Trash the dress trend: why brides are ruining their wedding dresses during photoshoots

For decades, blushing brides have been doing everything they can to look fabulous on their big day.

However, the trend of waste dresses is turning feminine fashion around and opting for a more fearless look.

3

What is the trash the dress trend?

Trash the dress, also known as “rock the frock,” is a creative twist on wedding photography that combines the bride’s elegant attire with wild, unexpected settings.

Imagine a beautiful wedding dress or prom dress standing out everywhere, for example on the beach, at lakes, on the streets, on rooftops, at waterfalls or even on muddy fields and abandoned buildings.

It’s all about creating dramatic contrast, mixing beauty with chaos and transforming the traditional bridal look into something unforgettable.

Although some dresses get wet, dirty or even torn during the photoshoot, most dresses are perfectly usable afterwards and can be easily cleaned.

But if you’re afraid of ruining your expensive outfit, you’re better off buying a $100 wedding dress.

Photographer Kevin Heslin says on his site: “Nowadays, Trash the Dress often means an additional portrait session for the bride and groom that takes place after the wedding day.

“A Trash the Dress session the next “The day gives couples the chance to unwind and enjoy a few moments alone, without worrying about where they will be next.”

In September 2024, there were nearly half a million photos on Instagram with the hashtag #TrashTheDress.

Many looked for a spot on the beach, while others preferred a walk through the forest or a view of the mountains.

Marriage journalist Hillary Hoffower recommends a few scenarios.

Whether it’s a grey-blue sea and a rocky outcrop or along the coast, anything that has to do with water is a popular hotspot.

Think high tide, underwater diving or even finding a remote lagoon for that perfect photo.

Where does the dress waste come from?

Some credit Las Vegas wedding photographer John Michael Cooper for the mess that created the fashion trend in 2001.

But Hollywood was apparently already one step ahead.

3

The idea of ​​destroying a wedding dress for dramatic effect originated as far back as 1998.

Meg Cummings (played by Susan Ward) literally caused a stir when she ended up in the ocean in her wedding dress after her ceremony was interrupted on the soap opera Sunset Beach.

Unfortunately, things didn’t always go according to plan.

On August 26, 2012, a tragedy occurred during a photo shoot on the Ouareau River in Quebec, Canada.

Maria Pantazopoulos, 30, drowned after her dress became soaked and she was swept downstream.

Despite the efforts of the photographer and others to save her, they were unable to save her. Her body was later recovered by a diver.

A similar incident occurred in 2015, when another woman narrowly escaped drowning after jumping into the ocean from a boat.

Her heavy, soaked wedding dress pulled her beneath the water’s surface.

A year later, a bride jumped into a swimming pool with the groom, but they almost didn’t get out.

So be extremely careful when trying this trend.

Why do brides ruin their dresses?

For many brides, it is a symbolic way to celebrate the transition from ‘bride’ to ‘wife’.

It gives the dress a final, eye-catching statement instead of putting it away forever.

The groom, bridal party and even a flower girl can also participate.

Whether the mood is romantic, playful, elegant or a little bit cheeky, these photo sessions capture a side of the wedding that’s all about fearless fun.

3

Letting agent Angela Hargate was one of the brides who made the most of her dress.

When she got married in 2019, she said: “My dress was perfect. I knew it suited me the moment I put it on. I had tried on so many.

“I only had 12 weeks to decide, but I went for something completely different than I thought. It was sleek and sophisticated.

“After the wedding our photographer suggested a photoshoot by the sea so we thought ‘why not?’ – it meant I could wear my dress twice.

“At first we thought, ‘Are you serious?’, but we loved every minute of it.

“It was even more fun than getting married.”

Angela had been married before and her previous wedding dress had been hanging in her parents’ closet for 13 years.

The thought of her second beautiful dress lying lonely in the back of the closet for decades inspired her to say yes to the photo shoot in which she considered the dress unusually unimportant.

There have been some stranger photoshoots, like that of a bride who decided to douse herself in car oil in a garage before her big day.