David Whitehurst is the Owner of Champion Wedding Gown Specialist and a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist
Anytime you plan a destination wedding, be sure to consider the needs for transporting your Wedding Dress. The same holds true for your Bridesmaid Dresses as well so these tips will work for both the Bride and the Bride's Maids.
The last thing you need for your destination wedding is to arrive safe and sound...but without your Wedding Dress (or your Bridesmaid Dress). Talk about stress! So if you plan on flying to your destination wedding, I urge you to pack your Wedding Dress as a carry on item. If you don't have the right size suit case, I have high quality boxes with a handle that will fit in the airplane overhead compartments. Anytime you plan on transporting a bridal gown on a plane, plan ahead and avoid a disaster.
Yes, this will cause wrinkles that will need help. But with airlines today, there is really not an alternative if you want to carry your Wedding Dress on the plane. The airlines won't allow you to carry on a full-size "hang-up" bag like they used to (even if your gown could comfortably fit in one).
If your wedding gown is going to be boxed for just a few hours, you may find that 15 to 30 minutes of steam in a closed bath room will release many of the wrinkles and save you some money. You could also take a hand steamer with you...but be careful...don't get a silk gown wet. And sometimes the hotels in a popular destination wedding location may have the capability to help with this. Just keep an eye on your gown.
But if these alternatives aren't available or don't work and if the wrinkles are persistent, take your gown to a qualified wedding gown specialist once you arrive. Make the arrangements with the wedding gown specialist before you arrive and be sure the specialist knows when you need your gown back.
If you are driving to the destination wedding site or if you drive to a cruise ship to go to your wedding, you can carry your wedding dress with you. Layer it between two cotton sheets pinned on the edges and lay the gown across the luggage or in a back seat...wherever there is room. Cruise ships usually have the ability to help with wrinkles in your gown...but I wouldn't depend on the cruise ship for a proper cleaning. There is a big difference between cleaning a wedding gown and cleaning towels and sheets. The cruise liners do a great job with cleaning linens!
Let me know if you have any questions about this. You may call me at 205.902.1093 (my cell phone) or reply to this post. You may also reach me at
david@ChampionWeddingGownSpecialist.com
www.ChampionWeddingGownSpecialist.com
I'd love to hear from you.
(C) 2009 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved
David Whitehurst is the Owner of Champion Wedding Gown Specialist and a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist
As a specialist in wedding gown cleaning and preservation, I was recently asked by a very nice Bride-To-Be from Mountain Brook, Alabama about restoring a wedding gown worn by her grandmother in the 1960's so she could wear it in her wedding. Since she lived near my store, I was able to take a look at her vintage wedding gown. It is a traditional wedding dress, and she told me her story of how the gown had been passed down and worn by different family members. Her Mother and an Aunt had both worn the gown and she was considering this as an option as well. This wedding dress had been cleaned over the years, but probably not the last time it was worn.
The wedding dress had yellowed a bit and had been hanging in a closet. As a result, the seams had stretched but not beyond repair. I believe we can restore the gown to close to the original color. And a little time by our dressmaker (who happens to be an expert with wedding dress alterations here in the Birmingham, Alabama area), we can get the seams back to where they should be and make a few changes for a better fit and style for this Bride.
The seams had stretched because the gown was hanging in a closet for a couple of decades. This is why I recommend all gowns be cleaned and preserved and placed in an acid-free preservation chest. The seams will not stretch and the wedding dress should not yellow when it's properly cleaned and preserved in a museum-quality preservation chest.
The yellowing of the wedding dress is the result of exposure to the elements, such as plastic that emits a fume that can cause yellowing. Even metal hangers kept near the gown when hanging in a closet can cause yellowing. However, qualified and knowledgeable wedding gown specialists can often get the yellowing out of a vintage gown like this.
Please let me know if you have any questions about your wedding dress, whether you live in the Birmingham, Alabama area or not. You can reach me at 205.902.1093, or...
david@ChampionWeddingGownSpecialist.com.
www.ChampionWeddingGownSpecialist.com
You should always get your wedding dress cleaned and preserved...because you never know who might wear it next!
(C) 2009 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved
David Whitehurst is the Owner of Champion Wedding Gown Specialist and a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist
I was recently asked about how quickly a Bride-To-Be from Pelham, Alabama could get wedding dress alterations completed. She said she was working with a personal trainer and buffing up for the big occasion and she didn't want to have her wedding dress fitted until a month or less before the wedding.
While it obviously depends on the extent of alterations required on the wedding gown, we can complete routine hem and sleeve wedding dress alterations in a couple of days...and more extensive alterations in a week or two, depending on how available the Bride is for fitting sessions. In other words, we will do whatever you need in order to meet your needs. And we can handle last minute jobs... and we'll do it with a smile :)
Our wedding dress alterations specialist is a dress maker with many years of experience with all types of gowns and dresses, including wedding gowns and brides maids' dresses. She can handle the needs of the entire wedding party
And by the way, we'll handle wedding dress alterations like this for Brides in Vestavia, Mountain Brook, Homewood, Hoover, Chelsea, Calera...or Pelham, Alabama because we're convenient to all of these areas in the Birmingham, Alabama area. Along with wedding dress dry cleaning and wedding dress preservation and restoration, we can handle most any requirements for maintaining and altering your wedding gown.
(C) 2009 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved
David Whitehurst is the Owner of Champion Wedding Gown Specialist and a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist
Every dress has a limited useful life. Clothes will wear out over time with continued use. But a wedding gown that is worn infrequently and is cared for properly can last a lifetime. And when preserved using museum-style methods, wedding gowns can last even longer.
Whether you clean and store your wedding gown yourself, you have a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist preserve your wedding gown, or you take it to the neighborhood dry cleaners, there are two silent killers of your wedding gown. These killers are heat and humidity. If you have any hope of keeping your wedding gown, you must avoid exposing your gown to heat and humidity. Even a properly dry cleaned and preserved wedding gown will not last when exposed to excessive heat and humidity.
The Consequences
Heat will cause discoloration and deterioration of the fabric. Moisture will cause discoloration in the form of mildew and related problems. These are the silent killers of wedding gowns being held for that next generation of bride. Successful wedding gown preservation requires control of the environment, especially heat and humidity.
What's A Bride To Do?
This means you should select the right place to store your gown. Here are some pointers in selecting just the right place to store your gown:
- Avoid storing your gown in the attic where heat and humidity make a living
- Avoid the unfinished basement where humidity thrives and moisture can find your gown (like from a water leak)
- Avoid storing your gown directly beneath a bathroom in case of a water leak
- Avoid storing the gown on the floor of a closet (you never know who or what might get into the wedding gown...plus water leaks can damage your gown)
- The ideal place to store you gown is a closet that is not overloaded. Your gown needs air. It needs protection from kids and pets...and heat and humidity.
In the hot and humid Birmingham, Alabama area, humidity can be a huge problem. Just be extra cautious about trapping your gown with other items that will not allow air to get to your gown. This is true for both gowns being preserved on a hanger and for those preserved is an acid-free preservation box. Don't pile clothes, linens or other items on and next to the wedding gown so it will not get a good circulation of air. Keep a distance of six to twelve inches of space around your gown. A good quality preservation box will allow air to pass through to the gown.
A museum quality preservation box designed for use by qualified wedding gown dry cleaner is a great way to store your wedding gown in the least amount of space required.
And NEVER place your precious wedding gown in an air-tight plastic container. The vacuum sealed plastic bag gizmos you see on TV infomercials may the worst choice possible for storing your wedding gown.
Call us at 205.588.4120 to learn more about wedding gown storage.
(C) 2009 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved
David Whitehurst is the Owner of Champion Wedding Gown Specialist and a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist
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Are your aware of the many problems that can arise with your wedding gown, both before and after your wedding? While wedding gown cleaning and preservation by a certified wedding gown specialist is absolutely essential for the long-term protection of your wedding gown, there are many things YOU can do to protect your wedding gown. Even a simple wedding dress needs your attention.
The three culprits that can cause many of the problems with the long-term protection of your wedding gown that you need to keep in mind include:
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Kids
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Pets
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Heat and Humidity
OK...so that's four...but I'll talk about heat and humidity in the same context.
Watch Out for the Kids
First, kids don't always know the significance of a wedding gown to the bride. This is always a concern both before and after the wedding. Of course, the little girls want to preen while imitating the big girls. So they may "try on" your gown just to feel like a big girl. Greasy hands, dirt, ice cream or just innocent oils from her hands can do a job on your gown. Guard against this.
And for the little boys and girls, they might just want to hide from their friends when playing inside. The bottom line here ladies...put your gown away so it's not attracting the kids. Don't let let your gown become an "attractive nuisance" to any youngsters exploring your home. Messy hands, noses, hair...and maybe some body parts I haven't thought of...can all cause problems for your gown. The last thing you need is to get your gown out to take it to your wedding site just to learn that little Billy ate some chocolate ice cream while hiding behind your bridal gown stored in the closet.
Plastic Can Help...But Only For So Long
If your wedding gown is in your possession for a couple of months before your wedding, it's OK to keep it in the plastic bag you might have received from your gown shop or the wedding gown dry cleaning specialist. But even two months is pushing it a little because plastic emits fumes that can cause a gown to discolor. Don't leave it in plastic for much longer than a couple of months. But your wedding gown needs protection, both before and after the wedding.
And What About Pets?
There have been problems with bridal gowns from pets on more than one occasion. Once, a frantic bride brought a gown in when she found out that she had locked her pet cat in the closet with her gown. It's amazing what a cat's claws can do to a wedding gown in just a short period of time. A couple of hours with a seamstress who is qualified to handle wedding gown alterations can work wonders with a scratched and clawed wedding gown. And while not perfect, I'm betting that no one noticed...but the bride.
I know of another case where a bride had her bridal gown dry cleaned after the wedding and was storing it in a closet. The cat got in, had her litter of kittens overnight, and made a mess out of her gown.
The bottom line here is to protect your gown...before and after the wedding. I believe the best way to protect your gown after your wedding is by dry cleaning and preserving by properly boxing your gown using the right materials...including acid-free "treasure chest" and tissue are essential. Hanging your gown in a closet for a long time will result in seam streatching and leaves your gown exposed to other risks...like kids and pets.
Coincidentally, I can help you with proper wedding gown preservation methods! We are a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist.
I'll give you the low down on HEAT and HUMIDITY in the next post! |
(C) 2009 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved