Couple takes wedding photos in a coffin
A Singaporean couple took a pre-wedding photo shoot to a new level after taking photos inside a coffin in honour of their undertaker jobs.
Jenny Tay and Darren Cheng, both undertakers, said death plays a central and important part in their lives hence its incorporation in the photo shoot.
“A large part of the shoot was definitely inspired by our jobs,” Ms Tay told the BBC during an interview.
The bride is also the daughter of one of Singapore’s most famous undertakers and has also written a children’s book about dealing with death.
“Wedding shoots are often staged at places which bring the most memories. For us, work plays such a huge part of our lives so we wanted to do it in style,” said Ms Tay.
Wedding photo shoots in Singapore are traditionally taken by many local couples ahead of their banquets. The couple’s wedding is set for October this year.
TALK ABOUT DEATH
The photo shoot was staged in a waterway park in Singapore and was initiated by the bride who said death is part of life and should not be viewed as taboo.
“We wanted it to be pretty and whimsical, not at all morbid, so we staged it there and not in an actual cemetery,” Ms Tay explained.
The photo shoot to an entire day under what the couple termed as ‘very hot’ weather but they say they never intended to scare anyone.
“It’s important to talk about death; it’s part and parcel of everyone’s life. Many Asian societies often portray it negatively – we hope to be able to debunk that taboo by encouraging people to be open about death,” said Ms Tay.
The couple said they will however not display the coffin photos during their wedding so as not to disrespect any of their guests.
“Everyone has different opinions and it’s not possible for everyone to share the same line of thought as us,” she explained, adding that the couple will feature a set of “assassin-themed” wedding photographs taken in Japan instead.
A Star Wars-themed wedding shoot and another one based on the zombie apocalypse are some of the other creative shoots done by Singaporean couples.