The day has come and gone, and your stunning wedding dress no longer has a purpose in your life. What’s a newlywed to do now? You have a few options. 1) Wrap it up in plastic, stuff it in the back of your closet and pull it out to reminisce every five years. 2) Try to sell it on eBay and hope another bride wants your used, possibly stained second-hand dress, or 3) Have some fun, get some great photos and trash the wedding dress!

In case you haven’t heard, trash the wedding dress photography is a craze that has swept the bridal world in the past few years. Basically, a bride (sometimes accompanied by her new husband) dons her dress one more time after the wedding with the intention of kicking up her heels and ruining it with a photographer at the helm. What’s created from the ruins are a set of stunning photos of a bride looking rebellious, sexy and out-of-this-world beautiful.
When booking a photographer for a trash the wedding dress shoot, come in with a list of places you think are appropriate for your trashing session. It’s likely the photographer will have a spot or two of their own to contribute. In general, there’s no place off-limits for a trash the wedding dress session (as long it’s not a no-trespassing situation!) Here are a few ideas to get your brain started:

• The beach, river or lake: Wedding dress and water were made for each other…well, at least they were when it comes to trash the wedding dress shoots! The way a white lace dress floats on the water behind a beautiful bride makes for a romantic, ethereal photo. Once out of the water, nothing tops the sexiness of a wet, white dress clinging to the woman’s body. If your new husband isn’t afraid to get a little dirty, too, try lying down on the sand together, with one on top of the other, and let the photographer capture the moment that a wave crashes over the two of you. It will look like it came straight out of a magazine photo shoot.

• The Local High Street: There’s nothing like the stark contrast of someone in a wedding dress in the middle of your high street. Half the fun of trash the wedding dress photography is placing the bride in unusual locations. Not only will you get unique photography you’ll get great reactions from people walking by!

• A local farm: Imagine the beauty that can come from a bride in a white dress coupled with the greenery and color of a flower or vegetable garden or some sort of orchard. Even better, incorporate the farm animals into the photos – the bride holding an adorable, albeit somewhat dirty, piglet, or riding a horse or giving a bottle to a newborn calf.

• On the back of a motorcycle. This is especially for the hardcore brides in the crowd. Stick on some awesome colorful shoes, hike up your dress around your waist and hop on a bike. Don’t forget your helmet!

• A sports park. Athletic brides can show their sporty side by swinging a golf club or kicking a football while still wearing their special dress.

• The woods. Climb a tree to get some awesome shots from below, or use those sexy shoes to kick up some leaves. Want to feel like a kid? Rake those leaves up into a big pile and jump on in as the photographer grabs a shot of the leaves floating around you.

When it comes to trash the wedding dress photography, the sky’s the limit – you can go as far as your mind will let you. Some other creative places to shoot include abandoned houses or warehouses, a city park or your own backyard.

UPDATE: I’ll be doing my own trash the wedding dress shoot this month. Watch this space for the updates! If you’re not too fussed about getting your wedding dress a bit dirty give me a shout!

About the Author: Randolph Quan is a UK based wedding photojournalist. You can follow Randolph on Twitter or check out his wedding photography here.