The craziest wedding photos of all time – from brides’ dresses set on FIRE to death-defying cliffhangers and wild bears
IT’S only natural to feel a bit nervous on your wedding day – especially if you’re going to risk your life in the photos.
One pair of newlyweds were recently spotted having their pictures taken while stood in the middle of railway tracks – but they’re just the latest example of a couple who’ve given “till death do us part” a whole new meaning.
Not everyone was impressed with the bride and groom’s railway antics.
“Wedding photos or selfies on the track are just plain stupidity,” Network Rail’s Allan Spence said.
And British Transport Police Superintendent Alison Evans said: “The railway is not an appropriate or safe setting for a photographic backdrop, no matter how scenic the setting.”
But others have gone to even greater heights of danger for their big day snaps – literally, in some cases.
To have and to hold
Trust is the cornerstone of any relationship – but Melissa Kornexl took things a bit further than usual to prove it on her wedding day.
The brave bride appeared to put her life in the hands of new hubby James, who she let dangle her above a 400ft drop at Cathedral Ledge in New Hampshire, US.
Hidden harnesses kept the couple safely anchored to the rockface for the death-defying shoot.
But they still had to brave 45mph winds and one seriously scary drop to get the perfect pictures.
Burning for you
Two variety entertainers sparked headlines with their unusual nuptials – in which they were both set on fire.
April Choi and Bethany Byrnes were both set alight after walking down the aisle in Mount Vernon, Iowa, in 2018.
“I was super nervous,” Bethany said.
“I have done fire performance for fun and professionally, but as I watched the fuel being poured on April’s dress, I couldn’t help but think it was a ton of fuel to be wearing.”
Ring bear-er
It can be nerve-wracking walking down the aisle – especially when there’s a seven-foot bear waiting for you at the end of it.
Moscow couple Denis and Nelya invited brown bear Stepan to join them during their incredible wedding in 2016.
The 21st beast even dressed up for the occasion by sporting a black bowtie.
“We both knew Stepan is a very kind bear but still it is a huge, unpredictable animal so we were a bit scared, but still happy to be able to make our dream come true,” Denis said.
Stepan, who was born in captivity at the St Petersburg Zoo, has been with his current handlers at just three months old.
He’s now rented out to perform in films, modelling photoshoots, and weddings like this one.
Isn’t she lava-ly?
Some wedding pictures just melt your heart.
And, in Lauren and Alexander Michaels’ wedding photos, it looks like their shoes may have melted too.
The childhood sweethearts trekked four miles through the night to take sizzling wedding snaps on the slopes of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii.
“The hike was absolutely insane, and I would say the scariest part was crunching across the lava fields,” photographer Jenna Lee said in 2016.
“It’s incredibly eerie, and when you look down you can actually see the molten lava below the surface through the cracks, and can feel the heat from within.”
Whirlwind romance
Everyone hopes they’ll have nice weather on their wedding day.
But for one couple near Saskatoon in Canada, their weather completely blew the photographer away.
Snapper Colleen Niska was shooting the bride and groom on a rural road in 2014 when a tornado touched down in the distance.
Niska posted them on her Facebook page, writing: “Could NOT wait to post these,” CBS reports.
“Pretty sure this will only happen once in my lifetime!”
Top table
One wildly adventurous Californian couple traded their “I dos” for “hell yeahs” at their wedding.
And they also ditched the traditional chapel for a net suspended 400 feet above a canyon floor.
Ryan Jenks and Kimberly Weglin wanted to avoid getting off to a rocky start by having their thrill-seeking ceremony at Moab in Utah in 2018.
The daredevil duo even had 10 base jumping flower girls, who dropped petals as they dived off the net.
“One of my favourite parts about our relationship is that we share the same passions and attitudes towards life,” Kimberly said.
“Our adventures remind us to LIVE together. To be lighthearted and not waste our short time on this Earth squabbling about petty things and ‘problems’ that we don’t really have.”
On a high
It’s bad enough having wedding photos in a perilous place – but it’s arguably even worse when there’s crowds of tourists watching too.
One couple were in such a predicament as they dangled below a glass-bottomed suspension bridge in Yueyang, China, in 2014.
MORE IN FEATURES
The groom went even further by perilously clinging on to the side of the bridge.
The adrenaline junkies celebrated their big day by abseiling from the Haohan Qiao bridge in Shiniuzhai National Park.
It’s also known as “Brave Men’s Bridge” for obvious reasons, spanning 1,000 feet across a 590ft drop.