Don’t Take Your Gown Home After Your Wedding!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
No, we're not saying you should just leave your huge purchase somewhere and forget about it! Your gown is an heirloom piece you should and can keep for decades as long as you go through the right process after your wedding day to ensure that everything stays in tip top shape. Plus, you may not realize it but your dress is getting dirty at your wedding and cake icing that you cant even see (especially white cake) can stain your dress yellow! (Learned that after talking to Surendra of Oakwood last year - I listened!).
Here's what to do: Oakwood Cleaners is Nashville's most recommended (by high-end boutiques,. high end designers and bridal boutiques/specialists) for tailoring, cleaning and preserving your gown and veil. Just like you would with your cashmere sweaters and finer clothes, you want to get rid of the dirt and grime to keep your gown fresh and keep it from turning yellow over time.
Image by Lotus Blossom Photography
Not only is Oakwood Cleaners an environmentally friendly dry-cleaning company, they are also approved by the National Association of Wedding Gown Specialists so you are guaranteed top-notch results on their preservation because they specialize in wedding gowns. If you're leaving straight from your wedding night hotel to your honeymoon, just schedule a free gown pick up and Oakwood Cleaners will get your gown for you, clean it and have it ready when you're back from your trip! To give you a better idea of what they do, here is a one-on-one we had with Oakwood's Owner, Surendra Kumar about gown preservation.
You consider yourselves the Greener Cleaner. What is your cleaning process?
Our cleaning process is completely non-toxic. The cleaning process uses a solution made of silicone and it’s extremely gentle on the dress or anything we clean with it. A nice silk gown, if you clean it with something harsh, you’ll end up with something that will pull the sheen of the gown so what we use is gentle on the fabric, the trim work, the beading. We’re able to clean a gown with lots of fancy trim better than the traditional dry cleaning methods. That’s the biggest advantage to the bride because it’s gentle on the garment. It’s safe for people who are working on the gown and safe for the person wearing the gown – it doesn’t hurt them, it won't leave smells and is very gentle.
Why should brides preserve their gowns?
Preserving protects the gown from the environment and in today’s environment with chemicals and fumes and pollutants that can damage the fabric. Let’s say you get your house sprayed for bugs, they get into the air and if your gown is exposed, over a period of time the gown just comes in contact with the gown and then there’s insects that eat at the fabric so you want to protect it.
For the adventurous bride who wants to keep her gown after, preservation is the way to go! (image by Jonathon Campbell Photography)
Left, what some weddings can do to your gowns. Right, rips are mended and the mud is gone, almost brand new!
Do you preserve veils?
I just did a veil that was first worn in 1856 by the bride's grandmother and we not only cleaned it we also attached some tulle to it and made it look more modern but it really was old, beautiful lace. Unfortunately, her grandmother is very private and didn’t want pictures taken of the veil.
How are the gowns preserved?
We use a glue free plastic free box to hold the gown which will be in a muslin wrap. The way I box the gowns, if you take the muslin off, you can open the box. The lid is not sealed on the box and part of the reason we do that is 1) our preservation is museum quality and if you've noticed everything in a museum is exposed. Once you get the gown really clean, it doesn’t hurt it to be exposed to air because air will only react to stuff that is not clean but you want to protect it and you don’t want to keep it open all the time. I don’t put windows on my boxes because again I don’t like contact with plastic and glue. You’re getting into things that I try to keep away from a clean gown.
The misconception in preservation is that it’s sealed and it's not, you can still open the box to look at the gown whenever you want to. We include a pair of white gloves but taking the gown out is not recommended. The gown is packaged so no sharp folds happen. After some time the material can crack so we roll them in tissues so there are lots of rounded corners. Because it’s difficult to put it back way we packaged it please do let us know if you want to take it out, like if you want to wear it for portraits and we will repack it after. If not, you can still see the gown without taking it out and show it to people.
Bottom line - take care of your gown immediately after your reception. That way, whether you decide to sell it or give it to your daughter in 30 years, it's perfectly cleaned and preserved!
About the Author:
Ashley of Ashley's Bride Guide
Hey - I'm Ashley! I started AshleysBrideGuide.com to give Nashville brides, or folks planning a Nashville wedding, a local resource for inspiration and resources. Hope to see you at a bridal show soon! Happy Planning.
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Posted on April 7, 2011 |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories
