Why Trash the Dress ? February 16, 2007
Go ahead, you know you want to. Trash it. Get it dirty. Get it wet. Roll around in the mud. Drench it in the ocean. Totally trash it.
Why? … Why not? You’ve made a commitment to your husband. He’s your one and only true love, right? Then you’ll never need the dress again. And no, your daughter won’t wear it in 20-30 years. So you have two choices:
1) Suffocate it in plastic and throw it in a closet
2) Show your husband how committed you are by trashing the dress, and get some great fun pictures while you do it!
Then after you do it- send the pictures to us to publish for all the world to see. What are you waiting on? Call one of the trusted photographers on this page or find one you trust and go trash the dress!
How to submit:
Have your photographer submit a few sample pictures and and optional story of how and why you trashed your dress! Of course, the photographer will need to give us permission to publish the pictures . We will gladly put a link up for all “trash the dress” photographers! E-mail your submission to mark@markeric.net.
So send in your story, and your pictures!
Mark,
I just discovered this page after I left a message for you on your blog. I will e-mail you directly with my latest trashing in the snow.
Steve
I would absolutely LOVE for you to come and talk to my members about trashing dresses for their clients!
I run the website http://www.i-wed.org, for iWED (the international network of wedding and event designers). It is a learning and networking community for wedding professionals. We discussed your site a few days ago and would love to have you speak with us one week when you are free (we have weekly online “conferences”). If you are interested, please contact me.
These photos are absolutely fabulous! I think it’s so wonderful to have all these dress trashin’ pics in one place…most brides would never dream of doing this, but it’s fun to check out the brides that were game!
This site is absolutely amazing! I just recently heard about you on DGrin and the Canon Digital Photography Forum and I had to see what the hype was all about!!
I totally going to run this by my next Bride and see if she is game!! Hopefully she will be and I will be able to post the results!!!
Hi,
These are awsome pictures…
I was wondering if any of the brides want to sell those trashed wedding dresses.. I like to have them…
You don’t find that much trashed wedding dresses.
If any of you have the chance to make pictures of the wedding dress they trash, please ask the bride if she doesn’t want to sell the dress afterwards.
Hi … I am a photographer and I would like to find out how to submit photos to this website! Thanks!
Hi Julie- you can e-mail your submissions to mark@markeric.net
Thanks!
While these pics are fabulous, let’s not forget that a wedding gown can be donated to a charitable organization like Brides Against Breast Cancer following the wedding - all the money raised is used to the grant wishes of terminal breast cancer patients.
Thanks anonymous- I’ve never heard of the organization- can you tell us a bit more? Is there an official website for the organization? When I googled it, I came across several different sites.
I have GOT to talk some of my brides (current and previous!) into this! WOW! Kick ass!
Michelle
Hi there these pictures are amazing!!! We are getting married in Rio Ochos in Jamaica in January 2008. How can I find out about your pricing and if it is an option. I have heard that I can not hire an outside photographer from the hotel they have to be a guest at the hotel..
[...] experience. Here is what Mark Eric, one of the administrator of the trashthedress.com had to say why bride are willing to trash their dresses. Please click here to see all the photos contributed by photographers all over the [...]
How about donate your dress instead? This is horribly wasteful… there are tons of needy brides who would kill for one of these dresses.
Wow Mrs G, that would be horrible if they killed someone for a dress- how wasteful! LOl. Seriously, we are looking at ways to use these parties to give back to charitable organizations such as http://www.thirstrelief.org.
I think there are people that could use medicine, clean water, and education much more than they could use a wedding dress- we would love to give back to organizations such as these.
Mark, I can’t thank you enough for the inspiration! Although I’ve just started talking with brides about doing a trashing, the response has been amazing! It seems to breath life into the over traditonalized, stale nature of “the precious wedding dress”. Now brides have priceless memories to cherish that don’t get forgotten in dusty cloests.
Thank you, and I can’t wait to trash s’more!
Steve
This is a fab website. I would love to do this but I am in the UK, does anyone know any photographers in UK that could do this for me??
What can i say? I am totally in love with this idea and who knows maybe i will get to be one fo the first downunder brides on your site?
I am envisioning paint… loving it! My photographer is an edgy young photog who is wetting his pants over this!
Cannot WAIT!
Hey Amy- we would love to see some shots of you! We need more Down Under Brides (Check some of the earlier postst, we do have one bride- but we would love some more!
Hiya Fran - I’m a pro photographer based in Yorkshire, drop me an email through my site and I’m sure we I can help
What an awesome idea! I Can’t wait to get trashed with some of my brides!
Thanks for the inspiration.
Lynne
I just sent an email with a recent session, done at a farm! It was a blast!
This is an absolutely awesome idea. Something I’m going to recommend to anyone I know getting married. I know it’s not for everyone but looking at the photos, it looks like it’s a lot of fun. I wished we would have done something like this.
Hmm… is it ever too late to trash the dress (as long as it still fits)?
You don’t have two choices - you have a 3rd - Please consider donating these dresses to an organization that will recycle (the priceless gown project in baltimore http://www.pricelessgownproject.org/questions.shtml),
or donate to a charity(http://bridalgarden.org/)
i can’t wait until the day I can do this to my dress! all of the pictures are amazing. its hard to think these people are ‘trashing’ there dresses when the pictures look as great as they do.
I wish this had been around 10 years ago - still have the dress and I am pretty sure it still fits - This would be so much fun.
I just saw your spot on GMA. I have to say, I’m a little troubled. Why not donate these dresses to brides who otherwise could not afford a dress of their own? That way your dress could bring twice as much happiness. Use the money you would spend on the photo shoot to pay for a photographer at someone else’s wedding.
I’m only in highschool but love the whole concept of trashing a dress you only wear once, how about applying this to prom?
What a waste of an expensive dress that someone else can use ! Put on your best lingere and do photos in that.
Give your beautiful wedding dress to a less fortunate friend or an organization such as:
bridalgarden.org or pricelessgownproject.org
Kaylee, there is another site dedicated to high school seniors - http://letsgettrashed.com/
hello. i’m not sure where to write this … but can anyone refer us to a photographer in Honolulu ?? we are planning a honeymoon there and we ( I !!! ) would like to have a TTD session …but i’m not sure where to start looking for a photographer … any help would be appreciated !! thank you !!! ~ bonnie.
Until I seen an add for this site on Tv I had no idea people did this. Im a photographer myself and just got through doing a wedding I wish I could have suggested this to the bride! I cant wait to do this to my own dress one day, its compleatly amzing and will be worth every penny I spend on a dress. Thanx for opening my eyes to this TTD.com!
What a horrible, self-indulgent waste of money and resources…
I agree that this is a self indulgent waste! Why not donate your used dress to someone less fortunate?
I could not accept my daughter embracing this idea in a wedding dress that her father’s hard earned money provided her and hope that these brides, lolling around in the mud, pond muck, and sandy seaside, paid for their wedding dresses themselves. But even at that, this remains one of the more wasteful, self-indulgent ideas I’ve heard in quite awhile. You’d think the smashed cake in the face and down the dress would have been enough. Have we no class or decorum any more?
This is ABSOLUTELY one of the MOST amazing concepts!!!!! I cannot wait to do this! My husband smeared cake on me and my dress at our wedding 10 years ago….we have been trying to think of a way to memorialize this memory and the dress as we just celebrated our 10th anniversary! This is just soooo amazing and we CANNOT WAIT to TRASH THE DRESS!
This is a fantastic idea! I am getting married in a month, and am entertaining the idea of getting a photographer to visit us on our honeymoon at Tybee Island, GA for a TTD session.
My fiance loved the pictures, but didn’t realize they were wedding dresses at first! His question was, “Are you sure you’re ok with that?”
Of course! What a great way to get unforgettible photos!
This is definately a very freshing piece of idea of wedding photos! I wish i can have these for myself too. The effect of the photos is so amazing! It’s truely a piece of art.
Although the wedding dress may get dirty, i don’t mind if it is soaked by seawater thought.. But as for mud and marsh i need to consider. I definately prefer sea and lake!!!
great idea i want to see trash my prom dress
As a professional seamstress, I’m torn two ways by this idea. On the one hand, if you bought your dress from David’s Bridal or some crappy store like that, trash away as far as I’m concerned.
But if you spent several thousand dollars on a custom made dress that someone spent considerable time and effort on, trashing it is incredibly rude.
I would hope that anyone who decides to do this would either buy a cheap dress, or be up front with the artisan who creates your dress. I, personally, would hate to think that something I spent many hours sweating over would be ruined by someone making a statement. On the other hand, you may find another seamstress who would be totally into it.
And don’t even get me started on doing this with an antique dress. I will sneak up from behind and garrotte you with silk embroidery thread
I guess I like people who have more simple taste. Trashing a wedding dress seems like something Paris Hilton would do. Keep your wedding simple, stay focused on the point of getting married and give your dress away to someone who can use it. Some of the photos are interesting, but they would be just as interesting if the models were wearing jeans.
I’m doing a news story on wedding dress trashing… just wondering, does anyone know a divorced woman who trashed her dress to symbolize their independence? If so I would love to add that in my story but I need to confirm that some woman (even if it’s only one) has done this. Thanx!
Hi All! I am a new bride and just started a company, One Gown, that remakes your wedding gown into something that you can enjoy everyday…instead of boxing it up! We specialize in throw blankets, evening bags, lingerie bags, pillows… Whether you cherish your dress enough to continually enjoy it or have your mother’s or grandmother’s dress boxed up … get it out and make something special! And I guess if you don’t care, trash it!
Brides should keep their wedding gowns. Here is an idea. Have a chistening gown made from the gown that you wore on your wedding day as a keep sake. You would have more than enough material to do so. Think about it. Instead of buying a store bought christening gown use something that has senitmental value.
Saw your site today - http://www.canada.com/topics/lifestyle/story.html?id=92e34b79-d8d7-48de-86c2-2deffef1df1e&k=74118 I’ve always wanted to elope, but now I’m a bit tempted to get married just so I can go swimming in the dress!
This is a great idea.I wish i had heard of it around the time of my wedding.
When my photographer asked me to do it i was like huh? But when my husband and i arrived at the beach and started taking the photos it was really fun. I recommend this to all brides it is fun and it does symbolize that you are totally committed to your new husband.
“Just a penny a day will help this poor bride buy a wedding dress.” Seriously people…it’s a dress. Get over it. Donate to a starving child or an elderly couple who can’t afford shelter.
I think these pictures are beautiful! My wedding is in 2 weeks, and I’m definately going to run this by my fiance. These are pictures you will cherish forever, something different. I especially love the beachside and ocean pictures. Some brides and their families get too obsessed with how the wedding should look…it’s about the commitment between husband and wife, not the material posessions, and I think these pitcures really state that.
I think this is a fabulous idea, and even though you end up ruining the dress, it will otherwise sit in a closet like my old dress, doing nothing. I think there are other ways to give, besides donating a wedding dress. And for the brides that sell their used dresses, should they be expected to donate that money as well. Trashing a dress is not wasteful, if the bride cherished wearing it on her wedding day, and those memories are more important than a dress.
I was lucky enough to be able to wear my dress twice, so the idea of turning it into photographic art is fantastic. This concept is amazing. I love it.
As for those who think it’s a waste… well, weddings in this country are a “self-indulgent, waste of money and resources”. Which is why we spent less than $5000 for both of ours - most of which was spent on photography.
This is a great way to memorialize my beautiful dress that hangs on the back of my bedroom door.
Hi Fran
UK here to, we are just starting Trash the Dress Sessions. Love to do yours , where are you we are in Essex.
I can be emailed ay ashleyfoto@aol.com
Fantastic site and idea
ASH
I’m a bride (to be) and was sent an article about this site. Although I am totally against any cruelty to wedding dresses, I am in love with this site! So many great photographers with such style - and such great pics to showcase their art. Awesome!
Being a wedding photographer, I love the idea of doing something that is not traditional. This for sure fits the bill. However, how would you handle those who say this is just high end fashion photography wearing wedding dresses instead of Prada or DKNY?
What about trashing the dress after the marriage is…OVER? I still have my elaborate wedding gown 1 year since I have been divorced. I have a trashing session scheduled in the next two weeks with my sister who is a developing wedding photographer. Being a hobby photographer myself, I am very excited about my shoot and the results! Needless to say it will have a certainly different mood about it.
I love this site and the idea, and when my boyfriend and I are married I certainly plan to joyfully trash my dress with him!
I ended up here from a link on another site. Like Melissa, I’m not sure how I feel about “trashing” the dress. I guess it might depend on how much was spent on the dress, the design, etc. If/when I get married (long way off), I’ll probably opt for a style I could get away with wearing repeatedly, perhaps on the anninversaries that follow,(and get more mileage out of it) so that it doesn’t merely sit in my closet, taking up space, collecting dust, etc. If I ever DID decide to do the “trashing” thing, I’ll probably at least take a picture of the dress before the trashing.
I could go on but you’d be looking at a novel here. If there’s anything I have that I’d be interested in applying the “trashing” concept to, it would be my high school graduation gown (I graduated in 2003). It’s too intact for me to want to throw it in the garbage. There’s no selling it. (The tag says not to wash or dry clean…I heard that it’s to discourage resale, so that future graduates would be forced to buy new gowns when their time comes.) If wedding gowns have the risk of being useless after the event they are originally worn for, then it’s even more of a risk to the graduation gown. Just a thought.
Anyway, I’m intrigued by this site, and I might visit again soon.
Hey Moderate Mouse- check out http://www.letsgettrashed.com (that’s our site for Seniors- we’re thinking alike)
The wedding dress is the most important and beautiful dress a girl will wear.
I love the pictures and can only imagine what it would feel like having these things done to me while wearing my wedding dress, however, I too have reservations about ruining a beautiful gown, whether or not it will ever be worn again. (You can always put your husband in it for Halloween!)
Another solution is to have a “Bridesmaids Get Even” party.
For the party you will wear your wedding gown along with all the lingerie you wore on that special day. After a few drinks your bridesmaids will put you in a chair. (They might have to strap you to it to increase your feeling of helplessness.) This is pay back time for them in case you have been a Bridezilla or anything else..
Each bridesmaid will be given a can of Redi-Whip whipping cream. One at a time your bridesmaids will be allowed to approach you and air their complaints, if any. They will then be allowed to discharge their can any place on/in your gown or body.
Afterwards your gown can be cleaned for the next time?
Susan
You actually have more than 2 choices.
You can donate it to a charity. You can sell it on ebay, and use the money for something you might need. Stuff like this is what makes me embarrassed to be part of this generation. Self absorbed, arrogant, wasteful clowns.
You want to show commitment? No need to throw money away. Look at your elders, people who were married for 20, 30 50 years etc. Ask them if the trashed their dress.
If your wedding vows don’t show commitment, perhaps you shouldn’t be getting married in the first place.
Frank- did you see our most recent post? We encourage Brides to donate their gowns to Brides against Breast Cancer, whether they decide to get them a little wet after their wedding or not.
I know several elders who did “trash” their dress by making quilts, curtains, christening gowns, etc out of them. If they didn’t, then the gowns are still sitting in a closet, or have probably been thrown away. People have a right to do as they wish with their heirlooms. Who are you to pass judgement? If a person donates their life to giving to others- and decides to have a little fun with a photo shoot on their wedding day, does that make them evil, arrogant, wasteful, or a clown?
I could think of many better arguments against wastefullness than how getting a gown a little wet or dirty- especially when they generally clean with ease.
I think you need a hug man….I’m embarrased that some members of our generation don’t take time to understand something before passing judgement.
Everybody, let’s hug Frank.
Hi, I think this is a good concept and would love to trash my dress. If anyone is available in Louisiana or Mississippi, could you please contact me at Sfanchonw@aol.com so we could make some arrangements.
Thanks,
Sinarta
Will there be another trashfest in NY or NJ soon–I am donating my dress to “Brides against Breast Cancer” but if the dress wont get too dirty I’d love to do this first. Please let me know.
My husband and I just LOVE this idea!! Why does it just have to be for newlyweds?? This has inspired us! My husband and I have decided to save up for a vow renewal next year for our 12 year wedding anniversary. (Plus that gives us time to get back into shape LOL!) We will be going to Dinseyland to trash the dress! Vow renewal and then going on every ride in the dress! I am so excited!!! (And this coming from a 33 year old mother of four! LOL!)
A great idea and I have seen some awesome pictures already but most folks do it wrong. Participants should be seen to enjoy it - that’s rule number one. Ideally there should be two participants - the bride and a guest. The latter can be the bride or groom’s mother or sister. The bride should be in her lavish wedding dress and veil and white shoes. Ideally the bust of the dress should be smoth white satin material as this is the ‘canvas’ for the artwork. The rest of the dress can have as much embroidery and detail as can be happily trashed. The lady guest should wear a colourfull suit, hat and gloves, stockings and high heels. The setting should be on steps or somesuch and it is vitally important to photograph the pair clean, happy and pristine first … and, above all, eager for the slapstick. You almost want to hear folk saying ‘Oh No!’ then laughing as the trashing proceeds. First off, the lady guest scoops up a handful of mud in her gloved hand and slops it over the bride’s bust. Then the bride gleefully retaliates by taking a paintbrush dipped in emulsion to the guest’s outfit. Faces and hair should be untouched the whole session.
The two ladies then, hand in hand, descend into a muddy pond and roll around. Then the comedy pictures.
The guest returns to the steps and unbuttons her jacket holding it wide open revealing her soaking blouse.
The bride stands ‘hands on hips’ gleefully posing in her ruined wedding dress. Both sit on chairs and kick up their legs revealing stocking tops. Then in the final picture they both rip their skirt/dress at the hem.
I was wondering if there will be a fall/winter TTD bash in Southern California. Something other than the ocean, perhaps the Santa Monica Pier.
Our wedding is the last weekend of October and would love to do something fun after that.
I am not even engaged and I can’t wait to trash my dress. What a great idea.
would love to see bride & bridesmaids with theyre complete outfit on getting covered in paint or gunge lol if any bride would dare do that?
I have been married for 4 years and love the idea of “Trashing the Dress!” Actually mine is pretty much ruined from dancing at the reception and getting the botom dirty anyway.I live in a small town in Ohio but I would love to find a reasonably priced photographer in the area. If you are a photographer in Northwest Ohio or Southern Michigan give me a shot!!!
I have been married 6yrs and my dress sits in a closet collecting dust we are going on vacation next yr and I came across this site would it be silly to trash the dress then? not sure when the brides are doing this and if it matters.
I cant understand the negative reponses to brides deciding to trash their dress….it is there to do what they wish how is it a waste if they make a memory of it to share with friends and family why takes something fun and ruin it by say negative stuff after all its not your dress they are trashing so relax and concern yourselves with something far more important such as learning to say something nice or nothing at all!!!
We just done a trash the dress with a 4 wheeler and it was awesome.
Hi Audrey from Ohio!
I am located in Columbus, if you would like to trash your dress, let me know.
Check out my website: http://www.copephotography.com
or email me at: meredith@copephotography.com
Thanks!
What a fantastic idea!!! The pictures that I have seen on your website are original, breath taking, some even thought provoking - as in having a deeper meaning. I have sent the link to every bride that I know. My next thought is, what about trashing bridesmaids dresses? I have had the honor of assisting 6 of my friends on their big days, but one made me wear a dress made out of a curtain! A swatch of it is now in my daughter’s scrapbook on a page about the “Big Comfy Couch” show!
I’m a girl near Portland Oregon who would LOVE to do this with my husband and our 1 year old daugher in tow as well! We would love to get down and dirty as an anniversary celebration in our wedding attire!
Contact me if interested!
