Trash the Dress

New Year’s Resolution: Do Something with That Wedding Dress! aka Trash the Dress

Is one of your New Year’s Resolutions to actually do something with that old wedding dress of yours? You didn’t actually think it would be in style for your daughter 25 years from now did you? Why not wear it? Today we’ll examine the world of Trash the Dress. That’s the trend of hiring a pro photographer or videographer for a creative portrait session modeling your dress.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to actually trash the dress. But you might actually have some fun wearing it around town, on the back of a motorcycle, or walking through the woods.

Shirley Pearce,Photographer, says,”what are you realistically going to ever do with that dress again? Not many girls wear their mom’s out of fashion dress (or you wouldn’t see so many bridal shops around). The huge majority of dresses just sit in a bag forever. Many photographers and brides feel like this once in a lifetime expense can be put to great use to create art.

It gives you a chance to get all glamorous again without all the pressure of keeping the gown clean, in fact it’s a riot to see what brides want to do with a dress they don’t have to worry about and how much fun they have getting it dirty. In some extreme cases they shred the dress or paint it or even set it on fire!”

I did a Trash the Dress session last weekend. To me it isn’t so much about destroying the dress as it is placing the dress in a place where a “wedding dress” doesn’t belong. Ex: railroad tracks, playground, water, etc. What a fantastic opportunity at that once in a lifetime shot!

Shirley Pearce adds, “Our favorite Trash The Dress session so far was in an industrial park in Pasadena, TX with lots of pipes, valves and high voltage signs.

She continues, “Trash the Dress sessions are not for every bride. I love the idea of a photo session with a bride in her dress in an unconventional location, but the dress doesn’t necessarily have to be ruined. Most brides know they will be spending hundreds of dollars to have the dress cleaned and preserved, so they just want to get a little more life out of it before it goes into a box.”

Your Trash the Dress selections are no limited to still photos. Our studio, Here's Looking at You! Photography, captures Trash the Dress in video and stills in your own personal slideshow on DVD.

Of course, the go-to place for all things TTD, is www.trashthedress.com. That is an entire site dedicated to the art of Trash the Dress. Whatever you choose to do with your dress, sell it on Ebay, store in the closet, or cut it up for a baptism gown, try to find a way to cherish your memories of the gown beyond the wedding day. Contact me for creative new ways re-live your wedding memories.