Trash That Dress

Is your old wedding gown stuck in the back of your closet? Here's what some brides are doing with theirs.

The bride and groom walked hand in hand along the sand as the wedding photographer followed along, capturing the memory. Suddenly the bride turned and walked straight into the surf, shrieking as the waves knocked her down and drenched her wedding dress.  

The surreal scene played out over and over on a recent summer day in Laguna Beach as 11 newlywed brides, and most of their grooms, modeled for post-wedding pictures dubbed “Trash the Dress.”   

The new trend in wedding photography gives blushing brides the chance to say goodbye to their pretty princess fairy tale and get grungy. “I’m not going to wear it again,” says a giddy Kelli Tucker, 23, sporting a filthy $1,200 strapless ivory gown with a 16-foot train. “It’s very liberating.”

Earlier sessions have seen brides riding horses, washing their cars and standing on train tracks. The photo shoots, staged days, months or even years after the wedding, benefit both the couple and the photographer. “You’re not stressed out to get the perfect shot of their day,” photographer Melissa McClure says. “Brides like it because they don’t have to think about all the guests they’re ignoring.”

The dirty, dripping brides caught the attention of beachgoers, who couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Some asked whether the brides were modeling for a magazine spread. Not everyone thought it was a good idea. “It’s a shame,” says Barbara Mortimer, who was vacationing in Dana Point. “They’re beautiful dresses. They could donate them.”

Nataly Lemus, the organizer, pointed out that the dresses are not necessarily ruined during the photo shoots. Dry cleaners can handle salt water and dirt on most fabrics, she says.

And some think getting some extra fun out of the dress is less wasteful than hanging it in the back of the closet, never to be seen again. “I figured my daughter, if I have one, is not going to want to wear this dress in 30 years,” says Charlotte Milch, who wore a $530 beaded ivory dress.

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