This past weekend was a busy one for us Creasmans. We started off Friday with trashing my wedding dress. Yes. I trashed by beloved wedding dress. So many people have asked me questions on this event so I'll try my best to explain. The first question is:
"Why?! Why would you RUIN your wedding dress?"
I usually answer that question by asking a question (if the person is married). Can I ask, "where is your wedding dress?" That question is followed by a sigh and a "up in my attic in a box". Exactly. Before I even met Matthew, I knew that I wanted to trash my wedding dress. It's where my artistic side trumps my sentimental side. So from the moment my parents paid for my dress, I did not let my self get attached to it. I wore it on my wedding day, hung it in the closet, and haven't looked at it since. When I approached my wedding photographer, John Newberry, about taking pictures of the whole thing, he was excited to do it. I will say that one of the big factors that pushed me to do this is that I trust my photographer. John and his wife Brittany make an amazing team and I trusted completely that he would capture the moment and take fantastic pictures. It also helped that John was so excited to do the shoot. Apparently, there aren't many brides that are willing to trash their dress. I am not one of those brides.
Okay people. Let's face it. It's 2011. I'll bet you anything that when it comes time for my daughter to walk down the isle, chances are my wedding dress won't be in style. I mean, I love my mama...but there's no way I would wear her wedding dress. Lace? Sleeves? Poof? no thank you. Also, I loved getting to spend the day trying on wedding dresses with my mom. It was such a fun day to drive to Brinkley with her and my girlfriends and have a day of trying on dresses and finding "the one." IF I have daughters, you better believe that if they are anything like their mama, I won't be getting off easy. They are going to want a NEW dress. And I, like my mom, will smile and buy it for them.
The third question is: "How? How did you do it?"
This was the tricky part. I have wakeboarded since I was little so it's something that has always been around in my family. My parents have a boat at Heber Springs, and for as long as I can remember, our summers were spent on the lake. However, we needed to do the photoshoot closer to Conway. My Uncle Allen & Aunt Regina live on Beaverfork Lake in Conway (where Matthew proposed) and they have a boat and a dock. The plan was simple. Start off on the dock, with my wakeboard in the water, and let the boat pull me off the dock, that way my hair wouldn't be wet to start and we could get some good pictures before I looked like a wet dog. Though the dock start was a little harder than expected, we did it. John sat in the boat and snapped away while I rode behind the boat without a life vest (ssshhhh, don't tell the park ranger). Once I fell, I would flip over on my back and float until the boat came back around to get me. My wakeboard floats by itself, so staying on top of the water wasn't that hard.
By the end of the day I was exhausted. The picture below took several tries to get it right. Climbing up a ladder with a soaking wet wedding dress, after you have wake boarded is no joke. Every part of my body was exhausted and I am still sore from it all (today is Monday). However, it was all worth it!
And then we have the swamp love picture. As Matthew and I were crawling out of the lake for the ump-teenth time, I said "Hey let's take one of those romantic pictures that would look like it belongs on a romance novel" John went along with our plan and wah-lah--swamp love!
The picture happens to be a fan favorite.
Something we weren't intentionally trying to do. Way to go.
So is my dress trashed? Well... not really :) After a good wash in the jet tub, it fluffed right back out. Granted, it smells a little "lakey" but other than that, it's fine! NOW it can go in a box in the attic :)
