FreeToFlaunt

On January 7th Wendy and Michael were married during a beautiful sunset ceremony in the sand at the ocean's edge in the Mayan, Mexico. The day was perfect and we were so excited to be there to capture it all. Wendy and her mom had their hair appointments in the BahiaSpa at the resort and then we headed back to their villa for all the preparations. The ceremony took place about 4:30 as the sun was setting. Their vows were so personalized and meaningful, the ceremony was spoken in Spanish and translated by Eugenia the wedding coordinator. We all attended a special reception dinner in a private area of one of the resort restaurants followed by drinks and live entertainment in the lounge. Wendy looked stunning, Michael was emotional, all the details were elegant and family and friends who had flown in to attend their wedding celebration had an amazing time.
Rewind 24 hours earlier when we met Wendy and Michael at 7 am to head into downtown Tulum to shoot a Trash the Dress session. We were hoping for some rustic, authentic Mexican culture for the shoot and that's exactly what we got. The people in the town were friendly and inquisitive. As we were shooting in the streets we could see many people peeking out through their curtains wondering what was going on. They were curious about Brian's steadicam and why there was a bride and groom wandering around near their homes. We met a couple of Mexican gentlemen who offered Wendy and Michael a bible that they said would ensure them a lifetime of happiness. After some time in the town we took a taxi to a secret beach to shoot some incredible footage of the soft white sand and teal blue water. This stretch of the beach was owned and maintained by a Mexican director who shoots many of his movies there. We were glad one of the locals told us about it as it's hidden between resorts. 
We had an amazing time with Wendy and Michael and it's been an incredible 9 months since we first met them. We shot their e-fusion session last June, I created their unique wedding invitations and took photos at Wendy's bachelorette party. We are close friends now and look forward to many more special times in their lives as the years pass. They are now heading back to Mexico for their official honeymoon after having their back home reception last night in Hamilton where we previewed their highlights from Mexico (see below). We hope they get to relax and enjoy their time together as newlyweds now that they don't have all the wedding preparations to think about.

STUDIO 67

 

Wendy + Michael | Mexico from Studio67 on Vimeo.

Where do we begin with this post? This has been one of the most exciting shoots we have done to date, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the results. So many times we see sets labeled “Trash the Dress,” but the dress is never really trashed – that’s about to change.

Allow us to tell you the story of Phil & Nicole. A newlywed couple with a burning passion and undying love. Set in a remote “ghost town,” they embark on a mysterious adventure that ultimately leads to the fiery destruction of her coveted gown.

We would like to personally thank Jeff Manfredonia of Maf Life films, Tina Pace from Hair Chateau, and Nicole and Phil for their continued support, dedication – and overall being some of the best friends we could ask for.

M&M

http://mmaler.com/trashthedress/

Lissa had only been married two weeks before she called to schedule her TTD session. It is something she had been anticipating and excited about, even before the wedding!

We decided to trash her dress on the coast of Lake Michigan, in a beautiful little town here in Michigan, Saugatuck. First we started in the town, got some great shots, and then as we were making our way over to the beach, we passed a gorgeous golf course pond, so we took advantage of that also!! It was a wonderful day, and Lissa ROCKED the camera, and her hubby, Howard, was awesome in helping us!

Nicki and I met a few weeks after her wedding for her "Trash the Dress" session. It was October 1st in Michigan, not exactly warm weather and we were definately not experiencing Indian Summer.

We planned to spend the whole day together at several locations.  I was very excited, because this Bride, gets just as hyped up about the Halloween season as I do, and she wanted some "not so sweet bride" photos to come from this session.  So in the spirit of Halloween, we did some fun spooky pics. Of course we did some not so spooky, very beautiful pics also.

I have to say, I had so much fun, the cold didn't bother me at all..can't say the same for Nicki as she stepped into the bitter ice cold river in her gown!!





   

  



  

Well. I don't live in an area where people are privy to dirtying up their wedding dresses much- but they have a blast getting other dresses dirty! So, for the third annual Trash Day, I'm sending chic's to consignment shops, goodwill stores and yard sales to find their dresses! I will shoot Trash sessions anytime anywhere- but this event seems to have caught the locals attention, and they've come to anticipate this day each year thus far! 
This one day a year- I hire Hair/Make-up artists and at least 2 other photographers. The girls call in advance for their appts and the day of the shoot they show up and get all gussied up for their session. Each of us photographers has our own area in which we shoot and each girl has a 15-20 minute session with each of the photographers getting a wide range of perspective on their personality, attitude and personal appearance.
I look forward to this session as do all the people involved! This years Trash shoot is scheduled for October 24th. It'll be here before I know it!!! 

Jodi & her best friend and Matron of Honor Angelica had a blast flaunting all the way to Fort Myers Beach. The dynamic duo had such fun and their photos show it.

 

We had the honor of shooting the wedding of Joel and Nicole back in early spring, and instead of an engagement session, they opted for the Trash the Dress, or After Thaute, session.  Ladies, this is a great opportunity for you to get back in your gown and take some amazing photos with your new husband.  No stress over the wedding day, no time limits, no "stuck at the ceremony site" problems.  Just you and your husband, being haute models for a day!  We took Joel and Nicole into downtown Los Angeles, starting off at the Disney Concert Hall and ending up amongst the warehouses and quiet industrial side-streets.  What a picture-perfect day! 

Talk about sexiness, seductiveness, hauteness. It doesn't get much better than these two sultry lovebirds, who dared to get down in dirty inside tractor tires, on railroad tracks, on the porch of an abandoned house, and in the swirling waters of the Pacific Ocean. Tyler and Stephanie brought us out to San Juan Capistrano and Laguna Beach for a steamy After Thaute Trash the Dress session, and I really don't need to describe these photos any further... see for yourself!

Had a chance to shoot this very very fun loving couple. They weren't afraid to be natural for photos at all. Ordinarily the 'self-conscious nature' will occur when the shoot just started, like a warm up session. However, this didn't seem to be the case for Tara and Mark, they were anything but camera shy. We had a simple R.O.M, headed out for some shots, back for some food and it's a wrap. Like a turkey ham wrap from subway. Simple, with a hint of sweet onion sauce. Nothing over done, nothing too demanding, and very well appreciated. AK

 

 

Contributed by A Britton Photography,

 

Michelle and Damion were actually married in Vegas at a venue that doesn't allow outside photographers. So sadly I couldn't go. I knew that they wanted to do a trash the dress session for a long time and had it on the books for quite sometime. So when Ellen from the Washington Post called me wanting to witness a trash the dress for the new section of the Post on weddings I knew these two would be perfect. They wanted to completely trash the dress in my parent's river in Edinburg, VA at the end of the session and I had a laundry list of things I wanted that I can't always get in the DC metro area and have time on the day of a wedding. Most importantly they were all on board to let me roll and be creative. BONUS!!

I won't lie I was freaking out about the session. Who wants to be infront of the camera when they are a photographer? Plus I was getting in the river too so I had to dress appropriately. So now there was Michelle excited about the added guests and me. I will admit we were a little wacky at first for Damion and my hubby Chris to handle but I think we calmed down quickly and did our thing. I am so excited to share part one from this session. I still have a lot to edit but I know Michelle is excited to see them. She told me she is checking the blog 10xs a day. So here is part 1, no trashing just yet. I believe the article is going to run the first weekend of September. I will update that soon.

Feel free to check out more here: Proofs

Oh almost forgot thank you so much Kim for the wonderful hair and makeup and coming through last minute for me! You rock girl-Kimberly Steele