Trashing the dress (on purpose)

My friend Kristina got married this summer. Last weekend, at her request, we trashed her wedding dress and had a blast doing it. (This is a big new trend for brides. Google "trash the dress" and you'll find some crazy pictures.)

I know some of you will be bothered by the unnecessary destruction of such an expensive garment. I'm on the fence about it myself. On one hand, perhaps it would have been better stewardship to donate it and bring some joy to another bride.

On the other hand, this afternoon together brought a lot of joy to five women who couldn't have made memories like these just sitting around chatting like usual. That's no small matter, either, considering that, in less than two years, we'll all be scattered across the country and chances to get together will be few and far-between.

(So, actually, one could argue that this approach was more life-giving than adding this dress to the thousands of other dresses taking up closet space across this great land, rarely even being looked at, while awaiting that minuscule chance that someone else in the family might actually want to wear it someday. Hmm.)

Anyway, there are lots of ways to look at it but, ultimately, it was her dress and her decision. While I couldn't quite bring myself to do any direct damage, I did have tons of fun participating in less actively-destructive ways.

Hope you enjoy the pictures, even if they make you cringe! All except the last one were taken in downtown St. Paul.


Cone hat. Notice the "Do Not Enter" sign, which we proceeded to ignore. We're such rebels.




Sitting in a big ol' digging machine. [What the heck are those things called? Is there a more technical name than digger trucks? Whatever, you get the idea.]




Rolling down a hill in the grass (hoping everyone has picked up after their dogs).




Highlight of the day...Naomi convinced the kind gentlemen hanging Christmas lights to give Kristina a ride in the bucket. It was awesome.




Here we all are in the same park. Photo by the fabulous Rachel Roushey. There's another photo on her blog, and more to come (she took hundreds).




And the grand finale: Cupcakes and hot chocolate at Cupcake on University, our favorite coffee shop. Those of you who know me well undoubtedly realize that, even if I hadn't already been squeamish about the destruction, I would never have sacrificed my perfectly delicious minty-chocolate frosting for the cause. But Naomi and Stephanie were much better sports about it, and Kristina herself also contributed.