Considering A Trash The Dress Shoot? Read This First!

You spent countless hours picking the perfect dress and altering it to fit you like a glove. So after you've said your "I dos" and danced the night away, would you be willing to trash that treasured gown? We asked our Facebook and Twitter followers whether or not trash the dress photo shoots are a good idea. Here's what they had to say:

"I think there's going to be a lot of regrets down the road if you choose to trash the dress." - Maxine Elliott via Facebook

"Trash it! What else are you going to do with it?" - Carrie Buchanan via Facebook

"Trash the dress, it would make great pictures." - Kat Krapivina via Facebook

"Donate it. There was a fundraiser in conjunction with breast cancer involving wedding dresses. Do a little research and find an organization that could benefit from your dress. You'll feel great that you got to help another bride feel as special as you did." - Christina Hiebert via Facebook

"I spent a lot of money on my dress. Either I'm going to sell it or donate it. Trash the dress is the equivalent of buying a brand new 40" LCD tv and throwing it in a lake or rolling it around in the mud." - Melissa Gunn via Facebook

"I did trashed my dress and loved it. I actually did it twice. I want to make it a tradition to do it every year." - Kylee A Marshall-Morano via Facebook

"I had a client who bought a second, less expensive dress to trash. We had a blast shooting her!" - Adam Kuzik via Facebook

"Donate it or sell it on consignment. Weddings are expensive and some people would give anything to have your beautiful dress but they can't afford it new. I just think trashing it is selfish. I feel that your trash is someone else's want or need. We are using kissing games at the wedding to raise money for local food banks." - Jennifer Stone via Facebook

"I trashed my dress. The dress hadn't been dry cleaned yet so I took some great trash the dress pics then dry cleaned it. It came out good as new and now I am choosing between consignment or donation." - Dana Salares via Facebook

"Sold my dress at a garage sale. The young girl who bought it was going to use the bodice part only and combine it with a skirt she bought elsewhere." - Dory Ainsworth via Facebook

"Dye it pink, yellow, or blue. Buy a tiara  and have a Disney princess bar crawl." - Christopher Townsend via Facebook

"Don't trash it! I'm keeping the dress and cutting it shorter so I can wear it again." - Shenifa Velji via Facebook

"To be honest I could never destroy my dress. I am so much in love with it. My mom took her wedding dress and turned it into my first communion dress. Maybe someday I'll do that for my daughter." - Kathy Larkin via Facebook

"I trashed my dress in the ocean in Mexico and the pictures are amazing. Everyone loves them and the dress was dry cleaned and still looks brand new." - Jennifer Kuhn via Facebook

"I dry cleaned mine and got it packaged to keep and hopefully fit into it on our 25th anniversary when we renew our vows or my daughters can wear it." - Chandra Lavergne via Facebook

"I cringe every time a see a trash the dress shoot. Bridal gowns are just so special and usually cost so much. I wouldn't want to ruin my dress." - Debbie Bessa via Facebook

"We did some fun after-the-wedding pictures. But I didn't trash it, I could never do that. On the big day you are so busy and don't want to get dirty, so during our 'cherish the dress' photo session a month later, we did fun things like laying on the ground and on the swings. The pictures turned out great and I got to wear my dress again! After, I hand washed the bottom hem and  it is as good as new." - Laura Arends-Dube via Facebook

"I like to think of it more as 'rock the dress' vs. 'trash' I didn't do anything crazy like rip it up over some rocks, or go into the water (mainly because there wasn't a great spot to do that where we were). I didn't want to ruin my dress because I paid a decent amount for it and it has a lot of meaning to me. It came out just like new after one wash! Doing a 'rock the dress' was so much fun! It gave me an opportunity to put on the dress and get dolled up again." - Veronica Hoch via Facebook

To join in this discussion and others follow us at facebook.com/weddingbellsmag or twitter.com/weddingbellsmag.