Beautiful, Tropical “Trash the Dress”

Did you catch Michele & Jay's stunning and tropical Australian beach destination wedding? {No worries, you can catch up here}. Well, today we're celebrating Michele's "Trash the Dress" session--which was part of their destination wedding package through South Pacific Bridal. Fun, freeing and beautifully captured by the ever-talented Benn Brown of Blue Sky Photography, here's our gorgeous bride to tell us about the day and why she would recommend a "Trash the Dress" session to other brides.

How did you first hear about "Trash the Dress"?

I fell in love with the idea of the 'Trash the Dress' or 'Drown the Gown' session after seeing a video on a website while surfing for wedding dresses. None of my friends had ever heard of the idea, and when I mentioned it, they were all mortified that I would consider ruining a dress for the purpose of photos. But, I thought the idea was brilliant and the results from the session are exactly what we wanted our wedding photos to be; both poignant and breathtaking.

Where did you get your dress?

South Pacific Bridal was running a special that included a free 'Trash the Dress" {dress included} when signing up for a wedding package. I narrowed down my top choices and e-mailed my favorites to our wedding coordinator, Gina Ford. When we had our pre-wedding meeting with Gina, she brought the dresses for me to try on and I made my final selection. I didn't have to worry about destroying my gorgeous Olivia Couture 'Wow Dress' that I wore for the ceremony.

What was it like to frolic in the sand and not even worry about it?

It was wonderful to take a few moments to step out of the dainty, formal bride mode that day and be a silly girl with a big smile, giggling and spinning in the water until I was dizzy. It was exhilarating to frolic in the ocean water with the sand between my toes, enjoy the view and cherish the moment. Those few precious moments helped me relax and relieved some of the wedding day anxiety that had built up in preparation for our 'I Dos'.

What was it like working with Benn Brown?

Our photographer, Benn Brown took incredible, candid, sexy and fun shots during the 'Trash the Dress' session that just can't be seen in formal poses. His talented eye captured the emotions of the day, our passion for each other, and our individual personalities in a truly amazing way. I would have loved to have had a longer session and actually gone further into the water and got my hair wet, but I didn't want to ruin my beautiful updo for the day! Jay wasn't keen on getting his suit wet, so he opted out of the experience, but I highly recommend it!”

Would you recommend "Trashing the Dress" to other brides?

'Trashing the Dress' might not be something that every bride desires, but I loved the uniqueness of it and the creative photo opportunities it provided. Trashing the dress doesn't have to be in the ocean, it can be anywhere, as long as it's fun and maybe a little messy {wink}. Remember, you only get that special day but once; so make the time as exciting and memorable as you possibly can!