[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7cS9hP4fUY]
I have had an utterly crazy few weeks. Fringe, dress trashing, a wedding… and there’s more coming – I have another dress trashing booked for next weekend already, as well as a family shoot and myriads of other business things to do. I am heartily enjoying myself!
Now to discuss Trash the Dress. You know, it’s usually single women who are horrified by this concept. There’s a reason for this – the wedding dress is perhaps one of the most iconic images of femininity in our society. Women dream about how it will look, try to find the perfect dress for them… And then when some of them marry, they leave it in a bag collecting dust for a very, very long time. I really don’t see why you’d want to have your dress collect dust… I got married in red and created a custom-made utterly perfect ballroom dancing dress while I was at it. I have no intention of trashing my dress, but that’s because I had it made to last. For most women, the icon of the dress looms so immense that they keep it forever, a useless lump of closet space. Others, however, are seeing how it can be used to celebrate again.
Despite the fact that some women use dress trashing as a societal statement, the best reason for dress trashing (I think) is not to make a societal statement, but rather a personal one – a statement of commitment to your husband, of surety, of confidence. To take out the dress in a firey blaze of glory is a great way to say, “I am secure in my marriage and I will never get married again. The wedding dress icon days are over and it’s time to be in a family now.”
And of course, there’s also the opposite – the sentiment of, “I made a big mistake marrying this jerk and I’m going to trash the dress I married him in.” And you know, that could be pretty good therapy…
Suffice it to say then, that I like the concept. Here’s my favourite shot from my first Trash the Dress shoot – Fringe Unbridaled!
