For a bride, this is the day she has dreamed about her entire life. She wants to preserve the memories that are made today for posterity, and that includes preserving her wedding dress. To make sure that the dress is preserved in its best possible condition, take the following tips into consideration:
Lesson #1: Make the Right Choice
The fabric that you choose has a great deal to do with the gown being able to survive the wedding and especially the reception relatively unscathed. Natural fabrics like silk are especially stain-prone, and even droplets of water can create discoloration. If you are having an outdoor wedding or expect to get a bit rambunctious at the reception, a polyester blend might be a better choice.
Lesson #2: Pre-Wedding Storage
Garment bags are not your friend. While they are necessary to transport your gown from its point of purchase to your home, allowing your gown to remain in the garment bag until the wedding day is a bad idea. Instead, use a couple of fitted sheets pinned together to store it. The gown, once covered completely, should be hung in a closet that is off-limits to children and pets. Make sure that there are no lingering odors from mothballs, smoke or other clothing. Hanging a few lavender or lemon verbena sachets in the closet is a good way to keep it smelling fresh.
Lesson #3: Pressing Matters
No matter how carefully you store and transport your gown, it is likely that you will need to iron out a few wrinkles prior to the ceremony. Some fabrics cannot withstand the heat of even the lowest iron setting, so a steamer covered with a layer of toweling can be a helpful substitute.
Lesson #4: Prepare for Emergencies
Ask your maid of honor or mother to prepare an emergency repair/stain removal kit to have readily available for Your Big Day. The kit should include the following items:
- Small sewing kit with needle, thread, safety pins and two-sided fabric tape
- Baby powder with cornstarch and two all-white cotton cloths
- Baby wipes
- Dry shampoo
- Spritzer bottle of equal parts water and vodka to remove odors caused by nervous perspiration
- Stain stick and a white cover-up like chalk, which absorbs and masks greasy stains
- Club soda and lemon juice
Keep the kit close at hand in a decorated basket so it blends in to its surroundings, yet is readily available for your maid of honor to grab as you’re whisked away for some quick damage control.
Lesson #5: Don’t Wait Too Late
The longer stains sit on the fabric of your gown post-reception, the harder they are to remove. As soon as you step out of your dress, it should be packed immediately for cleaning and preservation. This is another job for your trusty maid of honor to handle so you can take off, worry-free, for your honeymoon, secure in the knowledge that your beautiful wedding gown will be properly cleaned and preserved and shipped back to you in its specially designed preservation box.
The best part is that the process is pre-arranged, so as soon as you slip out of your gown, it is packed in its pre-paid Wedding Gown Preservation Kit and dropped off at Fed-Ex by a responsible family member or member of your wedding party. Pick-up can also be scheduled for added peace of mind. No more than six weeks later, it’s returned to you at the address you specify in its beautiful display case with a guarantee of 100 years. There is no need to give it another thought. Let the experienced and trusted professionals do what they do best — preserve precious memories.
Photo credit: Wedding Dress – Factory Outlet / Foter / CC BY
