To do a Trash the Dress session or not!?!?!

If you go to bridal stores, and look on there discontinued rack...my daughter got her wedding dress from something like that and paid less than $200. Also, you could try local consignment or thrift stores...you will most likely need to have somebody alter the dress either way. Please be careful though, wedding dresses get very heavy in water.

Bumping bc I've heard this topic come up a lot among my engaged friends. What do you all think?

I totally want to do one, but I would do it in my actual wedding dress. Don't know if it will happen though since photogs are so expensive.

I'm also thinking I should save my dress and maybe 5 years down the road we can do a vow renewal, but as zombies haha! We both love Halloween, and it would be great motivation to try and stay at my wedding weight!

I Definitely plan to do a Trash the Dress session. I am planning on hanging my ceremony dress in a frame to hang in our hallway after our wedding so I won't be using that dress. I did buy a shorter cheaper dress for our reception so I plan on using that for our TTD session!! I would try ebay to find one

I don't understand using a dress other than your wedding dress. If you do that it just becomes a photo session where you take fun pictures in a nice dress.

I have no plans to trash my dress as it's a wear-again style and I plan to wear it again LOL

I'm on the fence about this! I love the idea of certain shots but I don't really want to ruin something so pretty.. lol.

If you're not going to use your wedding dress to trash maybe you could just get a pretty white dress from a department store rather than going for another gown?

I haven't really thought about it honestly!! If we did it though, it would be in my real dress, unless I could sell it, which I doubt. lol

I'm totally doing it. Every bride I know that has done one has had the dress cleaned and it looks just like new =) We are doing sand/ocean and immediately after our ceremony!

I do TTD (Trash the Dress) shoots all the time. They are a lot of FUN!! No bride has ever trashed her real dress though - well I did have one bride who's fiancé broke off the wedding after she had bought the dress and she did trash that dress; with zest!

Many of my brides will go to David's Bridal when they have their $99 sale and grab a wedding dress there. Several of my brides have had some fun with this in and of itself. They go in pretending to be buying their real wedding dress, and they try on one or two dresses, and then say, "I'll take that one" and walk out the store with it. The sales people are like, "Wow!! She was the easiest sale ever!!"

Here's a David's Bridal $99 dress

http://www.tammybryan.com

But here's a secret tip...visit your local dry cleaners! Yep! You'd be surprised (as I was) at how many brides never come back and pick up their dresses! After a certain amount of time holding onto the dresses the dry cleaners often give them away, while others have annual sales where they sell the wedding dresses that were never picked for $35 to $45 or so.

Here's a $35 dress from the dry cleaners.

Enjoy! Have fun!! TTD shoots are really a ton of funnnnn!!!

http://www.tammybryan.com

There was a woman that drowned doing a TTD session, so be careful!

I'm not doing one...just not for me!

I don't understand trashing either your dress or some stranger's. There are plenty of brides out there who would love to have a gorgeous dress that they can't afford. Pay it forward. This just seems like another bizarre 'tradition' to me.

Just me.

@wellalwayshaveparis---i would use a different cheaper dress because our reception in St Louis is after we get back from Punta Cana so I need my dress, and because I do want to keep my wedding gown for memories

@tammybryan---great suggestions, thanks so much!!

I appreciate all of your opinions, suggestions and words of caution, thanks ladies!!!

We are doing an after wedding shoot instead of engagement pics. I don't want to trash the dress. I intend to make the dress into baptism clothes if I ever have kids.

Not for me. I would rather give or sell the dress to someone who could really use it. And I don't really see the point of doing this kind of shoot if it's not your dress-- it's just a "trash a pretty white dress" shoot.

If we were getting married at the beach I could see doing a sand / ocean TTD, or next to a lovely stream or pool,,yeh, pics jumping in or laying on the rocks would be nice pics..I could even see going on a honeymoon to Disney World and a shot on the log flume with the dress flying as you hit the water spray...but nothing photo worthy like that for our wedding...through the trees behind the gazebo is the Muskingum River...but I'm not getting anywhere near that nasty water. no thanks.

OHH, wait...there is a water park next door...maybe a shot floating down the lazy river?? LOL. ummm..I think not. Just can't see me doing TTD..lol

I cannot wait to do my ttd session! I ride horses so I am getting pictures taken at the barn with my horse. Ill probably do it the day after the wedding. Then just drop my dress of at the dry cleaners.

Cute idea....if i was to do it, it will not be in my dress. I would purchase another just for a reason to take more photos in another dress. LOL!

It’s a great idea Tammy to pick the dress from the dry cleaner.

I guess I am just "new" to this idea... why... after such a lovely event (or so we are assuming) would you want to "trash" it?

We will be having a second ceremony - but still - after that, have been truly thinking about paying it forward, especially since there will most likely not be any alterations (besides bustle). I am seriously considering the PIF tradition.. why not. I did not pay much for my dress and if someone less fortunate than us needs/would like it.. why not.