Lacey Harrison
I am going to take my beautiful custom made dress out of the sleeve that currently suffocates it and have my photgrapher snap my trashing session. Unless I have some more thought on this I think I am going to do it at our country farmhouse in NSW Australia. I might frolic in the creek, sand and a roll in the long grass- maybe a spray of champagne or campari for a spash of colour..then maybe take a ride in the go-cart with what is left of it….I will post the pictures when we are done. I LOVE this idea.
HI,
I saw this site and at first was a bit shocked that people would trash their dresses, but the photos are really amazing!
HOWEVER, I am getting married in 5 months, and i am wearing my mother’s wedding dress! It’s over 25 years old, but is very beautiful. i am altering it slightly to make it more modern and unique. So, I wouldn’t even consider trashing it, and i think you might be suprised, maybe your daughter will want to wear your wedding dress!!
This is by far the dumbest thing to do ever! And anyone who doesn’t think so must not be too smart either. Do you have any idea how many brides to be cry because they can’t have a beutiful dress. It’s so sad. What a waste.
Feel better Jerry? I always find it interesting when people call others Dumb, but can’t even spell what they type correctly. But I’ll challenge your assumption with one question. By stating that Brides cry because they can’t have a beautiful dress- are you also saying that every Bride who has put her dress in a box in the closet is also dumb? Most Brides who trash their dress do so for great pictures, then put their dress in a box or donate it to http://www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.com to help the terminally ill. So what’s more important, the crying bride who can’t have a “beutiful dress”, or a bride who uses the dress to create memories for herself, as well as a terminally ill patient?
Its about the best publicity stunt for photographers I have ever heard. What I would like to see though, is a traveling dress. It would be neat to have a gown that makes the rounds with a webaddress in the tag…so the next owner can log in and see where the dress has been, and some neat wedding shots. I would do it with mine, the first wedding it was in was in Scotland, and my wedding in Punxsutawney Pa (Groundhog Day), but my daughter wants to use the silk for her future dress.
Okay, I want to trash my dress and my fiance is all for it. Now, by “trash” my dress, I mean that I want to take some amazing pictures with my then husband that we couldn’t possibly do on our wedding day and that may potentially damage the dress a bit (but we don’t need to worry about it). Some people do also literally trash their dresses, and that is fine. It is theirs, and they will probably be looking at those pictures about 10000000% more times than dragging a dress out of a chest in the closet. I think it is an amazing way to use your dress again. It by no means makes you a horrible person for creating memories for yourself instead of giving it away. Besides, lots of people don’t have safe drinking water, which you flush down the toilet.
I heard about your website on the MJ Morning show on my way to work this morning. This is absolutely amazing. Your pictures are very well taken. I would love to do this when I get married!!!
I would love to trash my dress! Anybody know a photographer or if there is an event.I live in sarasota but I will be in Miami for the honeymoon. Anybody maybe know a photographer there? what great honeymoon pics that would be
Has anyone ever thought about this, serious as a heart attack here, smoking your wedding dress? Trash it first, to be sure, but then afterwards sun dry it for however long it takes, then shred it and smoke it using a water pipe or a hookah? Then it will be with you forever, right? In your lungs? Give me some feedback here, and let me know if anyone else has done this and if there are any tips. I couldn’t find anything when I googled it. -Krista
I just did a trash the dress session and I had so much fun. I was reading the different comments people were making and some people are taking their concerns over this concept way over board. I still have the dress that I trashed. Once we were done with the shoot I took it and had it cleaned and no one would ever know the difference. The idea is just to have fun and make some great memories of something you are only going to wear once.
Tres cool site! I love the concept - the images are so alive and vibrant! I’m going to pass this on to my bridal photographer friends…and brides.
All the best ~
Lj
to the people who wish to remain Annonymous and make negative comments about this concept:
if you can not put you name to your opinion then do not say it. This is an amazing idea for brides and it is their choice just like everthing else. It does not affect you.
Congrats on this cool website. That was totally something I wanted to do if when I get married. My friends said that I always need to be special and doing weird things and cant ever be normal. hahaha And now after one of them ran into this pretty sexy webpage it no longers seems so odd! No I have to think of something new
Ill be sure to send my pics in when the day comes!!!
xoxox sabrina
My wedding is being held literally a few feet away from a pool and ever since we have booked the area my fiance has been threatening to throw me as soon as the reception begins. My mother is handmaking my dress for me (i’m paying for the materials) and i was completely against his playful banter about the pool… that is until i saw this site. I feel that the people who call these ladies self indulgent and rude and tell them to donate their dresses to charity instead are the rude ones. Personaly i think making wonderful memories, great pictures, and having a blast on your wedding day is what it should be about. Whether that’s traditional, making a keepsake of the dress, or trashing it the choice is the brides and who who are any of you to judge them for their choice? i myself am not planning on doing it but…
hi all i been seriously thinking about trashing my wedding dress,shoes etc with slime like what you see on nickelodeon would any of you guys be interested in helping me out with this & making it possible? please let me know katrina xxx
Lacey in Portland Oregon–call me! I’d love to help you trash your dress! I’ve photographed some prom dress trashing but I’m eager to trash a wedding dress.
