Trashing the wedding dress in pictures has been done to death, but it always results in interesting photos and is usually lots of fun for the bride and photographer alike. Make your session unique by putting new innovation into an old wedding photo idea.
Bad Weather? Bad Setting? Good!
Trash the dress photo sessions are designed to do just that: ruin the wedding dress. Stormy or rainy weather is actually a good thing, because it will create a dramatic backdrop for the pictures.
You also don’t need a beautiful setting for your photo shoot. Unlike engagement and wedding photos, when you want to pick the prettiest scenery, a trashing the dress shoot celebrates the dirty, the grimy, the sharp edges. Railroad tracks, wooded areas and industrial environments are perfect settings for these pictures.
5 Unique Trash Sessions
The best part of trashing the dress is the freedom you have to do whatever you like. Get creative with your photo session to get more unique pictures.
- Spraying: Get champagne, silly string or anything else you might want to spray. In a pinch, you can always set up a sprinkler and run through it. The spray will show up beautifully in well-lit photographs, and this is a fun way to trash a wedding dress. Best of all, this effect can be created against any backdrop because the photograph will focus on the foreground.
- Getting dirty: Choose a “dirty” setting to show off that beautiful dress and make it a little less pristine at the same time. A barn, stable or parking lot makes for stunning trash the dress photos. Roll around in the hay, ride a horse, lie back on the concrete…just have fun getting dirty, because that’s what it’s all about.
- Getting to work: Stage the photo session in a garage or construction site, when it is safe and legal to do so, and go to work. Pose while changing a tire, hammering a nail or handling tools. This is a very constructive (and creative) way to trash a wedding dress.
- Gone fishing: Water is often a part of trashing the dress photo sessions. Why not make it functional? Bring a rod and a tackle box, and go fishing. This is a great way to trash your dress, because you can get down and dirty for a reason. First, dig up the worms in the mud and store them in a bucket. Next, bait your hook and cast your line. The photographer can capture it all, and the dress will get good and dirty in the process.
- Food fight: Get the groom or the bridesmaids involved in trashing the dress with a food fight. This is a fun way to trash the dress, and it allows your loved ones to take out some of the pent-up anger they had to store up while you were in your Bridezilla phase.
Saving the Dress
Many brides wish to save their dress for potential future use by relatives, or just for sentiment’s sake. Sessions can be arranged where the dress is only mildly trashed, still repairable through dry cleaning. But if you want to have fun with your photo session, consider purchasing an inexpensive dress and just run amok.
