Tip 2: Garment Bags. Garment
bags are almost never full enough to protect your gown without flattening the
skirt. When you take your gown home from
the bridal shop, remove at least the skirt portion from the bag so that it can
open fully. If you remove the gown
completely, be sure to hang it somewhere it will be safe from children and
pets. You can also wrap your wedding
gown in a clean sheet or freshly-washed muslin to protect it from light and
dust. If the skirt of your gown is very
full, two fitted sheets pinned together are even easier to manage.
Tip 3: Travel Tips. If you are
traveling by car with your gown, it may be best to leave it in the garment bag
provided by the bridal shop until you reach your destination and can touch it
up. If you are traveling by air, the
airline will almost certainly insist you stuff the garment bag into the overhead
space. You can do that and hope no one
puts another bag on top of it or you can pack it so that is protected. If you carry your gown in a suitcase, you may
have to check it and risk losing it when you change planes. Better yet, try our recyclable green DestinationWedding Kit. You can carry your gown with you through
security, and it never leaves your sight.
The kit comes with instructions for packing and easily fits in the
overhead above your seat. Bonus: also comes with a stain stick (safe for silk)
for wedding-day emergencies.
Tip 4: DYI Pressing. If you
decide to lightly press your gown, make sure the iron is set to the temperature
that is right for the fabric. Most
steamers spit drops of water so if you use a steamer (hand steamers are great
if you are a destination bride), be sure to cover the head of the steamer with
a towel or washcloth to absorb the water.
Tip 5: Wedding Day Emergency. Most
emergencies the day of the wedding can be managed with a needle, thread, and
safety pins. Scissors are also
useful. If nothing else, put some safety
pins in the lining at the bottom of your gown so they will be handy if your
bustle breaks.
Tip 6: Stains. Learn the basics
about stains. There are three kinds of
stains. Wet stains such as coffee, tea,
and wine will dissolve in water. Dry
stains such as lipstick and grease require a “dry” solvent to dissolve the oily
content. The third kind of stain is
“complex” because it is composed of both wet and dry elements--think gravy or
salad dressing. But remember, silk
or not? Almost anything you use
to try and remove stains from silk will leave a ring. If you try a Tide stain stick,
be sure to test its effect on an inside seam before using it on your gown. For silk gowns, it may be best, especially
with greasy stains, to mask the stain with chalk, baby powder or cornstarch,
which absorbs grease and does not damage the finish. If you gown is not silk, you can use a wet
washcloth on coffee, tea, or wine spills.
For lipstick and grease, cigarette lighter fluid or other dry solvent
will work. You can find suggestions for
treating spills here.
Tip 7: After
the Wedding. The longer you leave your gown unclean, the less likely
all of the stains can be removed when you do take it to be cleaned. Don’t wait for your husband or your mother to
complain the gown takes up too much room.
Contact a Wedding Gown
Specialist and ask lots of questions about where and how your gown will be
cleaned. And be sure to ask, today or
twenty-five years from today, who will honor the guarantee that your gown will
not yellow!
As always, we at Shores are here for you if the job
is too big or the stain is too large or if you need your gown
preserved.
Thanks for sharing...58eveningdress.
ReplyDelete