Rev. Angela Butts-Chester from the I Do Radio podcast recently interviewed me as the first ever dry cleaner to appear on the podcast. The show airs Saturday May 1, 2010 1pm ET. We talked about wedding gown restoration, cleaning and preservation.
Before our show air's live, take a minute to check out the I Do Radio website for lots of good wedding information!
The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, who specialize in wedding gown cleaning and preservation, meet each year in a different city where they tour a participating member’s plant, engage in round-table discussions, and learn from industry experts. Members from Village East Cleaners in Henderson, Nevada, Edwin Los and Rachel Hahnfeld will host the meeting from March 4-7, 2010.
“Last year’s meeting was full of usable information and I am looking forward to this year’s meeting,” says Kyle Matthews of Janet Davis Cleaners. “It is extremely important to stay on top of the latest trends in the bridal world and this is the place to do it.”
Featured industry speakers for the event include Jane Heflin, director of the WeddingChannel Couture Show, Ashley King Carter of AshleysBrideGuide.com, Chris Jones, author of several bridal marketing books, and Sonny Ganguly, chief marketing officer of WeddingWire.com.
During the plant tour, Dave Matthews and Kyle Matthews from Janet Davis Cleaners in Berkley, MI will perform a demonstration on cleaning couture silk wedding gowns without enduring the risks of traditional dry cleaning.
A perennial highlight of the annual meetings is an afternoon devoted to round-table discussions of topics unique to those who specialize in wedding gown cleaning, restoration, and preservation. Select association members also make presentations to the group at these meetings.
The association is a not-for-profit trade group with members located in the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America who specialize in gown cleaning and preservation. Each member honors the guarantee of every other member, which includes taking the gown out of the container and pressing it at no charge when the gown is to be worn again.
This is an Ines Di Santo wedding gown that was brought in for cleaning. There is custom bead work at the top that will melt if cleaned using traditional dry cleaning methods and the wedding gown is made of silk so it cannot be wet cleaned. In this case we would normally remove the ornamentation, clean the dress and then replace everything exactly as it came off, but that was not possible in this case. We hand cleaned every inch of this wedding dress and the results speak for themselves.
If you look very closely at the before pictures, you will notice the purple color stains and the dirt. All of the purple stains (either wine or flowers that got wet) were removed along with 90% of the dirt. The dirt along the hem that we couldn't remove is much lighter and hard to notice. Ignore the color difference in the pictures as this is due to differences in lighting.
Most bridal salons will press or steam your wedding gown, so here are some things to do once your gown comes home to help you get dressed on your big day.
1. Remove your wedding gown from the garment bag if it's plastic and hang the gown where it will be safe from children and pets. Wrap a clean cotton sheet or a piece of unbleached muslin around your dress to protect it from dust and light.
2. Make a list of everything you will need the day of the wedding, including items for emergencies. Remember that chalk is a great tool to cover any minor spots or spills without damaging your dress. If you are dressing away from home, double check the list before leaving.
3. Look over your dress and accessories a couple days before the wedding to ensure everything is ready to wear. Hang your veil near the shower to smooth any wrinkles.
4. Wear your shoes around the house and to any dance lessons you might take. This way you will be more comfortable the day of your wedding. If you are worried about your shoes being too slippery, you might rub the soles against a sidewalk or other rough surface.
5. Arrange for somebody (or two somebodies) without a fresh manicure to help you get dressed. Alternatively you can hire a professional dresser who will take responsibility for your gown all day and will ensure your bustle is always done properly.
6. Make sure you know how to properly bustle your gown before the day of your wedding and show whomever may be helping you beforehand as well. Pin five or six safety pins to the underside of your gown just in case. If your bustle loops break you'll be glad they are there.
7. (Bouns tip!) Remember to relax and enjoy every minute of your wedding day because it does go by very quickly!
Photo Credit: thenestor
The bride who wore this Sottero & Midgley Wedding Dress opted for some extreme outside pictures on the honeymoon and dirtied the hem in the process.
The first step in the cleaning process for this wedding dress consisted of a series of baths for the hemline. This eliminated most of the 'easy' to remove dirt leaving the tough spots while also being very gentle on the dress. Next, the hemline was treated by hand. Finally, any remaining spots were addressed then the wedding gown was cleaned on a gentle cycle by itself in our machine.
The results were great, the dirt was removed and there was no damage to the wedding gown.
