Trash the Dress

So, you’ve spent a nice chunk of change on your wedding dress. You’ve painstakingly kept it pristine and dirt free until the big day, and you may even have had it professionally dry cleaned afterwards. But now what are you going to do with it?

Well, you could do what most of us do, and store it away. You could save it for your offspring. You could sell it on eBay. Or you could completely trash it – soak it in water, cover it in mud, even attack it with scissors. And you could hire a professional photographer to take pictures of you doing it!

“Trash the Dress” for the Fearless Bride is elegant clothing in an unexpected environment shot in a fashion or glamour style. The unexpected locations may include things like the beach, a pool, fields, abandoned buildings, a theme park, train tracks or other rustic locations where a wedding dress would not normally be seen. Originally started by John Michael Copper, the father of “very different wedding photography” in 2001 and it was made popular by online sites dedicated to Trash the Dress photography.

Why would a bride even consider doing something like this, you ask? Well, there are a few reasons… Many fearless brides realize they will never wear this dress again and look at this as an opportunity to take the dress out and have fun taking photos they could not take on the day of the wedding because they didn’t want to chance getting the dress dirty.

Some brides see their Trash the Dress session as a declaration that they are 100% committed to their marriage and will never need the dress again. For others the motivation is the fantastic vogue style photography that they will cherish for many years even when the gown no longer fits.

Of course, there are many brides who love the Trash the Dress photos but are not sure they want to ruin their gowns. The good news is that there are many great options for Trash the Dress sessions that will not actually destroy your wedding dress. Trash the Dress sessions can range anywhere from getting a bit of sand on the dress at the beach to shredding the dress with scissors.

If you love the idea of a Trash the Dress session but are a little leery about actually destroying your dress, talk to your photographer. They will be able to suggest plenty of options that will give you amazing photographs and will result in your dress simply needing a quick trip to the dry cleaners.

While Trash the Dress sessions often feature brides, more and more couples are choosing to do Trash the Dress sessions together. A couple’s Trash the Dress session results in beautiful post-wedding photographs to complete your wedding album.

There has also been some amazing Trash the Dress sessions done with couples celebrating a 1st, 5th or 10th anniversary who want to celebrate their years together with a special photo session.

Luvs it! I am the bride who would rock the pale pink short dress down the aisle. I would sooooooooooooooooooo do this!

Photo Credits: Ash Imagery; Jeremy Clay; John Michael Cooper