Trash Talking

The trash the dress (TTD) phenomenon has been making the rounds as the latest wedding fad for awhile, so I won’t bore you with the details. (For those spared of all the hype, the bride dons her dress for a post-wedding photo shoot – swimming in it, blasting it with paintballs, even burning it - while a photographer captures some artistic images for the wedding album).

I'm all for getting some use out of your dress instead of stuffing it in the attic for eternity, but I can’t help but wonder whether this “trend” is merely a clever ploy invented and packaged by savvy photographers to hall brides back into their studios to shell out more money. Something about it seems to reek of conspicuous consumption, but according to the official trash the dress website, run by – you guessed it – the photographer who coined the phase, “it’s about creation, not destruction.”

That may be, but thankfully your post-wedding dress options aren’t limited to submerging it in a swamp or letting it rot in a box. You can donate it and let it live on by helping another in need.

The decision is yours…

Trash it! Trashthedress.com has a list of photographers offering TTD sessions. Some may be willing to provide a complimentary shoot to beef up their portfolios, so call around. If you’d still like the option of donating your dress post TTD, request a photo shoot that minimizes the destruction (no burning). Some organizations can resurrect gently damaged dresses.

Donate it! A number of organizations re-sell used wedding gowns and donate the proceeds to charity. Brides Against Breast Cancer, a division of the Making Memories Foundation, uses donated dress sales to grant wishes for terminally ill cancer patients, while The I Do Foundation will donate a percentage to the charity of your choice. Bridesagainstbreastcancer.org, idofoundation.org

This guide offers even more on the latest trends and ideas in wedding dresses