QUEBEC BRIDE DROWNED DURING
‘TRASH THE DRESS’ PHOTO SHOOT
http://news.nationalpost.com - The
bride who died during a photo shoot in Quebec last week when her
wedding dress became heavily soaked in a river, dragging her into the
water and causing her to drown, was participating in growing trend
called “trash the dress.” Maria Pantazopoulos, 30, had married in June
and wanted to immortalize her wedding dress with Friday’s photo shoot,
family friend Leeza Pousoulidis told the Montreal Gazette. “Trash the
dress” is a style of post-wedding photography that features the bride in
her dress in an unconventional setting, often using water or other
environmental factors that effectively ruin the garment. “She’s a really
fun girl, and she just didn’t want her wedding dress sitting in a box
in the closet,” Pousoulidis told The Gazette. “She said ‘I want to have
fun with my wedding dress. I want to have great pictures and memories of
me in my wedding dress.’” Wedding photographer Louis Pagakis was taking
photos of Pantazopoulos in the Ouareau River in Rawdon, 75 kilometres
northeast of Montreal, when the weight of her dress pulled her into the
current.
The
photographer's girlfriend, Anouk Benzacar, added that the bride wanted a
picture of herself floating in the water, so she moved out to a deeper
part of the river where she couldn't touch the bottom. Pantazopoulos'
photographer, Louis Pagakis, told CTV News that the woman knew how to
swim, but that the weight of her soaking wet dress dragged her down. The
photographer and his assistant were unable to lift her out - she was
pulling him under with her - and she was swept away by a strong current.
“I tried to save her. I jumped in…I was screaming, yelling. Somebody
else came…We tried our best to save her but we couldn't save her,”
Pagakis told CTV Montreal. “When she let go, he freaked,” Benzacar said.
“He dove to try to find her, but he couldn't.” The dress, saturated in
water, would have weighed at least 100 pounds, provincial policeman
Jean-Michel Masse told QMI Agency. “It was like an anvil,” Masse said.
Pantazopoulos had been married on June 9th. Her husband, Billy, was not
at the photo shoot. Two police officers arrived on scene and jumped into
the water but could not find her. A scuba diver who heard about the
accident arrived on scene and found her body two hours later.
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“Trash
the dress” photography sessions can include dangerous situations for
brides. Some brides set their gowns on fire. Others go for a swim. Some
hop rickety fences, others explore garbage dumps and abandoned buildings
in order to have artistic photos taken of the wedding gown being
destroyed in this joyous but potentially risky celebration. Another
photographer, Mario Michaud told CTV Montreal, “Brides think they're
getting a beautiful picture, but they don't realize how heavy a wet
wedding dress can be.” Michaud cautions brides to ensure they're not
risking their lives for the perfect shot, because “the alluring beauty
of the spot belies its potential for danger.” Our human life is valuable and we ought not to risk losing it by just looking for fun.
WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?
The
average lifetime of a human being consists of many days and nights, so
major scares are bound to come up every now and then, incidents which
bring a person to the verge of death or some other major calamity. If
one is lucky enough to survive these scares, they should take every
opportunity to prevent them from reoccurring. Some things such as
accidents and natural disasters are more or less unavoidable, but other
scares come about through choices that are made. ... Harmful behavior
can only be eradicated if we have a higher engagement. Simple abstention
is not enough since it is the nature of the human spirit to be active.
We need to be doing something at all times, even if it involves passive
activities such as watching television or sitting on the couch. ... So
what can be done? The Vedas, the ancient scriptures of India, tell us
that the living entities need a higher engagement, something which
transcends all other activities. ... Due to our constitutional makeup,
we are already inclined towards this activity. This discipline is known
as bhakti-yoga, or devotional service.
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