From picturesque and exotic beach locations or heritage sites in a garden to a prominent city location, the idea of a pre-wedding shoot is to capture some beautiful moments in a perfect backdrop. But recently, a pre-wedding shoot sparked a controversy when a doctor and his fiancee, also a doctor, held their pre-wedding shoot in an operation theatre (OT) of a hospital.
While it was a non-functional OT at a government hospital in Chitradurga district of Karnataka where this photo shoot was held, Abhishek, the doctor, was dismissed from service after this video of the photo shoot went viral on social media. In the video, the doctor could be seen performing a ‘surgery’ on a patient, while his partner is assisting him. At the end of the video, the man who acted as a patient on whom the surgery was being performed was seen sitting up ‘post-operation’. The video also showed people with cameras and lights present in the operation theatre for the pre-wedding shoot. The couple is seen dressed in scrubs and equipped with proper medical equipment for the shoot, and has been trolled and talked about on social media platform X.
Karnataka health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao posted after the incident: “Government hospitals exist for the health care of people and not for personal work. I cannot tolerate such indiscipline from doctors.”
Pre-wedding shoots have risen in popularity phenomenally. From holding shoots at airport runways to freezing temperatures in snow, or right in the middle of bustling streets in the city, underwater and on a speed boat, pre-wedding shoots are in great demand for the fun, eccentric and extraordinary experiences they offer.
Shrey Bhagat, founder and creative director of Raabta, a photography and cinematography company, finds international pre-wedding shoots have also become popular. “There’s been a 100% increase in bookings for such shoots this year. Not just that, couples plan everything swiftly and meticulously, including styling, makeup, hair, etc. This level of planning for pre-wedding shoots is not something we’ve witnessed before. Couples are opting for exotic, offbeat destinations like Kashmir, Kochi, Ooty, Spain, Egypt, Florence, etc, for their weddings. People are constantly trying to find out-of-the-box ideas to create personalised, memorable experiences for their D-Day which include perfume-making, sake bars and elaborate game nights,” says Bhagat.
Among a few prominent pre-wedding shoot destinations are Thailand, Turkey, Middle-East and Europe, besides Rajasthan, Goa, Mussoorie, Mahabalipuram in Tamil Nadu, Siliguri in the east, and locations around Mumbai, like Lonavala, Alibaug.
The demand for both destination weddings and pre-wedding shoots has increased considerably with families now looking at not just a luxurious setting but also a different kind of experience. Either the shoots are done on group charters with customised headrests along with meals on board, or a shehnai playing in the aircraft while it flies towards its destination. Families look at such experiences with a budget ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 crore.
