3 Reasons Why Dirt On Your Wedding Dress Makes Better Photos

HOORAY FOR DIRTY HEMS!

This is not another article about trashing your wedding dress, no, not at all. I've been wanting to write this for a very long time. It's about making the most out of it, loving it, cherishing it, enjoying it. If I had to boil it all down to one sentence, it'd be this:

"BRIDES, DON'T BE AFRAID OF GETTING YOUR DRESSES DIRTY."

WAIT!

Before y'all are starting to get mad at me, hear me out! I'm not saying you should jump into the nearest mud puddle or frog pond. (That is, unless you INSIST... hey, I'm in!)

I get it. Wedding dresses, in most cases, cost a fortune. You've spend hours and hours searching for the perfect dress that represents who you are. You want to be yourself and sweep your other half off their feet on your wedding day. You want to celebrate in a dress that shows the confident, amazing and beautiful woman that you are and you want to sweep the man or woman you are going to marry off of their feet - you have every reason and right to be cautious about it.

BUT.

That’s not the whole story! Here are my top 3 reasons why dirt doesn’t matter!

1) DIRTY DRESSES HAVE MORE FUN

Your wedding dress is going to see the light of the day for exactly one glorious day in its life - wouldn't it be amazing to just let go, relax and have a hell of a good time with it? Wouldn't it be amazing to know you enjoyed every single minute wearing it without having to worry about it and BECAUSE of that looked fabulous?

Being able to move around freely without having to worry about your hems is a big plus - and at the end of the day directly translates into more relaxed and fun photos.

Dirty gowns tell stories of bold and down to earth brides. Brides who know life isn't perfect and beautiful because of it. Brides who know their wedding day is a symbol for something so much bigger than a few stains here and there.

2) NO ONE WILL NOTICE

Yeaaaa, right - you might think. One of the fears I hear from brides all the time is that they want to make sure their dress is sparkling clean for the ceremony. That they want to save it and keep it perfectly untouched for as long as possible. If you do have your photoshoot or first look before the ceremony, that means taking care A LOT and being restriced in your movements and locations. Especially if it’s raining or your wedding is at a beautiful outdoor location. You can’t relax and this, in turn, is going to reflect in your photos.

Let me tell you this: unless you did jump in said mud puddle or frog pond before the ceremony (I'd still be on board with this - just sayin'!), no one's gonna notice. People will be busy looking at you walking down the aisle smiling, crying through the ceremony and having a good time afterwards. Sometimes the ceremony takes places in a low light location like a church, meaning only people sitting on the aisle will get a full view on you - and your hems. I promise, no one is going to question a few stains, because it's not a big deal. Try to think of every wedding you have ever attended... have you noticed dirt on the dress? No? Because you enjoyed the moment! And if so - is that what you remember from this entire day? At the end of the day, EVERY dress gets dirty - no matter how much caution you take - and it's fine.

3) NO REGRETS

What I can assure you from my own experience as a wedding and elopement photographer is this: No bride has ever regretted being able to worry less and enjoy more. If they do regret something, and I’ve been told that by some of my brides, is that they wished they would have been more care free and shouldn't have bothered too much about the possibility of dirty hems.

What we remember is how we shared that day with our loved ones, the whole experience of the wedding day. If in doubt - ask a married friend. Whether it's just the two of you or together with your wedding guests - a little dirt on that gown is not what matters in the end. In fact, a little dirt on that dress is going to make for super epic and dynamic photos and a carefree wedding day. And your man? I promise you that as well: He's going to love you even more for being so totally cool with it.