What is a Trash the Dress Session?
Trash the dress is a style of wedding photography that contrasts elegant clothing with
an environment in which it is out of place. It is generally shot in the style of fashion and
glamour photography.
The wedding day is usually pretty hectic and includes a tight schedule. A day-after
session is a great chance to take pictures in a more relaxed setting without all the hustle
and bustle. The concept of the shoot is to have a photo session with the bride and
groom or just the bride that allowed them to be artistic and get great shots without
having to worry about getting a little dirty.
Reasons to have Trash the dress session:
- Having artistic and daring photos as part of their wedding album and memories.
- "Trash the Dress" photos may allow newlyweds to express themselves individually and
as a couple in contrast to the beautiful yet very traditional shots already lining their
wedding albums. This expression can come into the form of settings and props.
Some Settings ideas:
- Park
- Playground
- The beach, a pool, pond or lake
- Buildings/bridges with interesting architectural elements
- A field
- Pier
- Country
- Woods
- Mountains or other rocky area
- Areas with urban decay
- State fair
- Fountains
- Train tracks
- Fire escapes
- Distinctive buildings or décor
- Graffiti
Do I have to really trash it?
Absolutely not! It's just a fun session to do when you have more time than the day of
the wedding or a situation you wouldn't dare do the day of the wedding. Sure you can
get a little risky with it, like splashing in water or riding horseback in the snow since the
fear of getting it dirty is over, but you don't have to.
A professional cleaning service should restore the dress to brand-new quality, enabling
the wearer to then preserve and/or keep the dress, or to donate it to charity.
Rather than trashing your own wedding dress, consider buying a cheap dress off the
rack and trashing that instead. For your husband, you might consider him wearing some
less formal clothes of his own. Or, he may just need to plan to rent his suit/tux long
enough through the day after your wedding.
Can I still do a session if you didn't shoot my wedding?
We certainly can do a Trash the dress photo session even if we didn't cover the actual
wedding. This is the perfect opportunity to add a different style to your wedding photos
at some out of the ordinary locations.