Should you trash your dress?

It’s every bride’s dilemma: what to do with their wedding dress after the big day. Some choose to sell their dress and recoup some of the costs while others pay a substantial sum to have their wedding dress dry cleaned and boxed, in a bid to preserve it for future generations.

Faced with a large box languishing in the attic and the niggling feeling that their own daughter will reject the offer of wearing this family heirloom on their special day (just as the bride in question laughed when offered her mother’s circa-1970 wedding dress), many brides are now starting to consider a relatively new phenomenon…trashing their dress.

Originating in the USA, trash the dress has now reached UK shores and is hotly tipped to become the newest phenomenon in wedding photography. Having invested heavily in their dress, many brides feel that wearing it once just isn’t enough. For others, the trash the dress photo shoot allows them to use different locations – perhaps a beach or an industrial estate – and relax in the knowledge that it doesn’t matter if their dress gets wet or dirty.

While the term is likely to strike fear into the heart of most mother-of-the-brides, a dress trashing is not necessarily literally that. In fact, many brides say that after the photographic shoot their dress cleaned up without any problems. Others prefer to go the full distance – submerging themselves in water, getting greasy in a garage, or even cutting their dress to shreds.

Whatever the level of trashing, the shoot offers the bride the opportunity to let her hair down and have a great time in the process. All brides want to look beautiful, composed and elegant on their wedding day. The trash the dress shoot is a chance to show your fun, carefree and possibly even sultry side!

So, you’ve decided to go for it. But before you do, make sure you choose the right photographer. After all, if you are going to “trash” your beautiful dress, you want to be sure that the end result will be worth it. A quality trash the dress shoot will result in striking, fashion-inspired images that will remind your new husband of what a lucky man he is!

When choosing your trash the dress photographer, check to see if they are a member of a professional organisation such as the Master Photographers Association, the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers or the British Institute of Professional Photography. Also decide before the shoot what level of trashing you would like to do – a good, professional photographer will not ask you to do anything you don’t feel 100% comfortable with.

Finally, relax and enjoy the shoot. After all, this probably will be the last time you wear your wedding dress so make the most of the opportunity to enjoy a top model experience!