"Trash the dress", also known as "fearless bridal" or "rock the frock", is a style of

wedding photography Wedding photography is a specialty in photography that is primarily focused on the photography of events and activities relating to weddings. It may include other types of portrait photography of the couple before the official wedding day, such ...

that contrasts elegant feminine clothing with an environment in which it is out of place creating a photo essay of contrast, beauty, and dramatic transformation. It is generally shot in the style of

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

glamour photography Glamour photography is a genre of photography in which the subjects are portrayed in erotic poses ranging from fully clothed to nude. The term may be a euphemism for erotic photography. For Model (person)#Glamour models, glamour models, body sha ...

. Such photography often takes place on a beach, but other locations often include lakes and streams, city streets, rooftops, water falls, muddy fields, tub-shower units, garbage dumps, fields, and abandoned buildings. The woman often wears a

ball gown A ball gown, ballgown or gown is a type of evening gown worn to a ball or a formal event. Most versions are cut off the shoulder with a low décolletage, exposed arms, and long bouffant styled skirts. Such gowns are typically worn with an opera- ...

, prom dress or

wedding dress A wedding dress or bridal gown is the dress worn by the bride during a wedding ceremony. The color, style and ceremonial importance of the gown can depend on the religion and culture of the wedding participants. In Western cultures and Anglo-Sa ...

, and may effectively "trash" the dress in the process by getting it wet, dirty, or, in extreme circumstances, tearing, cutting, or destroying the garment, or entire outfit. However, in the great majority of these photo sessions, the dress is not ruined and is easily cleaned. The motivation for brides is symbolic representing the end of the wedding and her transformation of a bride to a wife rather than storing it forever never to be seen again. The session can include her husband, the bridal party or flower girl and can be romantic, elegant, comical, and even sensual. Some sources claim that the trend was originally started in 2001 by

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

wedding photographer John Michael Cooper. However, the idea of destroying a wedding dress has been used by the

American film industry The cinema of the United States, consisting mainly of major film studios (also known as Hollywood) along with some independent film, has had a large effect on the global film industry since the early 20th century. The dominant style of Ame ...

symbolically since at least October 1998 when

Meg Cummings Meg Cummings is a fictional character from the US NBC soap opera '' Sunset Beach'', played by Susan Ward. Meg was the serial's protagonist throughout the whole run. Sydney Penny temporarily took over the role while Ward was filming the movie '' Th ...

(played by

Susan Ward Susan Ward is an American actress and model. She made her film debut in the 1997 sequel, '' Poison Ivy: The New Seduction'', before appearing in films, including, '' The In Crowd'' (2000), ''Going Greek'' (2001), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001) and ''Wil ...

) of the show '' Sunset Beach'' ran into the ocean in her wedding dress after her wedding was interrupted. On 26 August 2012, during a photo shoot at the Ouareau River in Rawdon,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, Maria Pantazopoulos, a 30-year-old Montreal bride, drownedMagder, Jason
"Maria Pantazopoulos, "a really fun girl," drowns in her wedding dress taking pictures in Rawdon"
''Montreal Gazette'' (December 21, 2012) when the dress she was wearing dragged her downstream. The photographer, as well as others, tried to help but were unable to rescue her. Her body was later recovered by a scuba diver.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trash The Dress Wedding photography Wedding dresses de:Hochzeitsfotografie#Trash the dress