Lynn’s Wedding Gown Preservation in Minnesota
Bride Lynn and her husband decided to elope on the beautiful island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands this past Spring. They will have their ceremony this month back in Minnesota to celebrate with the rest of their friends and family. Read more about her ceremony and fabulous flapper wedding dress in our Q&A below!
When was your wedding and where did it take place?
We had our ceremony on April 19, 2014 in St. Croix (on the beach!) and will have our reception in Minneapolis on July 19, 2014.
How long was your engagement?
We were engaged on July 4, 2013. We began planning the wedding in October and then became extremely overwhelmed. Since this was a second marriage for us both, we knew we wanted to stay away from anything resembling a traditional wedding. We then went into standby mode until I woke up one morning and said “Elopement!”. We began researching locations in January of this year.
Tell us more about your fabulous wedding dress!
My gown is a 1920’s replica flapper dress! I’m not sure who the designer is because unfortunately the tag fell off, but I purchased the gown at Andrea’s Vintage Bridal in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
When did you know that your wedding dress was “the one”?
My mom, sister and best friend came with me to the bridal shop to try on dresses. I had tried on 3 dresses before this flapper one and none of those wowed us. But when I put this dress on and exited the dressing room, we all held our breath then exhaled excitedly–this felt like the one! I ended up trying on 2 more dresses after this one, but nothing else could compare. I loved how the gown fit my body so perfectly and conveyed an air of elegance without being too bridal–the perfect choice for a second wedding!
What is your absolute favorite memory from your wedding day?
I have two favorite memories from that day! The first is my 24-year-old son calling the morning of the wedding to express his congratulations and his joy over gaining an amazing stepfather. His call truly left me speechless–he did this all on his own with no prompting from me! My other favorite memory from the day was standing with my husband and officiant Marie Elise, and reading our personally written vows to each other. Those moments left us both teary-eyed and are memories that will stay with me for the rest of my days.
Why did you want to get your gown cleaned and preserved?
I needed to get my precious gown cleaned after our ceremony in St. Croix so that it would be fresh for our upcoming reception in Minneapolis. After our reception, I will have it cleaned (again) and preserved because it is an amazing dress which deserves to be treated with the utmost care. Also, my mom was married in 1956 and two others borrowed her gown afterwards. Unfortunately it was never given a professional cleaning. When my mom brought it out a few months ago, she was saddened at how it had deteriorated. That affirmed for me how critical it was to care for this most precious of garments.
Why did you decide to get your gown cleaned by a member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists?
I actually didn’t even realize that Wedding Gown Care Specialist in New Hope, Minnesota was part of this Association–but I was so pleased to hear so! I found them through some research on Yelp by typing in “best cleaners of wedding dresses” in my area. The ratings that Wedding Gown Care Specialist received were wonderful and that is when I knew that I’d be bringing my beloved wedding gown to the best dry cleaners in the Twin Cities.
Photography Credit: Lindsay Kammerzelt Photography