Getting back to some wedding business. I've been meaning to write this post for ages.
When I got my gown, it came in a box. Read: Wrinkled! I contacted the seller, and asked for some advice on the best way to store and maintain my gown till the wedding.
Take it out of that box and plastic bag immediately!
The plastic doesn't allow air to move, and can damage your gown. The seller was persistent about this point. Out of the plastic immediately.
Hang it up.
Make sure it is not exposed to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. I put a sheet over the window in my craft room, and hung the dress up in there. Hubby was not allowed in that room, and he doesn't like to wander in there anyways. He might get lost in the fabric hoards ;) Also, hanging it up will get quite a few of the wrinkles out, which allows for your initial dress fittings.
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| The first time my gown saw direct sunlight, an hour before the wedding. |
Before your final dress fitting- have it pressed professionally.
I called a local wedding gown shop to find out who presses all their gowns. I figured if a dry cleaner was handling a large volume of gowns, they knew what they were doing. However, the flip side of that coin is you hand over your gown, and it's just another gown to them. Where you see it as the most beautiful and expensive piece of art you've ever owned. And being 6' tall, they didn't have a rack tall enough to put the gown on without it touching the floor. That floor was not clean. I was not pleased.
I called them to get a quote and find out when I needed to drop my gown off, as I needed it for the day before my final fitting. The person I spoke with on the phone must have been new. I was told 3 days, when they really needed about 2 weeks. They then tried to charge me a rush order fee. After a period of pulling my hair out, asking nicely to speak with a manager to work out the problem, and yelling at said manager who was trying to blame the whole situation on me (yep, my one bridezilla moment), we met in the middle and they didn't charge me the whole rush fee. I mean, they had my gown, what was I supposed to do?
Lesson learned: Go in and talk to a manager. Unless it's in writing, they will get you for it later.
Store dress in a breathable cloth bag.
We picked mine up at David's Bridal for $10 or so. These are great for transportation as well.
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| Example of said bag. |
If you have a train, store your dress hanging up with the train laying out (after it's been pressed).
We put an eye hook in the ceiling of a spare bedroom, and let the train fall out onto the bed. Once again, I made sure the windows were covered. Also, make sure that eye hook is in a stud or beam. Otherwise your eye hook, with dress attached, will pull it right out of the Sheetrock. I may be speaking from experience.
This is not easy for someone in an apartment who can't dedicate a room to the dress. I understand that. Maybe have a family member or neighbor store the dress for you in the mean time? They love feeling important enough to store the gown. Our neighbors were thrilled to have it overnight before the wedding!
I would also recommend having a sticky note on the door to remind your future husband not to mindlessly wander into the room....
Stop touching it.
Depending on how early you get the dress, you want to touch it and look at it over and over. I know I did. Luckily, I had an ivory lace dress, so finger prints wouldn't easily show. But a stark white satin gown? Forget about it! Hands off. Look, but don't touch.
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