Russian Brides

Ok for those of you wondering why on earth I have 20 photos of random strangers in wedding costumes as a photo album...

Rachel & I were wandering around St Petersburg the first day and happened upon a guy videoing a bride and groom, with 2 people in red sashes walking behind them. Given it was a Monday, around midday, and it looked reasonably staged, we thought maybe it was some sort of photo shoot for the world's most horrific bridal couture shop. So I took a photo, mildly amused by the amount of toulle this woman was sporting, and we moved on.

Then we saw another bride.

Then another one.

4 or 5 brides later, we cottoned on to the fact that this wasn't just some sort of mass photo shoot but an actual Russian wedding tradition. Turns out that 1) people get married on any day in Russia, not just a Saturday or whenever the country club is free and 2) it's a 'thing' that after they get married they traipse around to the various key sights in the area to have their photos in front of the fountain/bridge/statue/landmark, best man and maid of honour in tow.

Given the fashion in Russia generally is something to behold (and, just quietly, my former mother-in-law's fashion preferences make so much more sense now, bless her) the wedding dresses were really out there in most cases. And the grooms! You could see your reflection in their suits more than 50% of the time, for sure.

So I began taking photos of all the brides we saw.

Second Runner-Up: Pregnant bride in Red Square whose dress was so thin her popping out belly button was showing (not to mention her g-string in the back)

First Runner-Up (and the bride who will step in should the winner not be able to fulfill her duties): Showy bride in short gold dress and patterned tights with open-toed shoes, arms splayed up for the camera

But, unanimously and overwhelmingly, the winner of this little contest is the St Petersburg bride / Playboy bunny with see-through corset and size 0000 figure, who was monopolising the bridge overlooking the Church of the Saviour on Spilled Blood as about 6 other couples awaited their turn.