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What to Do

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love4greys Posts : 396 Registered: 1/22/07
What to Do
Posted: Jun 7, 2008 11:43 PM

Ok ladies,

 The wedding is over.  Now what do I do with my wedding dress?  I don't think I want to sell it or give it away.  I would like to keep it in case I have a daughter that would like to wear it someday.  Is that silly?  What did you do with your dresses?

may_2008
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Abc12345678 Posts : 272 Registered: 2/25/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 8, 2008 12:04 AM Go to message in response to: love4greys

1

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futuremrsperry Posts : 1,906 Registered: 4/23/06
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 10, 2008 1:32 PM Go to message in response to: love4greys

I could not part with my dress.  I had my preserved.  It is in a closet at my parents house.  

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Beachwed Posts : 782 Registered: 9/19/06
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 10, 2008 1:35 PM Go to message in response to: love4greys

I know some people think it's silly to hang onto the dress, but I am keeping it. My mother kept hers, my grandmother kept hers, and it was so neat to have them show us those dresses and I know my grandmother let my mom use part of the fabric from hers for my mom's dress.

I did have mine preserved, no horror stories with me. I knew of a very reputable dry cleaning place that preserved dresses all the time, so I trusted them. 

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MrsMcDAtLast Posts : 860 Registered: 1/1/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 11, 2008 4:15 PM Go to message in response to: love4greys

Mine is still hanging in my closet, but I will be having mine preserved. I, too, would love for a daughter to wear it one day, or if she's not interested in wearing it, letting her use some of its material, or whatever. It's pretty common to preserve one's wedding dress. :)

 

Michelle and Larry

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love4greys Posts : 396 Registered: 1/22/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 11, 2008 6:22 PM Go to message in response to: MrsMcDAtLast

Thanks for all the replies.  I have decided to have it preserved.  I just can't part with it!  Now I just need to find someone who does it. 

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MrsDupont Posts : 1,574 Registered: 4/14/06
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 12, 2008 2:33 PM Go to message in response to: love4greys

I was thinking about perseving mine... I wont dare sell my dress... I'm sorry 1. I can't spend $700 on  a dress i wore on the most important day of my life to turn around and sell it.  2. I want to save it for my daughter when its her turn if she likes it she can use it or make modifications... if not maybe i'll be buried in it!


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MrsC Posts : 385 Registered: 4/7/06
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 17, 2008 2:52 PM Go to message in response to: love4greys

I sold my dress to a bride who could not afford it off the shelf.  It made me happy that she got the dress of her dreams, too. Laughing

Happily married since 8.18.06!

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ArtBride Posts : 4,841 Registered: 5/9/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 23, 2008 3:06 PM Go to message in response to: love4greys

Mine has been sitting in its bag, hung over the top of our bedroom door for 2 months. I tried to hang in in my closet, but the bar wasn't high enough. I really have to come up with something to do with it, because it's kind of in the way and it's ridiculous to still have it out. I finally put the veil in the bag with the dress, though. For the first month, it was drapped over the door on TOP of the dress bag.

So I'm really no help. :)

My mom keeps telling me to get it preserved, but I don't have anywhere to store it (hence the reason it's still hanging over the door, where I left it the day after our wedding). My mom would probably store it at her house for me if I could get it there, but I can't imagine how expensive it would be to mail it...and I'm not taking it on a plane...and the soonest we might DRIVE home is Xmas. Even then, I don't know whether we'll have space for the dress in the car, since it takes up so much friggin' room!

Anyway, I don't want to get rid of it. Realistically, I don't really want to keep it for my daughter, since #1 - I don't have a daughter, #2 - I might not ever have a daughter, #3 - If I DO have a daughter, there's no saying whether she'll even LIKE my gown, and I would want my daughter to have a dress that she loves. So it seems silly to keep it for my non-existant daughter who might not even like it...but I don't want to get rid of it.

Personally, I kind of like the idea of using some of the material from it to make a christianing gown....though if I did that, I don't know what I'd do with the REST of it! And then I'd hate myself if my daughter someday looked at our wedding photos and said, 'Why on earth did you cut up your gown? I would have loved to wear it to my wedding, and I don't even REMEMBER my christianing gown!' LOL...there's really no way to win!


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MsDenuninani Posts : 3,963 Registered: 3/16/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 23, 2008 3:23 PM Go to message in response to: ArtBride

So what happens to a dress when it is "preserved"? What does that mean? I've had my dress cleaned, but not "preserved."

Anyone know?

