"Trash the Dress" Photographer Series: Candace Jeffery Photography, Part III

The concept of Trash the Dress is exploding onto the scene of wedding photography and there are endless concepts to consider and create for each photo shoot. Equally important to the thoughts and ideas of the photographers, are the thoughts and wishes of the Bride. Below we have summarized the experience of Selena, the bride from part I and II of our "Trash the Dress" Photographer Series with Candace Jeffery Photography. KM

Check out Part I and Part II of Candace's Trash the Dress display, including her thoughts on what Trash the Dress means to her and preparation images of the Trash the Dress Process.

How did you learn about Candace Jeffery?

I was visiting Brides to Be in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and the one item that I walked out of the store with was a postcard listing Candace’s information on it. Intrigued from her reading her postcard, I looked more into Candace’s work on her site and I saw this one picture of a bride in and old factory; it was a Trash the Dress photo and I loved it! Candace’s work is very artsy, and I loved, well all of her work! And she’s also very easy to get along with as she has so many great ideas.

I decided to have Candace not only do my engagement session and wedding, but also Trash the Dress. And I just have to say that I’m someone who’s never liked pictures of myself. Candace made me feel so good about myself especially after looking at the photos she has captured, so it made me more comfortable about doing something like Trash the Dress.

How did you learn about Trash the Dress?

I actually came across it on the Internet and saw photos of other brides doing it – some to the total extreme. And I thought many of the photos were artsy, fun and cool, and I loved the idea of preserving my dress with photos. And for me, my expectation was not to ruin my dress, but perhaps to get a little messy

What was the location for your photos?

We went to Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, Connecticut. This was the place where we wanted to get married but it was a little too much for my wedding day, so this was a nice contrast.

How would you describe your Trash the Dress Experience?

It was so much fun! I wanted something that was outside the box and a little different, like a piece of art that I can hang in my home. Like I mentioned before, this was the perfect way to preserve my dress, rather than just having it sit in my closet. And on my wedding day, there were pictures that I wanted to take but I didn’t want to get my dress all dirty. And one of my favorite parts of the day was getting all glammed up again. Getting hair and makeup done makes me feel so pretty!

Selena - Bride

Candace Jeffery Photography
Phone: 860.227.2684
Website: www.candacejefferyphotography.com
Blog: www.candacejeffery.blogspot.com
myKPW State and Budget: CT $25-50k

Candace Jeffery Photography is a member of my Kate Parker Wedding, a new online wedding resource guide launching in January 2010 geared toward directing brides to quality vendors based on their price range and state.

"Trash the Dress" Photographer Series: Candace Jeffery Photography

Trash the Dress is becoming more and more popular among brides as it gives them that second chance to slip on their unforgettable dress that they spent so much time searching around for just to be adventurous. This ever so popular concept has given us the chance to ask photographers for their take on Trash the Dress and what it means to them and their brides. Is it rolling around in the mud or is it just about getting those few additional shots in the grass that the bride didn't want to try on the day of?

Check out what Candace from Candace Jeffery Photography had to say about Trash the Dress.

Candace Jeffery Photography
Photographers: Candace and Josh Jeffery
Phone: 860.227.2684
Website: www.candacejefferyphotography.com
Blog: www.candacejeffery.blogspot.com
myKPW State and Budget: Connecticut, $25-50k


For me, I approach the Trash the Dress concept as a chance for my bride to wear her beautiful dress one more time. I view it as a second opportunity to get all dressed up again and have some more beautiful images taken. I find this to be very exciting, and I approach each session with a lot of positive energy.

I encourage my brides to think about what they wish they could have done differently on their wedding day, but just weren't able to do. For me, I had to wear my mother's pearl necklace because it was sentimental, but I'm not really a pearl girl. So I would do my TTD photos with some very bold, bright, chunky jewelry. Some brides don't feel comfortable laying down in a pile of leaves or on the grass for fear of getting their dress dirty, but they can do that during their TTD session. I think almost every brides looks back at her wedding, and finds new things that she wishes she could have done differently. Perhaps it's wearing a special pair of funky shoes, dying the tool under their dress a great color, wearing their hair down, adding a great sash or belt. Or sometimes it's a wedding day logistics problem; the location that you really wanted to do photos at was way to far away, or the weather was uncooperative. Another fun idea is doing destination TTD as we have one line up for this winter in Punta Cana! So, I really try to talk with my brides on what her expectations are, and how she wants to look. I don't want to do the photos just for shock value, or to see how crazy we can be. Depending on the brides personality and desires I may suggest locations that I think will be awesome.

I love doing it because I find that it's a way for me to express myself a bit more creatively, to take some more chances, and to really relax and have fun with my brides. One thing that I love to photograph is contrast. I love to take something so beautiful like a bride in her gown, and drop her in a location that is CRAZY! I think there is something really special about that. I let the bride decide how far it goes in regards to how damaged her dress gets. It's not normally my intention to completely destroy or "trash" her dress, but more to create fantastic images.

