"How romantic!" I thought as I stepped onto the Bund on a rare clear blue day in Shanghai. A young couple in traditional white gown and tux posed for a picture on Shanghai’s historic esplanade against the backdrop of ultra-modern skyscrapers that make up Shanghai's newest area, Pudong. As the wedding photography team fussed over hair, makeup and lighting, tourists that had come to enjoy one of the most popular spots in Shanghai were busy with their own photographs.
The Bund is the section of Zhongshan Road that houses the many European styled buildings built in the early 1900's by financial and trading institutions from Europe, United States, Russia and Japan. I would soon learn these historic and imposing buildings make beautiful backdrops for Shanghai wedding photos. Across the river are some of the world's tallest buildings, original creations showcasing the affluence, ingenuity and growth of New China.
Walking a few steps past the first wedding couple I saw another wedding couple and then another couple after that. I wondered if it was an especially lucky day in the Chinese calendar that would bring out all of these couples to the same location to take wedding pictures but after doing a quick google search I found nothing to indicate that the day was particularly auspicious. I wondered if it was a photo shoot for a wedding magazine or just wedding season. Some brides were dressed in traditionally western white gowns while many others were dressed in red gowns which is a lucky color in the Chinese culture. I had to laugh when I saw more than one bride beautifully dressed in flowing white raise up her dress as she walked to her photo shoot and reveal a more modern and comfortable style with bright leggings and combat boots underneath. The dresses we consider traditional in the US are a rather new trend and are a popular photo-op portion of a wedding. After seeing more than 20 couples in less than half an hour I decided to stop wondering why they were all there and just enjoy the show.
Here's a bit of what I saw:
