Nude weddings, also known as naked marriages, are weddings that may include the couple, bridal parties, and/or guests in the
nude
Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing.
The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to h ...
. Participants may be committed to the
nudist
Naturism is a lifestyle of practising non-sexual social nudity in private and in public; the word also refers to the cultural movement which advocates and defends that lifestyle. Both may alternatively be called nudism. Though the two terms ar ...
lifestyle
Lifestyle often refers to:
* Lifestyle (sociology), the way a person lives
* ''Otium'', ancient Roman concept of a lifestyle
* Style of life (german: Lebensstil, link=no), dealing with the dynamics of personality
Lifestyle may also refer to:
Bus ...
or want a different kind of
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
.
The wedding couple may be nude while the guests may come nude or dressed, or with the couple and all the guests naked. There are 270 clubs in America that are clothes-free or clothes-optional, and some of these serve as locations for nude weddings.
In China, "
naked wedding" has come to mean a simple, low-budget wedding, not involving the purchase of a house, car, or wedding rings. Such weddings have become more popular. The term does not refer to actual nudity.
Growth of the nude wedding
The first publicized nude wedding took place at the Garden of Eden at the
1934 World's Fair in Chicago.
There has been an increase in nude weddings with the growth of nude recreational practices. According to the
American Association for Nude Recreation
The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) is a naturist organization based in the United States.
The AANR is the largest, longest-established organization of its kind in North America. It was founded in 1931 and went under its previou ...
(AANR), founded in 1931, nude recreation grew 75 percent during the 1990s. Today, the AANR estimates it has grown to be a 440 million dollar industry, from $120 million in 1992.
Traditional elements
Nude weddings can include traditional flowers, veils and accessories, music, and food. An official conducts the ceremony and legal requirements are as for any other wedding.
World's largest nude wedding
The largest nude wedding took place 2003 in
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
with 29 couples married at the same time. The wedding was at
Hedonism III in Runaway Bay, Jamaica on Valentine's Day. Couples included a Russian, a Canadian, and an American Indian from the Crow tribe. The ceremony was conducted by Rev. Frank Cervasio of the
Universal Life Church
The Universal Life Church (ULC) is a non-denominational religious organization founded in 1962 by Kirby J. Hensley,James R. Lewis, The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions' (2001), p. 769-70.U.S. Department of the Army, ''Religious Re ...
in Florida.
Participants were required to stay a minimum of 4 days, and arrive on February 12, two days before the marriage ceremony.
In popular culture
Nude weddings are the norm in the fictional
Betazoid
''Star Trek'' is a science fiction media franchise that began with Gene Roddenberry's launch of the original ''Star Trek'' television series in 1966. Its success led to decades of films, novels, comics, and spinoff series. A major motif of the ...
culture in ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' because of their ability to see thoughts and emotions of others. This gift evolved their society into an open one, which allowed nude weddings without taboo.
A nude wedding scene appears in the 1968 film ''Girls Come Too'' (later re-titled ''How I Became a Nudist'' ).
Maria Stinger and her real-life husband Harry Stinger (credited as Dick Powers) play a couple who marry in a nudist ceremony at a Miami
nudist camp
A naturist resort or nudist resort is an establishment that provides accommodation (or at least camping space) and other amenities for guests in a context where they are invited to practise naturism – that is, a lifestyle of non-sexual socia ...
.
See also
*
Body image
Body image is a person's thoughts, feelings and perception of the aesthetics or sexual attractiveness of their own body. The concept of body image is used in a number of disciplines, including neuroscience, psychology, medicine, psychiatry, ps ...
*
Naked party
A naked party, also known as nude party, is a party where the participants are required to be nude. The parties have become associated with college campuses and with college-aged people; they gained prominence after naked parties were organized a ...
References
{{Nudity
Clothing-free events
Nudity
Wedding
Clothing-optional events