The whole adventure started with a text from my good friend (and personal wedding photographer) Terra of Terra Dawn Photography and went a little something like this: “Hey Abby, what are you doing September 22-26?” “I don’t know, why?” “Want to second shoot for me in Aruba?” “OH. HECK. YES.”
And then Terra and I flew to Aruba and spent 5 days photographing a stunning couple, their family and their friends. And it was AWESOME.
Justin and Brianne are an effortlessly gorgeous couple, and photographing them was sheer bliss. All of their loved ones who flew down to see them wed treated us like we were part of the group- I’ve never felt so welcome at a wedding in my life.
I’ll be blogging more images from Justin and Brianne’s wedding weekend, but we’ll start with our first shoot. When Terra told me we’d be doing a sunrise Trash the Dress session, I just about lost it. Sunrise? In the Caribbean? Count me in! Justin and Brianne didn’t disappoint. Brianne brought along an extra wedding dress for the shoot (don’t worry, we trashed her real wedding dress, too, but not until after they’d already said “I do”) and because we were up at 6:30, we had free reign of the beach.
The view from coming out of our room at dawn as we headed down to the beach…
AHH! I’m TOTALLY getting this one on a huge canvas for my office! Brianne, you’re a show-stopper!
The image on the right? Might be one of my favorites I’ve ever shot.
See? Effortlessly gorgeous.
I take it back. THIS might be my favorite image.
Terra needs a shout out. She swam far enough out to where she couldn’t touch ground anymore, so here she is treading water with a $3,000 camera/lens combination in her hand. A combination, I might add, that is VERY SENSITIVE TO WATER.
Swoon. Happy Thursday!
Before We Say “I Do”- A Trash the Dress Session in Aruba!
December 22, 2011
Follow along
@abbygracephoto
info@abbygracephotography.com
WASHINGTON, DC & WORLDWIDE
DESIGN BY TONIC SITE SHOP
© ABBY GRACE PHOTOGRAPHY 2024
Back to top
Oh my gosh stop. These images are incredible! Amazing work Abby!
Holy jamoly, I have no words. Simply stunning Abby!! I’ve been trying to convince my sister to do a trash the dress, and I’m sending her this link as part of my argument! 🙂
Ohmygosh. This makes me wanna trash my dress and have you be the photographer!!! Although a giant field is prob more my style than a beach, but these are AMAZING!!!
OMG these are so, so gorgeous!!!! Will you be my photographer for life?? Incredible job Abby!!!
Wow. That’s so awesome, all around!
GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS! My favorites are the ones where they are in the water chest level. Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Your photos look like cotton candy!!!! 😀 Man that was a gorgeous sunrise. Thank you so much for coming with me and being amazing!! I hope we get to do it again soon!!!!
And can I just say about me risking my equipment…I had a backup and…and…AND WE’RE PHOTOGRAPHER’S!! It’s not like you weren’t our there with your stuff!!! lol. That’s how we roll….in the waves. *snort*
So dreamy!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!
LAWD i can’t even handle how beautiful these are. i’ve already looked through them THREE times and i’m about to go back for round four. SO MANY MONEY SHOTS.
you, dear abby, are a ROCK STAR. fantabulous. per usual.
but legit, these are wonderful, i love how you worked with the light.
also – brianna has some KILLER ARMS. home girl is hawt like fiyah.
thank you for sharing!!!
abby- i love all of these shots! what a great idea to have an extra dress and do it before the wedding!!
AH-MAZ-ing shoot! Beautiful photos. Love the detailed shot of her dress, the image of the bride floating in the pool and the pier shots…just to name a few! : )
WOW! These are gorgeous! They got progressively more and more beautiful as I scrolled through! What a fantastic shoot! Props to both you and Terra for being so brave with your cameras in the water! Risky, but sooooo worth it! Under the dock? HOT! Her floating on her back? AMAZING! Totally blown away by this whole shoot!
Abby these are just amazing makes me want to get married in Aruba or some where exotic and take you with me!!! I can’t wait to see the wedding pic and the after the wedding trash the dress..I hope she got a few of them pic on a big canvas cause thats beautiful work there!!
The photo of Terra swimming is priceless… and the resulting shot is totally swoon worthy! Way to rock it!!
These are Amazing!! Can’t wait to see more!! 🙂
OMGosh I met this couple on our honeymoon in Costa Rica, small world! These are awesome!!
I have an extra special place in my heart for these cause Aruba is probably my most favorite place on Earth! but even if I didn’t love it so much, these images are beyond amazing! You have truly outdone yourself, Abby 🙂
I said it before and I’ll say it again ~ O-M-Gorgeous!! Fabulous! Beautiful! I could go on and on. Cheering for you!
Amazing!!! You are so freaking talented!!
i’m in love. this is potentially my favorite dress trashing shoot i’ve ever seen. you are so talented abby!
I die. Dresses are gorgeous, they are gorgeous, these photographs are gorgeous.
Le sigh
FAVORITES!
Bangin’. Out of this world!
ahhhh my jaw is on the floor!!!!! these are gorgeous!!!
Wow, wow, wow!! Those are some gorgeous shots.
I am swooning over these. STUNNING, Abby! <3
Love all the colors in these. So lovely!
mmmm wow. AMAZING. i adore the one of her floating too. the colors and clarity and everything are just unreal.
this is such a cool post! and place and couple!!! wow!
really nice job!!!!!!
[…] that Caribbean Trash the Dress session from last week? That wasn’t even half of the awesome that went down when I tagged […]
They are absoulutley gourgeous!!!! I LOVE THEM!!!!!!! 🙂
WOW! That is the one word that kept coming out of my mouth as I scrolled through these positively jaw-dropping photos! Amazing!! And the fact that Terra swam out there to take those shots with her camera = brave dedication! Amazing! Again. xoxoxo
Oh my, how gorgeous this photos are!
oh. my. gosh!!
Also, that was a super ballsy move taking her camera out that deep! Major props!
[…] like a love shoot before the wedding, or a trash the dress session afterwards. We actually shot TWO trash the dress sessions in Aruba- one beforehand (don’t worry, the bride brought an extra dress) and then one after […]