Trashthedress.com

We have a nice layout posted today to http://www.trashthedress.com/. The Trash the Dress website has been the focus the past few weeks in stories in the NY Times, Good Morning America and Entertainment Tonight. It has been a blast to be part of this exploding international trend, and to put my own twist to it. We recently did a session with Shelly and Jonathan on Seneca Lake. I posted the photos in a previous post, but I also received an e-mail from Shelly with her thoughts on the experience. Here is what she had to say:

Trash the Dress…Lake Style
Shelly C. Lall
Photographer: Steve Chesler

I was intrigued right from the start - it looked fun and crazy. Being a star again with my wedding dress on and a photographer’s full attention was inviting. In all honestly, I was nervous as well. What exactly did trash the dress mean - dirt, mud, water, rips, tears? I knew the only way to truly enjoy the experience was to approach it with a carefree attitude, but secretly I hoped the dress would wash up just like new…maybe so I could do another trash the dress session later!
With all of this in mind, we headed to the shores of Seneca Lake. My husband was an excellent sport, agreeing to be involved in the photos as much as I wanted him to be and providing moral support. Wearing gym shorts, a tank top, and water shoes I walked along the water’s edge. We carried my dress – to keep it clean until it was time to get it dirty. Once at the site, I changed into my dress, which was amazingly comfortable without the petticoat, tiara, veil, and big hair updo.
I stood barefoot at the water’s edge surrounded by tall brown and green grass. I think Steve was giving me time to get used to my new surroundings. Nearby was a piece of driftwood, which my husband and I sat down on. Not once did I worry about my dress, I just kept thinking about the amazing pictures we would get from today’s adventure.
The next step was into the water! Strangely, I didn’t feel much of the cool water as I entered the lake and my dress fanned out behind me. My only thought was how beautiful my train was atop the water. We tried several different ideas in the water, on the sand bar, and on the driftwood. It started to rain, which only added to the fun. With increasing rain and a fear of being in the water when lightening strikes, we retreated to the car.
Afterwards, my husband and I remarked on how clean the dress looked despite dragging it through lake water across rocks and sand, and sitting on wet soggy driftwood. The top of the dress looked spotless, other than the rain drops. We rinsed the bottom edge and train in the bathtub, easily removing all of the dirt. It looked just like it did when I put it on at the lake earlier in the day!
It was a fantastic experience, intensified by having my husband with me, taking a step into the unthinkable for many brides. It was us enjoying each other, having fun, and breaking some of those old traditions!