Trash the dress session

Water is the reason people book trash the dress, and also the risk. A wet gown turns heavy and wraps around the legs, so a session in the sea stays in water no deeper than the waist, away from rip currents, and moves to a calm cove, a lagoon or dry sand when the lifeguard flags or the swell say so. The plan always photographs the dress dry first and soaked last. Rivers and waterfall pools have currents and slippery rock of their own, and the photographer walks the footing before the couple steps in.

Many of the most photographed waterfalls and dunes in Brazil sit inside protected areas or on private land, and each has its own rules. A national park managed by the Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), or by the concessionaire that runs its visitor services, may require authorisation for professional photography; a private waterfall charges its own entry and sets its own hours. Ask the manager before choosing the place, and expect some to refuse a session altogether. The city pages carry the specific rules where an authority publishes them.

Salt water, sand, red mud and river minerals can stain lace and loosen beading. Rinse the dress in fresh water on the day of the session, and ask a dry cleaner about the fabric beforehand if you plan to keep it. A trash the dress session is not a second wedding and not a vow renewal: nobody says vows, and nobody else needs to attend. Couples often book it for the morning after a pousada wedding, or on a later trip to a beach they could not photograph on the day.