__________________________________________
"I'm asking you to believe.  Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. . .I'm asking you to believe in yours." - Barack Obama

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Beachwed Posts : 782 Registered: 9/19/06
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 23, 2008 3:30 PM Go to message in response to: MsDenuninani

I asked to get it preserved at the dry cleaners, and I think all the did was clean it and then put it into an airtight box. The box has a "window" and so you can open up the top layer of the box and still see the detailing of the dress without taking it out of the airtight box. The dress is folded up in the box though. I'm not sure if that's how it is always done, but at least this way it's in a box I could fit in our closet and I can show people if they'd want to see the detailing of the dress.

 

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ArtBride Posts : 4,841 Registered: 5/9/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 24, 2008 2:00 PM Go to message in response to: MsDenuninani

You know, I can't help but wonder whether 'dress preservation' is a scam. I don't know a WHOLE lot about textile conservation, since I only work with art, but I can tell you that every museum I've worked at has had some textiles, and I've never seen them stored in airtight containers. And I've worked at some pretty prestigious museums, so it's not like they're treating their artifacts wrong.

Anyway, we have plenty of textiles in our collection that are NOT stored in airtight containers and have stood the test of time VERY well, some being hundreds of years old. So I don't really think it's necessary to store your dress in an airtight container (though I suppose it can't hurt, since your home is likely less of an optimal place for storing stuff than museums, which have climate control systems).

From what I know about conservation of art/artifacts in general, the best way to preserve it is to keep it protected from extreme temperatures and moisture. Perhaps that's why the 'preservation' places seal dresses in airtight containers. We keep our art/artifact storage areas at 70 degrees with 50% humidity (give or take 5 is fine). Regardless of whether or not your dress is in a 'preservation' container, I would check on it periodically if you live in a place where temperatures and humidity fluxuate. Store it in a cool, dark closet - but if the roof leaks, check it for mold immediately. This might go without saying, but don't keep it in a garage, basement, or attic - and check regularly for pest damage to the container.

Another thing to watch out for is the container that you store it in - specifically, the material of the container. Normal cardboard and paper are BAD - so make sure that any paper-based storage materials are acid-free. Normal paper is made from tree pulp, which contains acid. Over time, the acid in the paper will literally EAT AWAY at whatever it is touching, including your dress. (The same is true for artwork - if you have art on paper that is matted and framed, check to make sure the mat is acid-free. If your artwork is yellow in places where the mat has touched it, those are acid-burns. If you find acid-burns, a conservator can get rid of them and de-acidify your artwork. If you don't deacidify it, the damage will continue, since the acid has already gone from the mat into your artwork.)

I would be careful of 'preservation' containers that allow light to enter, like the see-through-door that one of the PP's described. Light damages artifacts over time, which is why museums have special lights that don't emit UV-rays. If you really want a container with a window so you can look at your dress, I'd make sure that the 'see-through' part of the container blocks UV-rays.

Anyway...just a few facts about conservation to note. I don't know exactly what dress preservation entails, but I wouldn't bother with it unless it met the above criteria. This is REALLY BASIC stuff...like I said, I don't know much about textile conservation SPECIFICALLY, but from what I know, I don't think a lot of 'preserved' dresses are protected any better than gowns that are stored in a garmet bag over time.

Oh - one more thing that I DO happen to know about textiles. If you want them to last a really long time, it's best to lay them flat rather than hanging them. This makes sense, since materials get weaker over time and we put more stress on them by hanging rather than by laying flat.


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love4greys Posts : 396 Registered: 1/22/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 24, 2008 8:54 PM Go to message in response to: ArtBride

Thank you for the preservation lesson!  I found it very interesting.  I will definately ask the bridal shop those questions about the acid in the cardboard box and the see through part blocking UV-rays.  I know I'm a nerd because I liked your post!

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LochNessie Posts : 1,631 Registered: 4/2/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 24, 2008 11:12 PM Go to message in response to: love4greys

Then I must be a nerd because I liked it too!

Everyone told me my dress was a keeper, but I can't help but think I'd like to give that feeling to another bride who maybe can't afford to pay even what I did on my dress.  I've been thinking about donating it (after I get it cleaned -- I partied hardy in that dress).

-Ness


 

Check out my work bridal blog: http://vclarke.encblogs.com.  I also need to come up with a name for it!  Who wants to help? 

Oh baby don't it feel like Heaven right now? Don't it feel like something from a dream? - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

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ArtBride Posts : 4,841 Registered: 5/9/07
Re: What to Do
Posted: Jun 26, 2008 2:30 PM Go to message in response to: LochNessie

Heh - glad to help, but I must be a SUPER-NERD for doing this sort of thing for a LIVING. (Well, not art conservation particularly, but I know a good deal about it and can do the simple things)


DaisypathWedding Ticker

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