How to Trash Your Wedding Dress

Contributor

By sbrungardt
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating:

(4 Ratings)

A new trend in wedding photography offers brides an edgy alternative for the wedding dress after the ceremony. “Trash the Dress” allows a bride to abandon the idea of a perfectly preserved wedding gown by taking post-wedding photos in edgy, artsy settings. Brides wear wedding gowns in settings such as peeping out among corn stalks, climbing into the loft of an abandoned barn and splashing around in the ocean waves.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Wedding dress
Photographer
Sense of adventure

Step 1

Commit to the trashing. You’ve committed to the groom. That was the easy part. Now you must commit to trashing the dress. While this may be an easy decision for some, it will be difficult for others, and it’s not for everyone. Depending on your photography session photos and poses, your dress will likely get dirty, snagged or torn.
Step 2

Know that it’s not about destroying the dress. Trash the Dress is a non-traditional and artistic way to capture additional memories of the dress you love so much. Chances are, you won’t be wearing it again, and neither will your daughter.
Step 3

Select a photographer. Preferably, you will want a wedding photographer who has conducted a Trash the Dress session or is familiar with the concept. Otherwise, set up consultations with a few wedding photographers in your area to discuss the idea.
Step 4

Choose a location. Be creative and imaginative, exploring intriguing settings in your city or town. You probably pass great venues every day without even realizing it. Consider subway stations, abandoned warehouses, salvage yards, farms, fields or lakes.
Step 5

Trash the dress. (Again, you don’t have to totally trash the dress here.) Just relax and enjoy yourself during the photo session. Again, this is your chance to preserve your wedding dress in a distinctive way. Use your imagination and don’t be afraid of a little dirt or a minor snag.
Step 6

Clean it up. After your session, you can still have the dress cleaned and preserved for safe-keeping. Who knows? Maybe you’ll want another session in a few years. Or, one altruistic alternative is donating your dress to a charitable cause.

Comments

theperfectfit said

Flag This Comment

on 3/29/2009 Why are there no pictures? As a tailor, one of my brides went off to Six Flags in New Jersey with her groom to ride the Ferris wheel and merry-go-round. Pictures would have made this article "Off the Chart!"

emily1724 said

on 12/30/2008 This is excellent! Great article!

OOOObubblesOOO said

on 10/11/2008 Excellent, I am absolutely using this idea. Sounds like a great way to de-stress after the formal festivities.

gardenwife said

on 10/11/2008 I agree, I'd like to see pictures! We knew at the outset of our marriage 16+ years ago that we didn't want kids, so I sold my dress within the first year. I love seeing unusual shots of brides and grooms, and if I were getting married now, I would definitely participate in the Trashing of the Dress! Great article, lots of fun. :)