–Lisa
To those who pan this idea-get over yourself and lighten up. This country wastes more food, resources, and just about everything else and I bet you people say nothing-so if someone wants to use their dress (however much it did not or did cost) for great photos or baby clothes or beach wear or dust rags-their choice and their business! Photos are great-naysayers find something better to do with your time!
you know i thought i would be one of those people to put a dress in the closet and never look at it. but i saw your page in IN TOUCH and you opened my eyes. now i i can get great pics and not the traditional ones everyone has. thanks
I first heard of this website and thought “WHY would anyone do this?” but then I looked at the pictures and they are beautiful! This is such a cool idea. I know to some it might seem like wasting money but if you have the cash, why not? Love the pictures!
Hi there
Just came across this site from a link from The Age in Australia.
We are a husband & wife team shooting weddings in Australia and the UK. We’d be more than happy to conduct a shoot like this! Looks like great fun! With some of our special effects we could create wonderful pictures and artworks.
We did have one bride last year who put on her wellies and had the pics taken with her horse!
Will be happy to do post-wedding shoots of this kind in Australia and when we are over in the UK - June/July. Contact us: http://www.slickshoots.com
This is such an awesome idea! I absolutely love the pics! I’ve been wanting to wear my dress again, now is my chance! I’ll be sending my pics your way!
I’m a recent bride…and my photographer (who happens to be my cousin) showed me trashthedress.com a day before my wedding…And I just HAD to do it! I think it is such a great experience (although my mother thought I was crazy) It was such a stress relief just to TRASH THE DRESS!!! She will send pictures in as soon as they are done!!!
I love the idea! What a wonderful way to celebrate commitment, have a little fun and have memorable photos forever! I thought the photo were tastefully done and beautiful!
For those who thinks it’s a disgrace because the dress wasn’t donated to charity…well start a new charity for clothes that need to be cleaned. And while you’re cleaning them have a martini or two to relax and lightened up. Evidently you don’t support the arts in your community!!
Personally I dont think I could have ever trashed my dress. Even though it sits in a box and I have contemplated selling it, somehow it just means to much. With that said, I applaud the brides who did TRASH THE DRESS!! The pictures look awesome, especially the under water ones. Love it!!
I am looking to Trash My Dress in Montego Bay, Jamaica at the end of January 2008!!! Anyone that can lead me in the direction of a professional jamaican wedding photographer I would GREATLY appreciate it!!! ;)Thanks!
I REALLY want to do this for my ten year anniversay. My dress has been in plasit for ten long year, and this looks like SO much fun. I saw a pictures in US Weekly of a bride in my town (Spokane) doing this. Can you help me out?
Thanks!
[...] @ 1:00 pm Today I learned about a new wedding trend: trashing the dress. Why? According to this blog its a way to show that you are totally committed to your new husband and will not be needing said [...]
HY!
We are from austria and we are going on holiday to bali on 30th of dezember. We’ll stay on bali for 2 weeks.
In this 2 weeks we want to TRASH OUR WEDDING DRESS!
Now we are looking for an photograph!
Can anyone help us?
Thanks for mailing!
Sabrina & Harlad
Looking to get listed as a “Trash the Dress” photographer in Toronto, Canada.
How would I do that?
Thank you!
I trashed my dress on our first anniversary this past weekend and it was AMAZING!! Those pictures are so much more fun than our wedding pictures! Of course I was apprehensive about trashing my absolutely gorgeous wedding dress, but threw caution to the wind and have no regrets about it! And much to my surprise, after fully submerging in Lake Michigan and getting it FULL of wet sand, I dried it on the porch overnight, shook the sand off in the morning, and you would never know it was trashed! It looks absolutely perfect again…and I’d do it all over given the chance.
I would love to do a Trash The Dress session then donate it afterwards. My hubby and I have been married 4 years now. Would it be silly do a TTD session this late?
Hey! Just did my own “trash the dress” pics… in a tank, in the mud, at a hog farm in with the pigs! How can I submit my photos here? Thanks!
Ok for all of you out there who keep complaining about us brides who decide to trash the dress I want to ask you a question? When was the last time you donated 500-5000 dollars to someone who was poor or in need? Chances most of you will say never or a really long time ago. So why is it your place to tell me that I should donate my 500 or 5000 dollar dress? I dont tell you you should give to the poor (which you should), so don’t tell me how to use my wedding dress.
Besides for those of you who think oh this is just a thoughless selfish act, I have every intention of donating my dress to Brides for Brest Cancer, AFTER I am done with my Trash the Dress session. I am SOO sick of people acting like there are only two options, either you trash it and you’re selfish or you give it away and you are this good and selfless person. You can do both and my bet is that those of you who call this wasteful are the same people with their dress hanging in the back of their closet, THAT is a waste. We are way to focused on material posessions and worrying about what they mean. I guess I look at it this way, when I die would my kids rather have a picture of me and my husband being happy and expressing our love or a big old pile of fabric?
