That’s No Way To Treat A Wedding Gown!
November 27th, 2007 @ 9:26 am by Mrs. Eggplant
Shame on me! It has been a month since my wedding and this is what I’ve done with my dress:
The poor thing is laying on my bedroom floor, uncleaned and neglected.
It’s actually still pristine, minus a little dirt along the hemline.
The truth is, I haven’t sent it to the cleaners yet because I secretly am hoping that Mr. Eggplant will let me do a post-wedding bridal shoot. He wants me to wait until we get our proofs back before I decide. The real reason I want to do a second shoot is simply that I am still in love with my gown and just want an excuse to dress up, feel beautiful, and wear the darned thing one last time. 
I love my dress way too much to trash it, so no TTD beach sessions for this bride. But I think it would be neat to get dolled up and play around in an old abandoned warehouse or perhaps wander along a desert road somewhere. The problem is, my photographers are based in southern California and it’s not exactly feasible to arrange a six-hour road trip for a photo shoot.
I’ve done a little research and I’m hesitant to contact photographers about post-wedding shoots. This is mainly because I know that photographers make the bulk of their earnings from their wedding packages. Separate shoots, like engagement or bridal sessions, are usually thrown in so that a photographer can get a feel for working with the bride and groom before the big wedding day. I don’t know how willing someone would be to take time and do a bridal shoot with me since I won’t be purchasing a wedding package.
Has anyone else done a post-wedding photo shoot with someone other than your wedding photographer? Any tips or resources to share?
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12 Responses to “That’s No Way To Treat A Wedding Gown!”
Hee hee…I was about to say the same thing…almost verbatim, Onion!!
I just can’t fathom boxing it away, but I don’t want to trash it. Maybe I will bring it out whenever I feel ‘blue’ 
As a photographer - I say go for it. I have done TTD/Day After shoots with Brides and Grooms whose wedding I didn’t shoot and it is always a blast. Any good photographer loves to shoot and will be up for the challenge. It will add more work to their portfolio and you can pay a session fee so that they “make their money”. You might even be able to broker a bit a of a deal by being game for some setups or concepts the photog has been wanting to do.
I win - mine’s been hanging in the office for 7 months now 
I read about a mail order cleaning place on wedding bee a long time ago - just can’t remember the name. Really I’m putting off spending the money. Plus I don’t want it sealed away forever - I want to be able to put it on whenever I want!
As for a post wedding shoot. I have a ton of friends that are very passionate (and gifted) photographers - they just aren’t professionals. Maybe you could do some research and find an up and coming (less expensive) photographer who is happy to get the experience or just someone who’s passionate about it and loves to have a subject to shoot - but it’s just a hobby for them. Many of the folks are just as talented as the high dollar professional photographers. You might even get lucky and get the entire shoot for free - most of the time these folks will give you a cd of all the pics too.
Jillian, I sent my dress to WedClean (wedclean.net) - they did a really fantastic job, and it’s not “sealed”… you can take it out and try it on again whenever you want!
The mail order cleaning place is wedclean.com. I got my dress cleaned with them and they did a decent job. I had red wine and a lot of dirt all over my dress and not all of it came out, but I don’t think anyone could get my stains out.
I’m with mthreestudio - any photographer who’s into these kind of shoots will totally be willing to do it! The sitting fee is the price they set for making it worth their time - so don’t worry about the photographer! Have fun with it!!
Sorry Jilian, I’ve got you topped. Mine is hanging in the guest room closet and our wedding was almost 12 years ago. A couple of years ago I decided to try it on again and it still fits!
I’ve got a photog friend looking for someone willing to TTD, so I am giving it some thought.
He loves to do after wedding pictures. He says brides are more relaxed, not too concerned about keeping the dress perfect, and all around more fun to work with.
I’ve always loved San Francisco photographer Jasmine Star (wish I could hire her but I live very very far away). I’ve seen a ton of post-wedding photoshoots on her blog. Hope that helps.
We did a post-wedding session with a photographer I really loved! We couldn’t afford her for our special day, so we chose to do a portrait session. It was laid back, fun, and we didn’t have the stress of getting married right after. Plus, I got to wear my favorite dress all over again. I loved it!
A photo student friend of mine offered to do an after-wedding shoot for me. I declined only because I have no place to store my dress here at school. If you have a connection to a local university art department, I’m sure you could find a student who would do it in return for being able to use the photographs in their portfolio.
If you plan to donate your dress to Brides Against Breast Cancer, Eric Laurits will do a bridal session for free! Unfortunately he’s out here in New England.. but maybe other photogs have similar offers… http://www.ericlauritsweddings.com/#mi=1&pt=0&pi=5&s=0&p=-1&a=0&at=0
Mrs. Eggplant, San Francisco
Age and Occupation: 28, Human Resources
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 24, Associate Marketing Manager
Engagement Date: January 19, 2007
Wedding Date: October 20, 2007
Blogging Since: May 31, 2007
Venue: Ceremony at a cement and stained glass cathedral and reception at a boutique hotel ballroom
About Me: I'm a shopping junkie who lives to discover great deals and a craft addict that loves to scrapbook and knit. My profile picture was taken on the day I got engaged which is why my smile is so huge!
I have to confess that I never cleaned my gown either and it’s been almost THREE months! yikes. i know the back has a few small black spots on the buttons from sitting on a bench or something. BAD onion!