Carissa’s Wedding Gown Preservation in Canada
Bride Carissa had a few surprise “guests” at her totally awesome destination wedding at the San Francisco Zoo last summer. She trusted her gown to be cleaned and preserved by Association member DryCleaning by Dave located in Calgary (in Alberta, Canada). Read more about her wedding in our Q&A below!
When was your wedding and where did it take place?
We got married on July 21, 2013 and decided on a destination wedding at the San Francisco Zoo in San Francisco, California (we are from Calgary in Alberta, Canada).
How long did it take you to plan your wedding?
It only took us about 6 months to plan the wedding! We decided on San Francisco early on because it gave us a good honeymoon option (which consisted of a road trip from San Fran to LA and San Diego to follow the Cincinnati Reds) plus the opportunity to tour some California zoos. We are HUGE animal lovers so this was a big plus! Also, San Francisco was close enough to Calgary so that our family and friends could travel for the wedding at a reasonable cost. It was a win-win all around!
When did you know that your wedding dress was “the one”?
I ended up getting my dress at a little boutique/discount store after having a bad experience at a bridal salon in Calgary. We happened to walk a few blocks from that bridal shop and stumbled upon this store that sold floor model gowns from that very same bridal shop! I ended up getting a gown that was strapless, lace and a bit poufy at the bottom, which was the complete opposite of what I had originally pictured myself in. But once I saw the gown on me, I couldn’t let it go–it was perfect! It also helped that an aunt and friend were with me at the time and they loved it as well. I got it for a steal, but did pay a lot to have it altered.
What is your absolute favorite memory from your wedding day?
It’s so hard to choose just one favourite memory! The best moment from our wedding day was just the overwhleming love and support from our 33 guests, which consisted of close friends and family. These people have supported us through various times in our lives, and we couldn’t be more grateful and thankful to have them with us on that special day. I also loved how unique our wedding was–we had a giraffe feeding and had our wedding on the lemur boardwalk, with lemurs jumping around and making noise the whole time. It was so cool!
My husband’s favourite moment was seeing me in my wedding dress during our first look. It was so nice to have an intimate moment together before the ceremony and the photographers did a fantastic job of capturing it all.
Why did you want to get your wedding gown cleaned and preserved?
I kept thinking about what to do with it over the past year, but ultimately I decided that I would like to save it for a future daughter. That’s really important to me because I didn’t have that experience or relationship with my biological mom, so this is my way of doing things differently with my future daughter. I think passing down a wedding dress is a wonderful way to share a priceless moment with a child–you never know what unexpected turns life may bring, so if I’m not around for my daughter’s wedding, then it comforts me to know she can have something to remember me by on one of the most important days of her life.
Why did you decide to get your gown cleaned by a member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists?
First and foremost, I wanted to find a business that I could trust to take care of my wedding gown and future family heirloom. I did months of research and DryCleaning by Dave by far had the best reviews. I went in for my appointment and they were AMAZING to work with! I also had a groupon, so it was a great deal and value as well. I highly recommend them to any brides in the area looking to clean and/or preserve their wedding gown.
Photographer credit: Ella Jae Weddings