My friends Nick and Linden took a trip south for their one year anniversary and brought Linden’s dress along…to trash. We didn’t set her on fire or roll around in mud or a marsh, nor did we splatter paint everywhere. Not to say that she’s chicken, at all. She braved a cold hotel pool, a shopping cart, and cut the bottom of her dress to pieces. All in the name of art. It was so fun and she wished she’d cut her dress short to begin with, before the wedding. Which makes me want to challenge someone who has Project Runway caliber sewing skills to modify their dress inbetween the ceremony and reception. If I had a few years instead of months before my wedding I would love to have someone teach me to sew, make my dress, then shorten it for the reception.

I’m wondering if any of you are deciding to “trash” your dress and your reasons why.

I love the concept and I am definitely interested in a day after shoot, but I don’t think I’ll be able to render it unwearable/uncleanable. I will say, if it helps, that only the bottom of Linden’s dress really got dirty during the process, and it was comparable to what I’ve seen after an actual wedding. Plus, she didn’t care so there was no lifting of the dress as she walked around, she just let it drag. I’m pretty sure a good dry cleaning would’ve taken care of it. How far would you be willing to go to get awesome shots? I doubt I will really trash my dress, and it doesn’t lend itself to cutting, but I know my daughters wouldn’t want to wear a dress that was great in 2009 just like I’m not hopping into my mom’s pink 1970s number for anything other than fun.

This shot taken in the Gypsy Market on 2nd Avenue in downtown Birmingham Photography by Spindle Photography

And the cutting of the dress….

Linden’s thinking about having the seam professionally refinished, dying it pink, and wearing it out. I think she’s awesome for such a choice.