Phil and Allison Bundo get blind-sided by a wave during a photo shoot at Laguna Beach in California. Eleven brides showed up to the Trash

Alanna Peters, of San Diego, gets soaked in her wedding dress. Eleven brides showed up to a Trash

The bride and groom walked hand in hand along the sand as the wedding photographer followed along, capturing the memory.

Suddenly the bride turned and walked straight into the surf, shrieking as the waves knocked her down and drenched her wedding dress.

The surreal scene played out over and over last weekend at Laguna Beach in California as 11 newlywed brides, and most of their grooms, modeled for post-wedding pictures dubbed “Trash the Dress.”

The new trend in wedding photography (www.trashthedress. com) gives blushing brides the chance to say goodbye to their pretty princess fairy tale and get grungy.

The brides dug holes in the sand and climbed in. They stood under drainage pipes. Draped seaweed around their necks. And, naturally, braved the surf in their white satin and lace.

“I’m not going to wear it again,” said a giddy Kelli Tucker, 23, sporting a filthy $1,200 strapless ivory gown with a 16-foot train. “It’s very liberating.”

The brides found out about the photo shoot, organized by Los Angeles-based photographer Nataly Lemus, through wedding blogs and Web sites.

About 20 photographers donated their services so they could add the nontraditional pictures to their portfolios. Photographer Melissa McClure of San Diego said she hopes the trend becomes more popular among brides.

Earlier sessions have seen brides riding horses, washing their cars and standing on train tracks.

The photo shoots, staged days, months or even years after the wedding, benefit both the couple and the photographer.

“You’re not stressed out to get the perfect shot of their day,” McClure said. “Brides like it because they don’t have to think about all the guests they’re ignoring.”

Cindy and Ken Yuen of Fullerton were married recently in Maui, Hawaii, and said the photos turned out beautifully but left them wanting more. This time, they didn’t stop at the sand.

The dirty, dripping brides caught the attention of beachgoers, who couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Some asked whether the brides were modeling for a magazine spread. Not everyone thought it was a good idea.

“It’s a shame,” said Barbara Mortimer, who was vacationing in Dana Point, Calif. “They’re beautiful dresses. They could donate them.”

Lemus, the organizer, pointed out that the dresses are not necessarily ruined during the photo shoots.

Dry cleaners can handle salt water and dirt on most fabrics, she said.

And some think getting some extra fun out of the dress is less wasteful than hanging it in the back of the closet, never to be seen again.

“I figured my daughter, if I have one, is not going to want to wear this dress in 30 years,” said Charlotte Milch, who wore a $530 beaded ivory dress.

Milch’s husband Michael and their mutt Awesome joined her for family photos on the rocky beach.

Not every bride wore her actual wedding dress. There’s no way newlywed Kim Mundhenk of Los Angeles was going to wear her $7,000 Monique Lhuillier designer gown to the beach.

“My mother would have killed me!” said Mundhenk, who instead trashed a $20 wedding dress she found in downtown L.A.

It rained when Dan and Wendy Holt were married at the Fullerton Arboretum three years ago.

Her $580 dress got mud on the bottom, so she figured she might as well go all the way this time.

The couple, who live in Lake Elsinore, Calif., played the Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr roles as they recreated the beach love scene in “From Here to Eternity.”

Some of the brides said all the stress of planning the perfect wedding day got washed away in the freedom of the playful photos.

Allison Blundo of Anaheim, Calif., for example, enjoyed wearing red high heels with her $800 white dress this time.

Clara Nguyen of Orange, Calif., who recently married Todd Osborn, said she just loved the message.

“You’re trashing your dress because you believe there’s no reason you’ll need it again.”