I have a confession to make. After my wedding, I had my wedding dress lovingly cleaned and stored in a beautiful box, wrapped in the appropriate acid-free paper, and I haven't opened that box since the day it arrived. In fact, I haven't seen the whole dress since my wedding day – I only opened the box and peeped in to make sure it was my dress inside.
That was five (oh my!) years ago now, and I am wondering what exactly I plan to do with it. I have subsequently given birth to a son, so there is no daughter to pass it on to, and besides, wedding fashions are such that she may not have wanted it anyway even if she did exist.
It also makes me think that there may be something in this 'trash the dress' movement after all.
Wait, do you mean trash the wedding dress?!
I do, and I never thought I would be tempted, but this large box under the bed that needs to be brought out and dusted every once in a while is making me reconsider.
The trash the dress thing has been around for a while now, and as the phrase suggests, it originated in America as a way of taking radical wedding photos in places that pristine brides would never consider, the beach being a favourite.
Perhaps it was a rebellion of sorts against the perfect image of brides in dresses; we are bombarded with them whilst planning the wedding after all. Trashing the wedding dress is a way for brides to let loose and get some really fun pictures taken that are a world away from the posed models in large country mansions that we see in the big glossy wedding magazines.
Specialised trash the dress photography shoots
Of course, skipping along a beach and being chucked into the water by your beloved may not be conveniently fitted into your wedding day, so one way to get those amazing pictures is to arrange a dedicated "trash the dress photo shoot" as close to the wedding day as possible. Then you can look perfect on the day and still have the fun experience afterwards.
Can trashing the dress go too far?
I've read about a couple doing a trash the dress shoot (in America) in which the groom put the bride into one of those huge garbage dumpsters that we see in films. Euw! I would have been most upset at that…
I popped onto Google images to research this and one of the top results was a picture of a bride looking euphoric whilst her dress was on fire. Of course it was fake, but it was still disturbing. Erm, people, isn't that taking it a bit too far?
What else can be done with the wedding dress?
Of course, trashing the dress isn't an option if you're hoping to sell it afterwards. This is easier if you're tall as then the length can make the dress viable for a range of brides.
Preservation is the other option, and whilst I haven't worn it since, I do still like the thought of still having my dress. If you're the sentimental type (like I am) you may find it comforting to keep it.
Are you planning to trash your dress?
Making plans for your own trash the dress shoot? Or have you got a friend who already has? If so, we'd love to hear from you – and if you like, we could do a feature blog post on you after the shoot, including some of your pictures! Where and how are you planning to do it? Beach or forest? Will you be aiming for urban grittiness or a fantastical style? Let us know in the comments!
We plan to go off roading in our wedding clothes after our wedding, which is a weekend hobby of ours anyway but I have a huge white princess dress and plan to buy some white wellies and get stuck in. Our photographer first mentioned the 'Trash the dress' idea to us and we really liked it and our family thinks it definately our sort of thing, so it's gonna get muddy but loads of fun and not to mention great photos to end our wedding album! x
Oh wow! That is such a great idea, I love it! Especially the white wellies
I think your photos are an example of the best way to trash the dress; it's in keeping with your hobby, and not just staged. (Though staged ones have their appeal too!) Have fun 