Birmingham Wedding Gown Care Blog

Protecting a Mother of the Bride Dress 14 Months Before the Wedding

QUESTION ABOUT A MOTHER OF THE BRIDE DRESS I have my mother of the bride gown but the wedding is 14 months away...what should I do to keep the gown in perfect shape with no color fading? Patricia

My Response

Patricia, my concerns about keeping your dress in shape for a wedding 14 months away are

• seam stretching,
• fading, and
• the unexpected

Here are some ideas about reducing the likelihood of finding out in 13 months that your dress has a problem.  These guidelines apply to bridesmaids dresses, wedding dresses as well as Mother of the Bride Dresses.

Seam Stretching

To reduce the likelihood of seam stretching, make use of the loops inside of the dress.  This should reduce the weight of the dress on the shoulder seams.  If there are no loops in the dress, find a way to relieve pressure from the weight of the dress by making your own loops pinned inside the dress and putting the pressure on the home-made loops rather than the seams. 

Fading

It is fine to keep your Mother-of-the Bride dress in a closet for this long before the wedding.  But as with all garments, avoid placing it in a crowded closet.  The fabric needs to breathe.

If the dress is to be in a closet with a light, protect the shoulders from fading during that 14 months.  One way of doing this is to put it in a closet that has no light coming on and going off daily over that 14 month period.  We also have garment covers which we supply with all of our dry cleaning orders that would work fine.  These are paper and cover the shoulders of the dress.

Keep the MOB dress out of direct sunlight.  Don't put it in a plastic bag or plastic garment boxes for safekeeping during this time as plastic can cause some problems.

The Unexpected:

Keep kids and pets away from your dress.  Expect the unexpected with kids and pets. 

You can provide some extra protection by covering the dress.  Take a white cotton sheet, drape it down one side of the dress and back up to the other side.  Then pin one side of the sheet to the other side of the sheet at the top of the hanger.

You could also buy a muslin garment cover of the right length instead of using the sheet.  Most fabric stores carry these.

Take care of that dress...and good luck on the wedding!

 

Get Wedding Dress Alterations from a Specialist.  From simple hems, to adding a bustle, altering the bodice to a redesign of a vintage gown.  We can do it and you can relax. Call 205.588.4120 for an appointment Learn more about our wedding dress alterations services here from Champion Wedding Gown Specialist 2548 Rocky Ridge Road Birmingham, Alabama 35243

 

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