Not ready to slip off the wedding gown? Trash it then, while wearing it.

A daring -- some say outrageous -- idea, "trash the dress" is a fairly new concept in post-wedding photography that espouses, as the name suggests, ruining the wedding attire.

Married couples tear it, burn it, smear it with mud, spray graffiti on it, all in the name of love and, of course, high fashion shots.

The shock factor is further fuelled by the sharp contrast between the elegant clothing and the environment. Photography can, therefore, take place in areas like a car workshop, a wet market or a swamp.

Wedding photographer Edmund Tham is one of those who brought this trend, which has its roots in the United States, to Malaysia.

Couples trash the dress as a means of showing "commitment to each other", he said, as wearing the gown only once symbolises staying married to the same person forever.

"In the US, couples normally have their wedding clothes tailor-made.

"Once the big day is over, there will be no need for the clothes. It takes a lot of work to retain the gown, especially in its original form.

"Photographers there then came up with the idea to have it ruined, but for a good cause."

Tham, from eGallery, has shot couples frolicking in puddles of melted ice cream and candies, spraying each other with fizzy drinks, lying on heaps of rubbish and throwing paint at one another.One session even had the bride sitting atop a butcher table in the Puchong wet market, complete with a slab of meat draped across her right shoulder like a shawl.

In most cases, the bride is decked out in full splendour but the groom goes casual, as the bridal gown makes a more interesting art canvas than a tuxedo.

Photographer Lam Wai Cheong said the idea was also to maximise the use of the dress.

"You spend so much on the dress and it's only to be worn once, so you might as well make full use of it. Some couples prefer to capture such high art shots than store the dress away, never to be seen again."

Understandably, not many couples are keen on this trend, which has been around in Malaysia for 11/2 years.

"I would propose this only to couples who are more adventurous and open to trying out new things. Out of a hundred couples, probably only two or three are willing to try it.

"In some cases, the dress can still be salvaged after the shoot. For example, the bride who had her gown smeared with ice cream can have it washed and then keep it for memory," said Tham, a graphic designer turned photographer.

If making art installation out of wedding dresses takes too big a leap of faith, there are other new trends around to try out.

For one, more couples are injecting humour and casualness into their pre-wedding shots, said Lam.

"Some are moving away from being photographed in wedding attire, preferring to go casual instead for their shoot in a less controlled environment, such as a shopping mall.

"Humour is another good approach, where couples poke fun at their own selves instead of staying the course of conventional lovey-dovey shots."