Trash the Dress Photography

Trash the Dress photography is not exactly what the name say and I’m not a big fan of the name Trash the Dress. It is also know as Drown the Gown, Rock the Frock and probably many more, but it’s best knows as Trash the Dress. Call it what you will, but I prefer the think of it as a photographic shoot after the wedding where you can wear your wedding dress again, with the whole idea being to get creative and make some art.

Will it Destroy My Dress?

The big misconception about Trash the Dress is that the dress gets destroyed, and that’s completely wrong. That’s why I don’t really like the name. If the dress gets wet you just need to rinse the dress in fresh water to get rid of any salt etc and then you can get it professionally dry cleaned. The dress naturally gets a bit dirty on a wedding day as it drags across the floor or grass, and we have had Bride’s even tell us that the dress actually looked cleaner after the session.

If the dress gets dirty, you just need to get it dry cleaned.

I have done a few shoots where the dress does get destroyed, but that was something the Bride wanted to do to create some art.

When do you do the shoot?

The shoot is always done post wedding. Either the day after the wedding, week after, month after etc. We’ve even had one couple do it for a first anniversary. If you are having a destination wedding, you should definitely do it the day after as it’s a great opportunity to get more beautiful photos in a unique & amazing location.

Having said all this, we did have one couple do the shoot before the wedding day. They bought a cheap wedding dress from China, then used water guns with coloured water to shoot each other and then framed the dress and made it a feature at their wedding.

How to do it?

The options are endless and are really only restricted by your imagination. Water is generally a great option as it doesn’t damage the dress. So beaches, lakes, rivers and waterfalls make great locations. Mud, paint, food, coloured powder etc are other ideas.

I also like the idea of combining the Trash the Dress session with a passion or activity that you both love. So if you are a surfer, then we get a surfboard and combine it there. If you are a rock climber, then we get you climbing. If you love horses, then we ride. If you are a miner, then take me to the mines. If you are a builder, lets go to a building site. If you are a wine maker, lets stomp on some grapes. If you love snakes, then lets get covered. And if you are a plumber… well…umm… let’s just go to the beach shall we ;)

Another idea to consider for Trash the Dress is to go to a unique location that you would never have been able to go to on your wedding day. It could be as unique as going into the desert and shooting around Uluru (Ayers Rock).  Or just heading into the national park for some photos in nature. Think of your most amazing location and then image wedding photos there.