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Pre-wedding memento
A couple poses for a photo session in a remote island in Lampung
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A couple poses for a photo session in a remote island in Lampung. JP/R. Berto Wedhatama
For many Indonesians, a wedding is not only about having a special gown, picking attractive invitations and souvenirs, reserving a spacious venue for hundreds (or even thousands) of guests for the big day or even ordering good food and floral decorations.
There is another ritual prior to the actual wedding day which many consider no less important than the main event: getting photographed in a pre-wedding session.
Normally, the photos taken in the pre-wedding session will be put on wedding invitations. Traditionally a photographer would take standard photos of the couple, but in this era of advanced technology, and particularly special effects, pre-wedding photo sessions have become a medium for couples to express themselves (and to show off their togetherness to their guests).
Nowadays, not only are the photos used for the invitations, but they are also displayed around the wedding venue for guests to enjoy. The bride and groom can explore their creativity by creating special themes for their photos, such as box-office movies.
Thus, pre-wedding photo sessions have become an inseparable “tradition” for most couples here. They have become a huge phenomenon in the last decade, and as a result the pre-wedding photography business has flourished, particularly in big cities.
However, this trend is not without its critics.
Earlier this year, a group of ulemas from East Java declared pre-wedding photos haram (not allowed under Islamic law), claiming that such photo sessions encouraged unmarried people to hug each other while posing.
The declaration has not dissuaded many couple from attending pre-wedding photo sessions.
“I’ve found out that pre-wedding photo shoots only exist in Indonesia. It’s a culture for couples here,” said prominent photographer Darwis Triadi.
Why have pre-wedding photo sessions become tradition? “There is a tendency in our society to invite many guests to a wedding party. Guests sometimes have to queue and wait for a long time to congratulate the married couple,” he explained.
“In a bid to chase away the boredom of the guests, the host couple display a number of their [pre-wedding] pictures in some spots around the building so the guests can enjoy them while waiting for their turn.”
Diani Pranata, chief editor of wedding magazines Bella Donna and Mahligai, shared a similar insight. She said the tradition started in the 1990s.
“They don’t just showcase the photos at the wedding venue, many couples now use the pictures at home for decoration, such as on the bathroom wall, for instance,” she said.
As time goes by, couples have become more and more daring in choosing extraordinary and off-the-wall themes.
The concepts, Diani added, are varied, ranging from outdoor, casual, fun and elegant-glamor to fashion photos. But there’s something more important than just choosing a theme.
“A pre-wedding picture should show the chemistry of the couple. Don’t upstage the photo with the concept, because this is not for commercial purposes,” Darwis said.
“You don’t even need a stylist because it’s not a photo for a fashion page. It’s OK if you use a theme, but I think it would be better if you both appeared naturally.”
Diani agreed. “Bringing out the chemistry through the photos is important. Remember, you will keep the photos at home and see them every day,” she said.
“When you have a quarrel with your partner, the photos will remind you of the day you fell in love with your spouse.”
Darwis and Diani were speaking during a workshop on pre-wedding photo shoots at the Beautifying Indonesia Conference 2010, a one-day event held by beauty producer Martha Tilaar Group recently at the Jakarta Convention Center in South Jakarta.
The event was also attended by two prominent makeup artists — Chenny Han and Lucia Tan, who shared tips about applying makeup for pre-wedding photo sessions.
While Chenny gave a demonstration about makeup for indoor pre-wedding photo shoots, Lucia spoke about makeup for outdoor shoots.
Both makeup artists noted the importance of applying natural yet subtle makeup. “I suggest couples do the shoots two months prior to the wedding so they have enough time to plan everything,” Lucia said.
“If you choose to have the shoot outdoors, try not to do it during the rainy season,” she added.
Amelie Poerwoko is among many women who offer pre-wedding photo sessions. She did not hesitate to spend around Rp 10 million (US$ 1.119) on a series of stunning pre-wedding pictures for her own wedding.
“I think every one has to do pre-wedding photos. It’s like a follow the leader kind of thing. But I basically really wanted to do this,” Amelie told The Jakarta Post.
“When I was still working as a fashion stylist, I was busy planning photo sessions. Then I thought, ‘It’s time for me to take the hot seat.”
As she is not your typical romantic woman, she opted for dreamy, cute and cartoon themes. Rene Magritte’s paintings and rom-com flick 27 Dresses are just some of the eight inspirations she based her photos on.
“I think concept is important in taking pictures, even for pre-wedding ones. A pre-wedding shoot is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, so let’s kill it,” said the 20-something woman who admitted that she persuaded her husband to do all of the shoots. The couple later displayed the pictures in the venue on their wedding day.
However, the pictures, she added, have to reflect the real personality of ourselves and our partners.
“The couple should set the concept themselves, not the photographer. The bottom line is, when people see your photo, they will say, ‘Wow, this photo is so you’.”
Different from Amelie who set various themes for her pre-wedding, Bastina chose a natural setting for her photo shoots — the Bogor botanical gardens, south of the capital.
She said she had only spent money printing the pictures as she asked her photographer friend to take the pictures.
“We did not want to use a set concept. We wanted it to be natural and intimate. The point was there was chemistry between us,” Bastina said.
And did they hold on to the photos? Both said they had hung up several of the photos at home.
“After the wedding was over, I realized the photos were not so worth while because I ended up asking myself if I would hang on to them all?” Amelie said.
She later gave some of them to her parents and in-laws. “You know what, I even ‘gave’ the photos away to those who wanted to keep them so they wouldn’t just be in the store room,” she said.
The concepts, Diani added, are varied, ranging from outdoor, casual, fun and elegant-glamor to fashion photos. But there’s something more important than just choosing a theme.
