If all your wedding photos are too formal and uptight, a "trash the dress" photo session might be what you need.
Creators.com photo courtesy of Joelle Leder Photography
A "trash the dress" photo session gives you a chance to let loose after your wedding.
Creators.com photo courtesy of Joelle Leder Photography
What do you have planned for your wedding dress after the wedding? In years past, it was a given that the gown would be preserved professionally and stored in a closet for some future day when a daughter would want to wear it at her wedding, but today's brides have an array of other ideas for giving their gowns lives after their big days.
*Preserving ... For a While
Brides who plan to renew their wedding vows a few years from now have their gowns professionally preserved by licensed preservation companies or their dry cleaners, or they preserve them through the boutiques where they purchased their gowns, with plans to unseal the gowns to wear again at their big celebrations. According to The Wedding Report, the national average expense of having your gown expertly cleaned and preserved in a sealed box is $114, which many brides say is worth it to keep their gowns fresh and clean until their parties. Even if they are not planning vow renewal ceremonies, the investment for decades of storage is still a priority for many brides. They say these sentimental purchases never shall leave their possession -- even if they never are used again. Simply stowing the dress in a closet is not an option. The risk of moisture or heat damage and rips and tears is just too daunting.
*The 'Trash the Dress' Phenomenon
As much as brides love their priceless wedding day photos, a growing trend is to schedule a "trash the dress" photo session with a professional photographer. The bride has her photos taken as she splashes in the ocean with the skirt of her wedding dress soaked, or she jumps into a swimming pool hand in hand with her groom, or she climbs atop a majestic horse with her dress draped across its back. Creative shot options are endless. Some brides even plan underwater shots, fashion-inspired art images of themselves as mermaids with their gowns and veils flowing behind them.
*Donating the Dress
Making Memories (http://www.MakingMemories.org) accepts mail-in donations of wedding dresses, which it sells to raise funds in its efforts to make wishes come true for men and women who are losing their fights against breast cancer. According to the nonprofit organization, about half the bridal gowns are brand-new and come directly from wedding dress designers. Most gowns sell for between $99 and $799, even though some retail for as much as $8,000.
The Bridal Garden (http://www.BridalGarden.org) is another nonprofit organization that accepts wedding gown donations to benefit children's charities. Heavenly Angels in Need will accept wedding dress donations. The group uses the fabric to help grieving parents in need create burial garments for their babies who have passed away.
The I Do Foundation accepts your wedding dress donation for sale through its consignment partners, and 20 percent of the proceeds are donated to the charity of your choice. The remaining profits support the group's charitable registry program, allowing brides and grooms to set up registries that encourage donations to their favorite causes.
If you donate your dress to a charity, talk with your tax adviser to see whether your donation qualifies for a tax write-off.
*Crafting for Baby
Another popular way to re-purpose a wedding gown is to create items for future children. The gorgeous silk fabric and pearl-edged train of your wedding dress can be used to make baptism gowns for your babies, adding even more sentimental value to your dream wedding gown. A talented seamstress or experienced crafter can create your baby's special garment according to your own design.
Crafters also say they're using wedding gown fabrics to make lovely bassinet covers for their babies. For each cover, they use half of a gown, and they use the other half to make pretty pillows for their daughters' bedrooms or for their own home dcor, using the little blue bows from their wedding day garters as sentimental extra touches to the designs.
*Crafting for Charity
Also in the crafts realm, wedding gowns may be disassembled to be used in the creation of quilts, which can be donated to charities. The group Quilters Against Breast Cancer, affiliated with Making Memories, invites you to donate your dress so a quilt can be created from it. Your quilt will be sold or raffled to benefit the charity. In the case of spectacular quilting artistry, it will be featured in the group's traveling exhibit, which also raises money for granting wishes. This is a fantastic option for wedding gowns that have suffered some damage, such as food and wine stains on the big day, thereby disqualifying them for preservation or reuse. Quilters Against Breast Cancer will cut out the damaged portions of the gown and work their magic with the rest.
*Handing It Along
In this age of recycling -- and also with many brides on a budget -- more recent brides are handing their lovely wedding gowns to friends, sisters or cousins for their own wedding day use. With some altering -- or even with a seamstress's redesign work to add or remove sleeves for a fresh, new look -- such a gown becomes a precious gift for the new bride.
*Selling the Dress
A bride might choose to recoup some of her gown investment by selling her dress in a consignment shop, on eBay or through a classified ad. Some brides earn back 50 percent of their dress investments, and a new bride who gets a Vera Wang or Amsale dress for 70 percent less than retail rejoices in her spectacular find.
In all of these cases, the "dress end" becomes a new beginning for your lovely wedding gown.
Sharon Naylor is the author of more than 35 wedding books.
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