Not sure I’m clear on how trashing the dress symbolizes commitment … I mean, I know of people who have married more than once or twice but they wore a different gown or outfit each time. So maybe it’s the hanging off a train or slopping the pigs that symbolizes commitment? If so, I hope the kids and grandkids get that point, and understand that the weddding day itself was so bad and stressful that you just felt a need to loll about in dirt in order to enjoy yourself and recover from the experience. It would be difficult to ever tell your children to change out of their good clothes before playing out in the sand or mud, given the example of some of these photos. Far better to get in shape for your wedding, get a nice tan and pose nude.
[...] Recently the European sister site trashthedress.eu was launched and already attracted a large number of visitors and features some amazing work by photographers from all over Europe. So check it out. If you still need a reason to trash the dress, have a look at this comment by Mark Eric why-trash-the-dress [...]
Please donate your dresses instead of destroying them. You’d be amazed at the joy a donated dress can bring an economically disadvantaged bride-to-be.
If you want pics, donate the dress and get pics of the new bride at her wedding.
Yes, there are more important donations you can make, but why not spread joy in the world when you have the chance?
To Jessica from Sept 26: yes.
To the dress trasher picture takers and brides:
There are a few — very few — of these photos that are quite lovely. But it is the bride who is being trashed, not the dress. I get the sense that the photographer is sick of brides and is having revenge by making her look foolish, at best, and dead, at worst. I fail to see the beauty or art of “bride-as-corpse”, floating in the water, sticking out of a truck, crawling in sewer pipes, or being burnt in her gown. The fire shot is very offensive, period. Bride burning is what is done to some brides when the in-laws aren’t pleased with the size of her dowry. Whether or not the bride enjoyed doing the photo shoot in the trunk or the fire shot is immaterial. Non one is going to praise artistic integrity if you go to Jenna and do a shoot with the bride hanging in a noose with white students around her. If the shot offends, it is wrong.
But if there are brides who feel they are poking fun at their gowns and wedding rituals by rolling in dirt, water, and back alleys, they are sadly mistaken. One does not look good while playing the fool.
Britney Spears tried this trash-the-dress approach to a photo shoot lately. No one said “how beautiful” while she scarfed down fried chicken and wiped her hands on a designer gown, or when her dog did some business on the gown. She was merely trashing a gown too, but no one realized it was “art”.
I just trashed my dress yesterday with my photographer and can’t wait to get the pictures back! It is such an amazing idea! I loved it.
There’s clearly a lot of emotion invoked by this. It seems paradoxical to say “I love my gorgeous wedding gown!” and then go swimming in it and do the other myriad things pictured. But I see in many of these pictures a joyful celebration of all you love about your dress and now you can do what you want to in it. You can play, cavort, do any or all of the things you may have secretly dreamed of doing in your wedding dress. This concept has definitely taking the lid off something ultimately irrepressible.
TTD has it’s own intrinsic value. If you want to do more you can do things like help end malaria with your Trash the Dress session or bash. See churchop.wordpress.com to learn more.
To Linda (post 63, August 1, 2007): I’ve recently discovered this website and your post. It looks like tomorrow is your big day. Have a wonderful time at your wedding.
Great idea to use the Santa Monica Pier for a trash bash! We at Church in Ocean Park have been doing a Fancy Dress Swim to Make Poverty History at the Santa Monica Pier for the past two years. We know the Pier area quite well. We use these occasions to promote ending extreme poverty, hunger, AIDS, and malaria through ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History. Specifically, while some of us frolic in the ocean in fancy dresses a few encourage onlookers to sign the ONE Declaration and get involved. If you would like to have a unique background to some of your shots feel free to contact me at fancy@churchop.org. You would have the satisfaction of helping end poverty just by having fun.
Cool Pictures
I’d much rather have the best of both worlds by trashing my dress, and then donating it to a worthy cause. That’s my choice to make. But most importantly, it’s MY dress, and I’ll do whatever I want with it. It doesn’t matter how much I spend on it. It’s mine, and I don’t think it’s self indulgent or wasteful. It’s creative, and I think it’s a great way to show my commitment to my husband. OF COURSE THE VOWS ARE COMMITMENT ENOUGH! But does that mean we can’t do something fun and interesting? No bride should feel shame for participating in this “trend.” It’s no one’s business.
Weddings in general are a big waste of money if you want to be honest…why don’t all of the people leaving negative comments join forces to protest weddings, birthday parties, and every other way people decide to celebrate special events in their lives? Give me a freaking break. Quit wasting time leaving your negative opinions on photography websites, and take your voice to a more worthy cause.
To all of the photographers participating in this, keep up the good work, and thanks for giving me another reason to look forward to buying a wedding dress someday.
I rather trashed my dress at my wedding almost three weeks ago - I’d looked at this site before and thought I’d love to do it but would never have the guts and now I know it’s not really fit for resale or anything I think I can! I could never leave it hanging on its own for eternity.
My favourite pictures from the wedding are of me dancing outside in the dark (part of the reason the dress is in such a bad state) but they’re taken on cheap cameras and haven’t come out very well - I’m really keen to get something else like that to treasure
Looking for a Photograher to Trash my dress in the Philadelphia or SOuth Jersey Area
Please email - MoniqueMStowman@aol.com
I would love your blog to link to the other part of our site on Blinkdecor.com. It is called decoratorsdish and is a great place to shop for wedding gifts and home accessories for brides (and grooms) to be.
