A Few Tips on Trash the Wedding Dress - Nola and Ronald - Lanikai Beach - Oahu, Hawaii

Many couples from all of the world travel to Hawaii to get married on our beautiful beaches. Often times they want a simple yet intimate beach wedding known as a destination wedding. In addition to having gorgeous photographs at the beach, they also want to incorporate water photography as well. This is a fun and engaging way to capture more beauty that Hawaii has to offer. This is sometimes referred to as "Trash the Dress", "Fearless Bride", or "Rock the Frock". Some couples will do a trash the dress session the day of the wedding after the ceremony if they are having a small destination wedding. Others will wait a week to a year before jumping into the water.

Being a photographer in Hawaii I have many brides coming to me asking to do the Trash the Dress photo sessions. Some brides are not sure if they want to trash there gorgeous and expensive wedding gowns. My recommendation is to use or buy an inexpensive white dress. I have also photographed as simple as a white bikini and veil.

There are so many things that go into trashing the wedding dress. The waves, weather, and location are a few important things to consider. If both partners aren't really comfortable in the water I suggest not going all in with clothes on. I can get great shots with me under water and my clients half way in for example. Weather plays a huge roll in getting great shots. If it just rained hard the water clarity will be affected. If we are having swells, surf, and water surges it can make it difficult to pose with clothes on. Growing up surfing on Oahu, I have swam and photographed all over the island. I can suggest many locations to photograph at, however flexibility is often needed with water photography since mother nature doesn't always give us what we want.

Below is a recent TTD Session at Lanikai Beach on Oahu with Nola and Ronald from Canada.

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