Eight Things To Do Before You Say “I Do”

Make getting dressed in your wedding gown, from head to toe, go smoothly on your wedding day. Most bridal shops press and stuff your wedding gown to prevent wrinkling, but here are some tips about what to do once you take your bridal gown home.

1. Take your bridal gown out of the garment bag if the bag is plastic and hang your bridal gown where it will be safe from children or pets. Wrap it in a clean sheet to protect it from light and dust.

2. Make a list of everything you will need the day of the wedding–including things for emergencies. Look here for ways to treat spills on your wedding gown the day of the wedding. If you are dressing in your wedding gown away from home, double-check your list before you leave the house.

3. Several days before the wedding, look over your wedding gown and wedding accessories and make sure everything is ready to wear. Hang your veil near the shower to smooth any wrinkles or let a Specialist help you. Visit here to read about free pressing for your wedding gown from a Specialist.

4. Wear your shoes around the house so you will be comfortable the day of the wedding. You might even rub the soles against a sidewalk or other rough surface to make them less slippery.

5. Arrange for someone (two “someones” are even better) without a fresh manicure or dark polish to help you dress in your wedding gown. Or hire a professional dresser who will take responsibility for your bridal gown all day and make sure you are dressed perfectly in a bridal gown that is not creased or wrinkled and is bustled properly.

6. Make sure you know how to bustle your wedding gown and show whoever is helping you dress how to do it, too. Pin five or six safety pins to the underside of your wedding gown. They will not show, and you will be glad they are handy if your bustle loops break.

7. Allow plenty of time to get dressed in your wedding gown. Allow even more time if it is raining.

8. Worth repeating–allow plenty of time to get dressed in your wedding gown. Allow even more time if it is raining.

9. Most important, remember to relax and enjoy every minute of your special day because your wedding day will go buy all too quickly!

Go here for more information about wedding gown care.  Look here for help with your destination wedding gown .

Top Ten Things for Preserving Your Gown

When you chose your wedding gown, you could see it was the perfect dress for you, and everyone agreed your gown was just right for you.  But after the wedding, how can you find the care that is just right for your gown so it, too, can have a happy ever-after?   

 

1. Look for someone who specializes in cleaning and preserving wedding gowns.  Most cleaners do not do their own work when it comes to wedding gowns.  They send them off to someone else, often someone else in another state.  Not good.  You want a cleaner who takes responsibility for your gown.

 

2.  Ask if the cleaner has been specially trained and if the cleaner is a member of an Association.  The last thing you need is someone who is going to practice or “learn on the job” with your beautiful gown. 

 

3.  How many years has the cleaner been in business?  The cleaner may be very well trained, but years of experience count.  The longer he or she has been in business the more likely he or she has seen a gown similar to yours and knows how to handle a gown as special as yours.

 

4.  What kind of solvent is the cleaner going to use on your gown?  A specialist knows that some solvents are more gentle than others and will use the solvent best for your gown’s fragile beading and other decorations.

 

5.  Does the cleaner handle solvents responsibly?  Some cleaners can even offer you carbon-free gown cleaning and preservation when you make a donation to a non-profit organization that provides carbon offsets and climate solutions.  See www.WeddingGownSpecialists.com/zero-carbon-weddings.htm.

 

6.  What kind of guarantee does the cleaner provide?  Today or twenty-five years from today, who is going to honor the guarantee that your gown will still be in pristine, ready-to-wear condition?

 

7.  Will completely acid-free tissue be used to buffer the folds of your gown when it is packed and will the container be completely acid-free?  Do not settle for pH-neutral materials that can re-acidify over time—especially if the gown is stored in a damp area where humidity can dissolve the neutralizer in the packing materials.

 

8.  Does the container allow the fabric to “breathe” and allow the fibers to expand and contract with changes in heat and humidity?  Shrink-wrapping can trap moisture that may cause mildew and create an electrostatic charge that sets creases which no amount of pressing can remove.

 

 9.  What precautions does the cleaner take to protect the gown during the cleaning process?  During the packing process?  Prongs, for example, around the beads on your gown can snag the fabric during the cleaning process.  When it is packed, puffy bows or flowers should be stuffed or protected with a nest of tissue.  Bust pads should also be removed because they emit off-gases that will yellow your gown.

 

10.  Is the gown going to be clean?  Will the cleaner remove all stains and “floor dirt” around the hem of the gown.?  Does the cleaner guard against latent stains?   Stains such as wine or ginger ale contain sugar and can dry clear.  Over the years the sugar in latent stains caramelizes and turns brown.  Such stains do not automatically dissolve during the cleaning process and require special care. 

 

Believe it or not, cleaning is the most important part of the preservation process so look for a cleaner who will allow you to personally inspect your gown.  And then look carefully to be sure your gown will be as lovely years from now as it was the day you wore that very special gown.