Newheds in a lake in wedding attire
make fun and innovative photos.
Shelli Liebman Doi iman
Contributing Writer
n her all-things-perfect wedding day, Lindsey
Grossman was able to keep her bridal gown
free from dreaded wine spills, lipstick smudges
and hem tears. But when the time was right — weeks later
— she put the dress back on and along with her new hus-
band, Sam, deliberately marched through water and sand.
And she did it with no worries for her strapless, cham-
pagne-colored gown — complete with its silk taffeta and
beaded lace and scalloped edged-skirt — all for the sake
of a one-of-a-kind memory and the pictures to go with it.
When the Grossmans, who now live in Farmington Hills,
first walked into Classic Photography in Southfield before
their May 2010 wedding, it was with a plan for traditional
wedding pictures: family photos, bridal party, first dance ...
But that was before studio owner Murray Goldenberg
presented a new plan.
"I asked if, in addition, to the usual photos, they might
want us to take photos of them after their wedding day —
at a park or a boat dock or on a beach," he said.
What Goldenberg proposed was the creative process
of "trash the dress." Also known as "fearless bridal" or
"rock the frock," it is the art of photographing a bride, or a
couple, while they deconstruct their wedding attire for the
purpose of garnering a series of unique, frameable post-
wedding photos.
"Trash the dress" photo sessions often take place on
beachfronts or in water, but they've also been known to be
shot on city streets or rooftops, in garbage dumps or aban-
doned buildings and even in the midst of paint fights.
"I learned about it at national seminars but hadn't done
0
it before;' Goldenberg said. "Lindsey and Sam seemed like
the perfect fun couple to suggest it to."
Turns out they were.
At The Beach
After Sam and Lindsey, both 27, returned from their hon-
eymoon, they met Goldenberg for a sand-and-water photo
shoot at Wing Lake in Bloomfield Hills.
"The atmosphere was very relaxed compared to the wed-
ding day," Goldenberg said. "There were no concerns about
spilling something on the dress; the bride and groom didn't
even mind getting into the water and sitting down in the
sand. We took a lot of barefoot, romantic shots."
He told the couple that because the photos would not
be formal like the wedding pictures, they also didn't need
to be as formal.
"So Sam wore tux pants and a plain white T-shirt, and I
did my own makeup and hair and put on my gown, veil and
flip flops with satin rosettes on them," said Lindsey, who is
a paralegal for Padilla Kostopoulos PLLC in Birmingham.
"Some of the photos were taken through trees with
branches shaped like hearts. Someone saw us and thought
it was our actual wedding day and said they had never
seen a bride so calm and relaxed.
"It was just the two of us having fun. We did take out-
door pictures the day of the wedding but not like these."
The couple, who are the children of Donna and David
Grossman and Leslie Sabo and Howard Weinberger, all of
West Bloomfield, were photographed at their wedding at
Temple Israel in West Bloomfield by both Goldenberg and
studio co-owner, Marty Abrin.
"We had a really fun wedding," Lindsey said. "Sam and
I met in middle school when we were 13 and dated ever
since. The theme of our wedding was 'at last' because we
dated for so long and finally got married. At the wedding,
we chose the Etta James' song 'At Last' for our first dance.
When we got up to dance, I surprised Sam by having the
band play a recording of me singing the song."
Lindsey said she and Sam love the photos taken at their
wedding and have them in an album and on the walls of
their home. "But the 'trash the dress' photos are so unique
and fun," Lindsey said. "I have one in my office, several at
our house, and we printed a bunch for family members and
they love them."
The "trash the dress" trend is thought to have originated
in 2001 by Las Vegas wedding photographer John Michael
Cooper. In 2009, more than 150 women were photo-
graphed during a mass "trash the dress" session in the
Netherlands.
According to trashthedress.com , there are two choices
of what to do with the dress you'll never wear again:
"Suffocate it in plastic and throw it in a closet" or "Show
your husband how committed you are by trashing the dress
and get some great fun pictures while you do it:'
Even those who have considered donating their dresses
to organizations like Brides Against Breast Cancer
(bridesagainstbreastcancer.org) are discovering they can do
both. The group's fundraising efforts include selling donated
Bridal Gown on page C8
C6
celebrate! I
March 2012