Friday, October 9, 2009

Wedding Photos

When I was home with my student, I noticed an alarming phenomenon: All the most scenic spots were overrun with an unusual new creature. The members of this white, puffy species seemed intent on monopolizing the most picturesque locales of whatever park or promenade the found themselves in. I refer, of course, to brides.

On my first afternoon in Jiaozhou, we saw no fewer than 6 or 7 brides in the park. They were getting their wedding pictures taken, with grooms, friends, and photographer in tow. The next day, we saw more wedding photo sessions by the seaside in Qingdao.

Apparently, in China, the wedding photo session is similar to what couples do for engagement pictures in the states. They go out for an afternoon (not on the wedding day), find some beautiful scenery, and have a fun time taking creative pictures with different outfits and poses. All the brides we saw were in traditional Western-style bridal gowns, except one who was in a puffy red dress. The dresses are supplied by the photographer, and many of the brides I saw had on sneakers and pants under the borrowed dress.

When's the last time you ran into half a dozen brides romping through the park? It truly is a sight to behold.

3 comments:

  1. That's actually completely brilliant. (a) You can be more creative. (b) You don't have to worry about ruining your actual dress. (c) The groom still doesn't see the real deal until the wedding day. Why haven't we implemented this yet in N. America?

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  2. I am remembering YB and PJ's pics. Awww...

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  3. When I was in Florence with Jonathan several years back, we saw a large crowd of Chinese couples coming off a bus dressed in wedding attire. They crowded the entire plaza and took pictures. It was indeed a crazy sight to behold.

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