wild

by Niki Chanel

I was looking for information on air soft and paint ball, in order to better understand my son and his hobbies when I ran across a bridal trend I had not heard of before, and found myself wondering “What makes a wedding truly fabulous? The ring? Guests? Flowers? Or is it... the dress?”

You can ask around, but I think you’ll find that, though careful choices are made from invitations to colour scheme, none are as important to the bride as her gown.

The dress must be elegant, that much is understood. Often long and white, satin and lace are hiding the all important garter, but it should do more. The dress must transform its wearer into a princess with glamour and grace.

One aspect of the bride’s garb that cannot be seen is its comfort. Women are used to being uncomfortable for beauty’s sake but this is the day they will be living in the most opulent attire of their lives. It must be comfortable.

OK, we’re almost there: what else do girls shop for when looking for the perfect dress for the perfect day? You got it; it must be sexy!

So many demands on a piece of clothing made from enough fabric to redecorate a bedroom has got to be expensive.

But when the celebrations are over and the couple returns from the honeymoon, what do you do with this gigantic frock? Do you hold on to it for the rest of your life to remember that day, or are the photos better? Do you cheapen the fabulousness of the garment by letting someone else wear it next week? What to do?

Enter the ‘TTD’ generation. It is quickly becoming tradition to Trash The (wedding) Dress during an after-the-wedding-photo-shoot with your betrothed. (This one from Greg Bumatay at bumataystudio.blogspot.com)

Lindsay, a blogger at ultimateaffairs.wordpress.com tells us: “It is believed by some that the first photographer to start this trend was John Michael Cooper from Las Vegas.” Well, I for one think it’s fantastic! Could there be a better excuse for a relaxed, sexy photo shoot? No more worrying that a pulled thread or spot of food may ruin it – rather let’s try to abuse it.

There will always be some that scream “But why?!” and stare in horror. But courageous newlyweds have another point of view: they did not want to wear their mothers’, sisters’ or aunts’ wedding gown down their own aisle and they do not expect their daughters to wear theirs. One can do with it as they please. Put another way, it’s between the dress and the bride.