Birmingham Wedding Gown Care Blog

Preparing a Used Wedding Dress for Your Wedding

Wearing a used or vintage wedding gown is a great way to save money and add some personality and style to your wedding.  It's also a great way to "recycle" and have a "green" aspect to your wedding. Once you find the perfect gown for your wedding day, what do you do next?

Here are three steps for brides who purchase previously worn wedding dresses to make sure their dress is ready for the ceremony.  When you buy new dresses, dress shops usually take care of some of these steps for you.  This is not the case with most consignment shops and other sources for used wedding dresses.

Fitting and Redesign of Your Wedding Dress
The first step is to set up an appointment for a fitting and gown evaluation. Do this as soon as possible after purchasing your dress so your wedding gown alterations are finished in time for your wedding. A qualified wedding gown dressmaker will make the right wedding gown alterations so your second-hand gown looks like it was made just for you. An experienced dressmaker can also help you redesign parts of your dress if desired.

Clean and Press Your Dress
Prepare your fitted dress for the wedding.  A wedding gown specialist can clean and press your dress. Vintage dresses may also require cleaning and pressing to restore them as close to their original luster as possible. Previously worn dresses will often need attention to fix buttons, zippers or other closures or special hems, lace and beading.

I suggest you find a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist(TM) to help you with all of these needs.  Here is a link to the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists to help you find someone in your area who is qualified to help you.

Arrangements for Cleaning and Preserving Your Wedding Dress After Your Wedding
Before your wedding is also good time to set up arrangements to clean and preserve your wedding gown after your ceremony. I find many brides who forget this important step and leave their gowns to sit for a year or two before arranging to care for their dress. If you wait too long, stains could set in making them difficult to remove or the fabric could begin to fade.

This is important if you plan to save your wedding gown to give to your daughter one day or even if you decide to sell your wedding gown following your wedding.  No one wants to buy a dirty wedding gown.

You made a great choice to wear a previously worn or vintage wedding gown. Now, take the right steps for preparing your wedding dress for your wedding day, including cleaning, pressing and alterations.  

Need Help With A Pre-Owned Wedding Dress in Birmigham? Alterations | Cleaning | Pressing | Preservation | Restoration Champion Wedding Gown Specialist 2548 Rocky Ridge Road, Birmingham, AL 35243 205.588.4120

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