Your Dress Will Get Dirty During Portraits + Your Wedding! Expert Tips to Minimize Damage
Thursday, June 14, 2012
I didn’t take bridal portraits and my ceremony and reception were both indoors, but I can relate to the anxiety of dirtying a precious wedding gown. When my husband chose braised short ribs as an entrée for our wedding, the thought of barbeque sauce and Vera Wang lace being in the same room together sent me into a tizzy.
For months I fretted over the possibility that a condiment would ruin my treasured dress and my wedding day in one fail swoop. I had vivid nightmares in which my then fiancé and our 150+ guests gnawed sticky meat from grey pork bones, chucking them at my dress! (I was not what anyone would consider a laid-back bride; I OBSESSED over everything!) BUT BBQ nightmares aside, my wedding day came, no one threw ribs at me (not even my drunk Uncle!), and the last thing on my mind was ruining my dress… I was too busy dancing barefoot, posing for pictures with old friends, and blissfully enjoying my brand new husband (and copious amounts of champagne!).
For brides who fret over keeping a gown clean through outdoor portraits, ceremonies and receptions, we turned to gown care expert, Rhonda of Oakwood Cleaners, for tips and tricks of the trade to put your dirt-stressed minds at ease!
Photo: JHenderson Studios
Bridal Portrait Tips
ABG: How can a bride keep her dress clean during bridal portraits so that it will look pristine for her wedding afterwards?
Rhonda: Always make sure your hands are clean and any excess make-up is blotted away around areas that touch the dress. A tip for keeping the hem clean is to cut a hole in the middle of a large flat sheet. Once the hole is cut step into it like a skirt/slip, then with clean hands put your dress on over the sheet. Make sure the sheet is large enough that it will protect the gown where it touches the ground. Use the edges of the sheet to pick the dress up off the ground when you move from place to place and then reposition it where necessary for the next pose. You might want to have a friend or mom with you to help with the sheet.
Highly recommended: a sheet to cover the ground. It minimizes your dresses contact with the grass.
ABG: Are there any beauty items a bride should avoid during portraits that may stain her dress?
Rhonda: Heavy body make-up, self tanning spray or lotion, nail polish and hair products. Never use hairspray or styling products after you have put your dress on; the oils in these products can cause discoloration on the fine fabric of your wedding gown. Try to blot heavy body make-up or tanning products where it will come in contact with your dress. It is inevitable that the underside of your dress might pick up some self tanner or make-up along the top of the bodice, but this will not show though. Please try to keep from putting anything on the entire area under your arms as this will rub off on the sides of your dress and might permanently stain it.
ABG: What items should a bride bring with her to ensure that her dress stays clean throughout the portrait photo shoot?
Rhonda: The sheet is the most important item especially for an outdoor shoot. If it looks like rain then you might want to have some plastic drop cloths or runners so you can cover some of the ground around the area. For quick touch ups? We do not suggest using any products to touch up stains on your dress as they can cause more harm than good.
Outdoor Wedding Tips
ABG: What dress damage do you most commonly see after an outdoor wedding?
Rhonda: We mostly see holes in the underneath of the train or torn hemlines, ragged edges, etc. There can also be grass stains, mud stains, twigs stuck in between layers or in the lace. With destination weddings that were on the beach we get dresses back with sand along with the normal stress on the hemline and train from rocks, shells, etc.
ABG: What are ways a bride can minimize permanent damage during an outdoor wedding?
Rhonda: A large runner to guard against dress damage during the procession would help. It would also be ideal to bustle the bride’s dress immediately after the ceremony. If a bride is especially concerned, a tea length gown would eliminate most damage, but not every bride wants to forgo a train or long skirt.
Photos: Betsy Limbaugh Photography
ABG: What should brides avoid coming into contact with her gown if she is concerned about permanent staining?
Rhonda: Red wine is an infamous staining beverage. Again, always have clean hands and try to avoid letting everyone touch your dress as they are gazing at your beauty! The dress is going to touch the ground in most cases, and we have talked about what you can do for that. Try to keep from leaning on surfaces that are rough or dirty. Think about if it was freshly painted, because even though the paint might feel dry to the touch, it could still have damp areas that could transfer to your dress. Depending on your location, there could be rough wood or rusty items around that should be avaoided. And again, never put your dress on before you style your hair or have a manicure and on that note, have your manicure done hours before having to put your dress on. Nail polish is not a friendly stain.
ABG: If a bride’s gown does come into contact with an item that leaves a mark, what products do you recommend for a quick touch up?
Rhonda: We recommend that you do nothing. Many products, while appearing to remove a stain, might actually be causing a more damage. Spotting a gown could cause the stain to bleed into surrounding areas or leave a ring where the stain was. It is always best to get your gown to the dry cleaner of choice and have them professionally work on the gown. We do see gowns come in after portraits for cleaning. Most people think we can spot clean them, but again, rather than leave rings in the fabric we suggest cleaning the entire gown.
ABG: What types of fabrics are hardest to keep clean?
Rhonda: Silk is the most delicate fabric and hardest to clean. Lace is also difficult especially when it has raised piping.
Photos: JHenderson Studios
About the Author:
send
Posted on June 14, 2012 |
Filed under: Advice & Planning, Attire - Bridal Gowns, Wedding Dresses & Accessories
