New craze sees bride 'drown gown'

Kylie Keioskie (nee Sagar) drowns her gown at a creek in Coffs Harbour.

Tom Woods

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Drown the Gown

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THREE guys fishing in Boambee Creek at Coffs Harbour got quite a surprise when they saw a girl walk into the water – wearing her wedding dress.

They weren’t going crazy; these guys had just witnessed a new wedding trend called ‘drowning the gown’.

Kylie Sagar and Luke Keioskie were recently married in a ceremony at Kings Beach in Caloundra and returned to the scene of their wedding proposal, Boambee Creek, for a special photo shoot.

“Half the people at work thought it was a great idea and the other half were mortified,” Kylie said.

“My mother thought I was actually going to drown the gown and it wasn’t until she saw the photos that she said ‘Oh, now I get it’.”

The ‘drowning of the gown’ involved getting dressed up again in wedding finery (including professional hair and make-up) two weeks after their wedding and jumping in to the surf.

“It was a special day, just me and Luke and the photographer, it was fun and so much more relaxed than on the actual wedding day,” Kylie said.

“There’s a lot less stress – on your wedding day, while you’re having your photo taken there are so many other things going through your mind.”

Coffs Coast photographer, Tom Woods of ST Images, who travelled to Caloundra to photograph the wedding, hadn’t heard of the drown the gown concept until Kylie suggested it.

“Kylie enlightened me, then I did a bit of research on the internet,” Tom said.

“Most of the work I could find has come from New Zealand so I’m guessing the idea may have started there – either way it’s a crazy thing to do but great from a photographer’s point of view.

“You’re always looking to capture something different and those images of Kylie and Luke in the surf are some of my favourite shots – hands down.”

As she was walking into the water to ‘drown her gown’, was there a moment’s hesitation for Kylie?

“For just a second I thought ‘what am I doing?’ but the dress had served its purpose, it was liberating to do it, toss tradition out the door and say with our photographs ‘this is us’.”

Photos courtesy of www.stimages.com.au.