Developing Stories: Making Wild Wedding Photos

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YEARS LATER, when they thumb through their wedding photos, even the edgiest brides and grooms can sometimes find themselves looking as stiff as cake toppers, in albums that could have been produced on an assembly line.

"Weddings really bring out the traditional in a lot of people," says photographer Mindy Belcher of Sterling, Va.'s Ever After Visuals (Everaftervisuals.com). "When the moms start getting involved, they want it to look like their wedding, and their wedding had a lot of [posed] formal shots."

New directions in event photography, however, show that altar-bound couples are finally getting more comfortable flaunting their alternative sides. Trends point toward capturing the lighter side of the festivities and the true personality of the participants - from documenting the less stuffy rehearsal dinner and arranging über-ironic group shots (think a "Sopranos" ad campaign) to shooting in unconventional locales such as wine cellars and graffiti-emblazoned alleyways.

Before their "I do" day, some courageous brides even go in front of the lens to get up close and (really) personal for a boudoir session - a series of intimate portraits, typically in a bedroom setting. "Until recently, I had been against it. I blame it on the whole Glamour Shots idea - rose in the teeth, feather boa," shudders Julie Raimondi, editor in chief of Brides Washington, D.C. "But in the right hands, it can be natural, stripped down and beautiful." The key, the pros say, is not trying too hard to sex it up and outdo Tyra Banks.

"I didn't go the lingerie route. I was thinking more pinup [girl] with boy shorts and vests," says Bowie, Md., 30-something Daphne Love, a management analyst who worked with photographer Allison Britton (Abrittonphotography.com). She surprised her husband, Brandon, with the boudoir photos when they first saw each other on their wedding day last October. "He was shocked, stunned and really proud," she says.

Grooms are also getting into the pre-wedding act by enlisting photographers to capture the proposal, paparazzi-style, and then surprising their bride with the photos afterward. "[This trend] is on the rise," confirms Rebecca Crumley, weddings photo editor at The Knot. "Some couples really love it. What bride wouldn't want a photo of when she first got the ring?"

To document the actual wedding day, couples are looking for a breezier style - one that's a step beyond the photojournalism that's been in vogue for the past decade. "I'd say there are more attempts to inject humor into the photos," says Kara Corridan, executive editor of Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. "Maybe it's a destination wedding and the groomsmen have on crazy pirate hats or sombreros. Maybe the bride and groom want something ironic, like an homage to the high school prom shot."

To get her clients to loosen up, Fairfax, Va., photographer Nicole Wolf of SOTA Dzine (Sotaweddings.com) encourages couples to bring along their friends and stray from the church and hotel. Last fall, she ended up at the Maine Avenue Fish Market with a boisterous bridal party, their hands full of crabs. "The pictures were hilarious," she says.

D.C. boasts so many scenic backdrops, it's no surprise that local couples carve out time for a photo tour on their wedding day. For stay-at-home mom Sara Willi, 29, and Donovan Kuehn, 39 - director of operations and outreach for the National Association of Alcoholism Counselors and Trainers - representing the city was a must. On their wedding day in October 2006, the Capitol Hill couple hit spots such as Meridian Hill Park and the White House, where they posed in mock protest with poster board signs. "We always joke that George W. Bush brought us together," says Willi, who met her husband at a demonstration against the Iraq war.

When selecting locales, keeping it personal is key. Otherwise, the shots can end up looking like outtakes from a touristy vacation to the nation's capital. "I dissuade [my brides] from embarking on some magical mystery tour or postcard trip," says Alexandria, Va., photojournalist Matt Mendelsohn (Mattmendelsohn.com). "It's got to feel real."

To capture the real party atmosphere of the reception, many couples forgo the traditional table-to-table shots. Ditto the tacky disposable cameras. Instead, they go old-school with a photo booth - the kind you used to find in the back of Woolworths. Washington Photo Booth Rentals (877-551-2778) supplies vintage 1960s machines, and Poshbooth (Poshbooth.com) offers updated versions. Nostalgia, however, doesn't come cheap: Packages start at $1,895 and $1,200, respectively.

Another option: hiring a photographer with a wedding package that includes a "snapshot studio" (consisting of a simple backdrop, light and camera that can be manually operated with a simple click). "I've been doing it for three years, and from the beginning people have been lining up to get in," says photographer Jennifer Domenick of Savage, Md.'s Love Life Images (Lovelifeimages.com). The shots - which mimic the look of photo booth pictures - tend to come out spontaneous, bordering on outrageous. It's almost a given that as the drink count goes up, the trousers come down.

With photographers becoming closer - and having more fun - with their clients, many newlyweds let flashes continue to fly even after the big day. According to wedding experts, the popularity of the so-called "day-after shoot" is on the rise. By donning wedding duds the next day (week or month), couples or brides can capture more dramatic shots - say, riding a Ferris wheel or wading knee-deep into the crashing surf. Neither, of course, would be possible when aiming to get to the church on time - or trying to keep that Vera Wang gown pristine for the ceremony.

"More creative brides have a specific vision," says Brides' Raimondi. "Some have been looking at [bridal] magazines for the better part of a year, and they see themselves as part of that world. Maybe they don't want to be princess for a day, but model for a day. Or maybe they are interested in being a part of some beautiful photography."

Since getting the shot sometimes comes at the expense of the dress, some have labeled this undertaking as "trash the dress." The phrase was coined by Las Vegas photographer John Michael Cooper, known for setting a bride ablaze in the desert (thanks to the wonders of a blow-up doll and digital photography). But some photogs have co-opted the idea to deleterious effect - too many mud-splattered gowns in the name of art. "The point isn't trashing the dress; it's getting beautiful editorial images," says Justine Ungaro, 30, a Los Angeles-based wedding photographer with a studio in Fairfax, Va. (Justineungaro.com).

When it came time for her own day-after shoot with husband Gary Kordan, 37, Ungaro hired SOTA Dzine's Nicole Wolf. The pair headed to National Park Seminary in Silver Spring, where they toured the dilapidated buildings, one of which was a hospital where her grandfather recovered from the Korean War. "We were not interested in pretty backgrounds with flowers and trellises. This was beautiful, rundown and interesting," says Ungaro.

And what about the dress? "Just filthy, almost black," she admits. But the photos? Unforgettable.

Written by Express contributor Alexa Yablonski
Nicole Wolf/SOTA Dzine