[...] can also have them as a day-after portrait for those not going on honeymoon. Or the latest trend - trash the dress session, you know your daughter isn’t going to want to wear that dress, don’t [...]
We’ve been doing this “dress trashing” for 10 years! I’m so glad that this has finally caught on and so excited about your website.
Our studio offers in-house makeup artists and hairstylists to prepare the bride, and groom, for the photo sessions. We have hundreds of bridal gowns in our bridal shop for the brides to wear if they want to do the session before the wedding in one of our gowns so that they don’t get their own dirty. This will allow them to display their favorite artistic dress-trashing photo on the day of the wedding so that it’s different from the conventional casual engagement photos.
The same makeup and hair services will also be provided for sessions shot after the wedding, in her own gown to trash. We go as far as rent a tuxedo for the groom to complete the look for the couple.
I have a 5600 sq ft studio in San Francisco to do artistic studio portraits with controlled lighting in addition to outdoor trashing sessions.
Trashing the dress is definitely a way for us wedding photographers to be more artistic and do more creative work than the sessions done on the wedding day.
-Ricky
As the mother of the bride, and wife to the man footing the bill, my first response to this idea was, “How could anyone do that? How disrespectful!” But after talking to my daughter and perusing this site, I’ve changed my mind. While I agree that we live in a wasteful, self-indulgent society, I believe those sentiments apply to the way people live their daily lives. A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) experience and the entire affair could be seen as wasteful and self-indulgent. We spend hard earned money on flowers (that die), food (that is consumed), and invitations (that are TRASHED), but no one complains about that. It is the sacred gown that is in question. Why? Because it’s often the one item from your wedding that is “saved”. I know that mine is carefully tucked away in a plastic bag, which I occasionally have dusted off and moved to a different closet. What a waste. My daughter is NOT me. We are not even close to the same size (I was a bit Twiggy-ish, and she is more Sophia Loren-esque! lol!) so, as much as my daughter loves tradition, wearing my gown is out of the question. And our tastes are very different. Even if it had fit her, she would not be comfortable in it. I’ve been married 28 years and I’m just now realizing that rather than “preserve” it…I should have had some fun with it…or at the very least, let my girls play “dress-up” in it…My own daughter wants to “trash” hers…she wants to get some of those great shots that reveal who she is…in a wheat field, on a combine or tractor (yes, we are in farming, how’d you know???) …what a tribute to her father (who is footing the bill) I personally love the idea now…I think it’s a sweet gesture…a great acknowledgement of her upbringing (she’s more of a big city girl now)…I can’t wait to see those photos when they are finished next fall…as well as all the ones taken before, when we are careful NOT to trash it before the ceremony. And after the TTD session, we will have it cleaned, possibly preserved, possibly donated…who knows? It’s HER day and HER dress and HER decision…
If your a bride anywhere within 50 miles of the Chicago area you have got to call us if you want to “Trash your Dress”. We would love to photograph & video this session. We can be as creative as you wish. Check out our site if you are interested at http://www.furlastudio.com and give us a call… We will not charge for the 1st 3 brides who sign up for this session.
This is awesome and we are actively recruiting brides in the Louisville, KY area who want to have a Trash the Dress party!
[...] own…. I could sell it…? Nah… I am going to Trash It! Yep! It’s called Trashing the Dress… And I am jumping on board! Check out the photo’s, it just seems like TONS of fun [...]
This idea is so tasteless I can just imagine in 10 years the couple will look back on their bizarre wedding portraits and cringe at wasting their money so that indulgent photographers can get their kicks. Your wedding day is not a day to trash anything you are not the band at the end of a rock gig.
Disgusting.
I looked at this site a few months back and I am still dreaming about the day that I can trash my dress….I just read all the msgs here and I can’t believe the people says things like “more wasteful, self-indulgent, waste of money” Why should a bride have her dress hang in a closet for years….why not enjoy it one last time and trash it….you can always hang it back up in your closet DIRTY and TRASHED!!!!! I love it….my photographer and I are going to have a date real soon….Thanks for this awesome idea….now I have to do is get my ideas sorted out and see what happens….
I am getting married in Spring 2009 and I am trashign my dress
my partner thinks it’s a fab idea as well, I can’t wait, I get to have a photo shoot and a weekend away and i have decided to do it on our first year together of being married, I will then take some of the fabric and frame it with the photos from the trash the dress shoot, so looking forward to it, it’s all good fun and I wont need to wear it again 
I think that all of the criticizing comments on here are so amusing… I wonder what the people who are complaining did with their dresses? Are the dresses sitting in their closets, not helping out another bride? Is this not the same? You do not have to understand why someone would want to do that… it is their dress. And honestly… I really do not think they care what you are saying.. Just a thought..
i love the idea of trashing the dress but not for the reasons stated. My husband of 11 years cheated on me and now we are in the process of a divorce and I would love to trash the dress as a sign of strength and moving on with my life and that I survived the years of abuse and came out stronger then I could even thought!!! I wish all the new brides good luck and hope that they never end up in my situation!!!