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Some couples choose to blow off wedding steam by trashing the dress; others opt to capture some post-life-long vows sexiness with pictures. Two NSFW wedding photography trends have taken an alternative perspective on memorializing nuptials by showing brides—and occasionally grooms—in very little clothing. Spoiler alert: It's the non-virginal perspective.
First and most prominent is so-called "boudoir photography," in which women are photographed in their bridal lingerie, usually with a veil. The style seems primarily concerned with memorializing a woman's body when she is ostensibly in the best physical shape of her life. The Knot, for example, recommends that since "you're spending time and money on an exercise and beauty routine, you may want to wait until a week or so before the wedding to show off the results." Is it noteworthy that there are no cake-themed shoots? Well, it's now been noted.
"Morning After" photoshoots are the raunchier extension of boudoir photography. In case you missed it last year, the internet grew very concerned over an uptick in racy photos of post-wedding...bliss? Extreme comfort? Extreme discomfort? Hard to say, but the pictures involve couples at varying levels of intimacy, from lounging in their PJs to pressed up against a shower door.
Photographer Michelle Jonné incurred the majority of the internet's finger wagging in 2011 when an especially explicit Morning After shoot went viral, thanks to the NY Daily News.
What got less press was her defense of the style. Published on the The Photo Brigade, a forum for freelance photographers, Jonné noted that she wasn't the first to capture clients in implied post-coital/pre-coital marriage bed. (Nope, that honor probably goes to Terry Richardson. See above.) She believes she elevates the photos to "art," as well as gives couples a way to combat divorce. Also:
"What I did is no different than something in a magazine or commercial with models or celebrities. Does Calvin Klein, D&G, Versace, Armani, Gucci, etc ring a bell? I love photography and shoot me for trying to bring more spice into the wedding world." At least Pinterest is on Michelle's side. The site is rife with both boudoir and Morning After images, so it can't possibly be pornography. Find some of our favorite examples of both below.
· A Brief History of 'Trash the Dress' Photography [Racked]
· All Weddings Week 2013 [Racked]
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