A Bride from Hoover, Alabama contacted me this week asking if it would be best to steam/press her wedding dress prior to leaving for her destination wedding...or should she wait until she arrives at the wedding site to do this.
I asked her two questions. First, how was she traveling? If you travel by plane and the dress must be placed in a carry-on size bag, there is probably no benefit to steaming out the wrinkles before the trip. But if you travel by car, train or even boat (like on a cruise), it may benefit you to steam or press it before the trip. It's usually easier to transport a wedding dress without adding to the wrinkles when traveling by car, train or cruise ship.
The second question I asked was how wrinkled was the dress? If it has really bad wrinkles, you need to know how bad the wrinkles are...and where they are. If the dress is a used wedding dress, like a second generation wedding dress, and has been stored in some type of container but not properly cushioned at the folds, you could find your gown has permanent creases. You want to know about the extent of permanent creases before you travel to your destination. You want to make sure
One other tip. If you plan on having your wedding dress pressed or steamed at your destination, try to find the wedding gown specialist at your wedding site before your wedding. Even if you don't plan on using someone at your destination, you never know what might happen.
(C) 2009 - 2010 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved
One of the challenges for a destination wedding is making sure the wedding gown arrives safe and sound. I was recently asked about what's the best way to protect the beading on a wedding gown when packed in a suitcase.
First of all, I strongly recommend that you carry your wedding dress on the plane with you if you are traveling by air. To carry on the dress, the suitcase you are using must fit in the overhead compartment so be sure to size the suitcase before your flight. If you decide not to carry on your wedding dress, you need to have Plan B ready...what will you do if your luggage does not arrive at the wedding site with you?
A suitcase will work fine to transport a wedding dress. We even offer "carryon" boxes with handles that will work fine...both going to the wedding and returning. You can get these at our shop in Birmingham.
You will want to carefully pack the gown, cushioning each fold with plain white tissue paper. This will help prevent heavy creases that can result when packing the wedding gown in a suitcase. I also recommend waiting until close to leaving to pack the gown. The less time the gown spends packed in the suitcase, the better.
Watch out for the beads on your wedding dress...make sure they don't get caught in the the lid of the suitcase when you close it.
When you arrive at your destination, unpack your gown immediately so the wrinkles will begin to fall out. You most likely will require a wedding gown specialist to steam and/or press the wrinkles out of the gown...so be sure to plan for this after your arrival at your destination. You can always try the steam in the bathroom approach to getting wrinkles out but if that doesn't work, a wedding gown specialist is your best bet.
For a beaded gown, the best way to protect the beads is to place the gown in a cotton or muslin garment bag. If you don't have one, you can always wrap it in a white sheet. These don't take up much space but will help reduce the stress of beading rubbing against the side of the suitcase. Pack it carefully and you AND your wedding dress should arrive in good shape.
We stock muslin garment bags and "carry on" size cases at our shop in Birmingham.
(C) 2009 - 2010 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved
"How long will it take to do my Wedding Dress alterations?"
We get questions all the time asking about the time it takes us to complete Wedding Dress alterations at our gown care shop in Birmingham, Alabama. The same questions also come to us about Bridesmaids Dresses, Mother of the Bride Dresses, Maid of Honor Gowns and Prom Gowns. These questions are often in the form of e-mails and phone calls.
And the answer is......
...we need to see the dress first and then we can answer this question.
But let me try to explain the factors that enter into the answer to this question.
There are many different needs when altering and fitting a wedding dress. The actual amount of time it takes to do the alteration typically depends on three primary factors:
- the style of the wedding dress,
- the complexity of the desired alteration, and
- the backlog of work to be done by the wedding dress alterations specialist
Style of the Wedding Dress
A heavily beaded gown will require more time for an alteration affecting the beaded area than a simple wedding dress. Beads must be handled with care to make sure the gown keeps its look when altering an area of the gown involving beads and other adornments.
Hemming sleeves with buttons and beads require more time than sleeves without buttons or beads.
A wedding dress with multiple layers will likewise require more time for a hem or bodice alteration than a simple wedding gown. We must hem each layer when hemming a wedding dress...and the more layers, the more time it takes for the alteration. The number of layers and the structure of the wedding gown will also impact the job of replacing a wedding dress zipper.
Complexity of the Alterations
It often takes less time to hem a bridal gown than to take it in or let it out. Removing straps in a wedding dress can be simple, but if combined with a bodice alteration...and it often is, the process can become more complicated and more time consuming.
Adding a bustle might be simple. But again this depends on the complexity of the gown, especially the number of layers and type of fabric. Beading can also affect a bustle. When adding a bustle, I recommend adding more than one, even on a simple wedding dress. If the Bride steps on the hem or sits the wrong way, a single bustle can break...so always add more than one. Add even more when the train is heavy and extra long.
How Many Fittings?
One other common factor that can affect the time it takes to do bridal gown alterations is the number of fittings required to make sure your wedding dress fits perfectly. Again, a hem on a gown without extra layers or beading should take fewer fittings while changes to the design or taking in or letting out the bodice typically requires more.
As I've said in my previous wedding gown blog posts, the best solution is to purchase a wedding gown that most nearly fits you. But our commitment to our Brides is that we'll do whatever it takes to get your wedding gown alterations in Birmingham done right and on your schedule. All I suggest is to make arrangements ahead of time and meet with with your alterations specialist. Let her see the wedding gown to get a good idea of the complexity of the wedding gown and the required wedding gown alterations.
Backlog
A person can get only 8 hours of work done in 8 hours. But an experienced seamstress has fewer "start-overs" and can get more done than a less experienced seamstress. However, a major issue for completing wedding dress alterations is to make an appointment with your wedding gown specialist and keep the appointment...and all subsequent fitting appointments That will help insure timely completion of your wedding dress alterations
Experience Counts
One last bit of advice is to make sure your seamstress is qualified and experienced with wedding gown alterations. For successful wedding dress alterations, experience is critical. A seamstress or even a tailor who spends all of their time hemming pants and sleeves...or even making men's suits... might not be able to handle a wedding gown correctly.
My suggestion is to make sure your wedding gown specialist is a qualified dressmaker and has years of experience with wedding dress alterations. This will reduce the number of fittings required and get your wedding dress alterations completed on schedule. And you'll stand a better chance of getting it done correctly when your wedding gown specialist is qualified.
(C) 2009 - 2010 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved
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 - 2010 Champion Wedding Gown Specialist. All Rights Reserved