Trash the dress, TTD, or Rock the Frock. All are names we are hearing in the world of weddings for brides to consider the day after they say “I Do”. TTD emerged roughly around 2006-2007 and has been gaining popularity ever since. It is a great consideration if you aren’t sure about what to do with your dress after the big day.
Would you wear your mother’s circa 1970′s dress?
Some girls are deciding to not take the dress to cleaners to have it preserved. Let’s face it, the dress is cleaned, treated, and put in a cardboard box… then what? Yes, most people at the time of decision-making dream of keeping their dress so if they have a daughter they can wear it on their wedding day. A nice thought, in theory, but how often does this happen? If I hadn’t gotten a hold of my mother’s dress and taken a pair of scissors to it when I was 7 to play dress-up, I still wouldn’t have worn it. Not doing any discredit to my mothers’ taste, but it was a typical 70′s fashion and not my style!
Show off your personal style
Trashing the dress is an amazing opportunity to show off personal style, either by yourself or as a couple. You need a good photographer who is creative and allows you to express yourself artistically. This is your chance to have fun! Dress your look up with fun accessories, like some flashy jewelry, hats, or shoes. TTD doesn’t necessarily have to involve frolicking in the ocean waves or jumping into a lake. Let’s face it, not all of us have these environments at our disposal. Alternative choices: the woods, a salvage yard, the county fair, a farm, or even puddle jumping after a rainy day. It’s up to you!
Add to that amazing wedding album
By completing a trash session you will have another amazing album to show family and friends. This one will be more you as a couple because you will be able to incorporate items that represent you and your husband. Now when you bring out the wedding photos to share memories, you will have a collection that will knock the socks off everyone! Let me see your work!
Images from jamesrubiophotography.com, enpointephotography.com, divinecaroline.com, chelseanicoleblog.com, 1313blog.com, studio6-23.com, theloveliestday.com, weddingpaperdivas.com, redheartphoto.com, Jenna Rose Photography, and daveandcharlotte.com
trash the dress? Is this from the same generation that believes in reuse, and recycle? If you want to get rid of the dress donate it to someone who can’t afford a new dress, or use the material for baby’s christening gown, or find out a way to have it benefit someone else. I know the idea is one man, one dress but it sure seems more like you’re saying “I have no respect or love for this symbol” And it’s like a child that destroys rather than shares. Hateful, and I would hope women are more generous than that.
Considering they would have to shred the entire dress to make it unusable, I’m sure the materials of it could still be reused after such a ‘trashing’ shoot.
I absolutely love this idea, and I might actually keep it in mind for when I get married, and then reuse any undamaged material to create something else.
I wanted to weigh in on this, it’s a fun idea I admit but goes against everything my generation is trying to accomplish. Were all about recycling, reusing, protecting the environment, and making as little of a carbon footprint as possible. A wedding dress usually is a huge carbon priced ticket. Fabric being made and shipped dress maker shipping as well in a lot of circumstances make a wedding dress something that should be reused as much as possible. If that means making herloom items to keep as a trinket out of it and what ever else (like sachet’s filled with lavender and rice for a relaxing hot pad gift that is unique and special) or reselling and making some of your money back on the cost of the dress it’s unconscionable to simply ruin the dress to follow some sort of fad behavior.
What about saving your dress and keeping it in good condition for future family members to wear! I plan on keeping mine in good condition for my daughter in case she wants to wear it!
Wow! What turned out to be a simple spot in the “trends” section has turned into a great debate. You guys make really valid points from either spectrum. Thanks so much for your replies. I have been hearing, and reading, so much on this topic I decided to add it to the blog. I guess whatever views you have are very well grounded and heartfelt. I think this may become a “hot or not” very soon. You are the reason I love to blog!!
This really does frustrate me; it just seems so inconsiderate to destroy a dress that someone less fortunate could buy and use… Especially if they’re thousand dollar dresses.
I usually enjoy very much to shot a session with grooms after wedding. That can be at the day-after the ceremony or a week latter or even after the honeymoon, when the couple feel more relaxed and still excited about their wedding. They have a lot of names to this kind of sessions, just one of it is “Trash the Dress”. About the TTD session I personally dont like to destroy the dress, I like to use creativity to shot them in a scenary that appears to being trashing it without actually do it. Always after our sessions the dresses seems cleaner than after the ceremony’s party, where I believe they get dirtier than ever.
By the way your blog is amazing!!! I love it !!!
I am still on the line with not destroying the dress…even though the pictures are still demonstrating the opposite effect. I think both are really neat, but do agree with donation. If a person wants to “trash” the dress…its their choice. My husband and I might look into a shoot soon and use fun props (no destruction, I promise!).
I am all for creative ideas and thinking outside the box, but this is not one of them. Would you tell your children to go ahead and trash their toys as soon as they outgrow them or are sick of them? Or, would you set a good example and tell them to donate the toys to children who are less fortunate? I’m sure there are more creative ways to reuse the dress than to destroy it.
I think trashing the dress is the worst phenomenon that has happened in recent years. Why not recycle it or give it to someone that really can’t afford that incredible item for their wedding? There are so many deserving some happiness on low budgets.
I find trashing the dress such a shame and never mind the horror story recently of a woman in Ontario that drowned in her dress in the river because her dress was so heavy when wet it dragged her down til she drowned and no one could pull her out in time.
Rethink before doing it …please?
I am still in amazement how passionate this blog makes everyone…even 3 years later! I must say I never expected such great responses. Everyone’s point of view has validity. My husband and I have decided to wait until our 5 year anniversary and re-shoot photos in our wedding attire. Hopefully the dress will still fit lol!
Thank you to everyone who shared your passion ; -)