On other thing to think about with Trash the Dress is I highly recommend having a skilled hair and makeup artist on hand. It's fun to change up your look a couple of times during the shoots, and that includes hair and makeup.


Below are some of Candace's Trash the Dress photos. In an upcoming blog post, we'll be featuring one of Candace's brides, Selena, as she shared with us her Trash the Dress experience.

Below are just some of the photos from Selena's shoot. Check out more when she shares with us her experience with Candace!

Vendor Advice and Trends - Candace Jeffery from Candace Jeffery Photography

Candace from Candace Jeffery Photography shares with brides some advice on choosing a photographer and working with that photographer throughout the planning year.

-During the consultation, the discussion of budget always comes up. And if budget is an issue or concern, I often tell the brides to make sure that they get more coverage rather than products. Brides can always purchase an album at a later date but they can never replay the time getting ready. Also, purchasing an album or prints for holidays or anniversaries are always a great gift!

-It's important to gauge how important photography is to the couple getting married so that I know the type of package to suggest and know how much time to dedicate to particular shots. I love when a couple says that their photos are really important to them!

-I encourage every bride to click with the photographer before, during and after the wedding. The wedding year can be a long time so make sure there is a good connection between the bride, groom and the photographer. Personally, most of my brides are my friends on Facebook so that we can stay in touch and they can ask me questions or see some of my work at any time.

-The bride and groom also have to the TRUST the photographer they're working with. I encourage the couple to go through photographers' work upon choosing someone for their wedding. Really get to know the photographer so that you never have to worry.

-For special requests, brides typically show me magazine photos or something printed from online. I truly don't mind being particular to what a bride is looking for. However, if I feel like the venue or location's environment will not provide the right setting for what the bride is looking for, I will explain that to her at the time. For example, brides love a beautiful sunset photo, however with some locations, the the sunset may not be available due to the time of the wedding.

-For any couples interested in having their formal photos before the ceremony, I truly feel that it's a good way to get all the formal photos in that you want without having to squeeze them in during your cocktail hour. I had a bride tell me that she wanted to do formal photos before the ceremony but she was concerned that her and her fiance would not get that initial feeling when you spot each other down the aisle. She went ahead with her formals before the ceremony and said that the feeling was still there and probably just as strong. And by doing photos before the ceremony, it gives the bride and groom time to react to one another with a hug or kiss and gives them some time alone. Typically when you get to the alter, you don't get to do that right away. One other thing about formals before the ceremony (especially for an evening wedding), it allows for a little more daylight.

-As you're planning your formals for the day of the wedding, if the schedule does not allow enough time for bride and groom photos, think about shortening the time used to capture shots of the bridal party.


And check out some of Candace's fabulous work!

A Website Redesign - Candace Jeffery Photography

Candace from Candace Jeffery Photography shared with us a few weeks back that she was almost complete with redesigning her website and the time has come as she recently launched the new design! Check out the new look!

Vendor Spotlight - Candace Jeffery Photography

I had the pleasure of meeting Candace for coffee last week during my trip to CT and we had such a good time! I love her relaxed nature and her work clearly speaks for itself. Enjoy the interview!




Company: Candace Jeffery Photography
Photographer: Candace and Josh Jeffery
Phone: 860.227.2684
Website: www.candacejefferyphotography.com
Blog: www.candacejeffery.blogspot.com

Candace and Josh are also on Facebook!

Number of Years in Business: I graduated from the Hallmark Institute of Photography in 2002 and have been professionally working ever since. My husband, Josh, has also been working with me for about 3 1/2 years now.

Preferred Wedding Locations: The first one is is the Wadsworth Mansion (Middletown, CT). It's absolutely stunning and is also the place where Josh and I got married. The next is the Lord Thompson Manor (Thompson, CT). I love how they do a weekend getaway package for the bride. Also, I love how the reception takes place in different rooms so guests are constantly surprised. Another favorite is the Riverhouse at Goodspeed Station (Haddam, CT). They've been around for about 2 years now so they're brand new and are state-of-the-art. And then finally, a place that I just went to, is the Society Room of Hartford. The place is just incredible and breathtaking.

Pricing Information: Pricing starts at $3,000. They are all custom packages so we suggest to brides start with the base package and build on that.

What makes me stand out in my industry? I feel like our images really stand out because they tend to be more edgy. Also because Josh and I are newlyweds (about 3 years), we can relate to our clients since we've recently been there and done that, along with constantly communicating with our bride and grooms through email or Facebook. And sometimes, like after engagement session, we often do dinner afterward with the couple -- getting to know the bride and groom is really important to us!

What do I like to do in my spare time? With the time that we have, we enjoy spending it with our 3 children and love to do things outdoors. We also like traveling – especially to the Dominican Republic where we spent our honeymoon and 1 year anniversary!

What charity am I supporting and why? The American Cancer Society. Cancer truly affects everyone, young and old, so this way I can reach as many people as possible. I am also shooting an event for the Youth United for Survival, and organization dedicated to helping youth who have been through traumatic experiences. Someone I know volunteers with them and she asked me to help out so I offered to shoot an event for them.