In Pictures: Trash The Dress – Would You Wear Your Wedding Dress Underwater?

We all know of a friend/sister/daughter/aunt/mother who searched far and wide for her dream wedding gown. With the effort that goes into finding the perfect dress, it's hard to imagine wasting all that time and money but a 'trash your dress' trend is starting to gain popularity. A photography business in the UK have tapped into this trend as couples seek new ways of capturing individual wedding memories. Starfish Underwater Photography have taken this idea to another level entirely by launching underwater shoots where brides and their wedding party can pose for some pretty crazy pictures. The 'trash your dress' trend is meant to symbolise commitment as a ruined wedding dress won't be worn again. Abigail and her bridesmaid Nicola Slade However, specialist photographer Lucy Ray says that in some cases, it is possible to get dresses 'as good as new' after the shoot. The pool shoot 'ruins' the fabric to the same extent hand washing would. It may smell a little chlorinated too. 'In terms of cleaning and restoration, dry cleaning would remove the chlorine scent, and a lot of dresses would look as good as new.' 'I am getting married myself this year, and I would definitely wear my dress in the water. I'd like to wear it on my wedding day first, though! 'I think underwater wedding photography is a lovely way to get another use out of your dress and immortalise it in stunning pictures. I can see this really catching on because the pictures are so unusual.' Bridesmaids Stacey Charles (left) and Candice Alexandra (right) with Abigail and Laura Webb Lucy has collaborated with British bridal designer Tobi Hannah, famous for her short wedding dresses. 'Chiffon materials work very well as they move beautifully in the water and wash well too,' says Tobi. 'The combination of soft tulle and shiny satin also work very well as the tulle drapes beautifully and satin picks up the light very well.' It's not exactly cheap to ruin your wedding dress either... Lucy's price for an underwater photo shoot is £299 (€360) for half an hour in the pool, plus disc of pictures, or £499( €600) for 1 hour, professional makeup and disc of pictures. Images via Starfish Underwater Photography