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Mascara Stains And Red Wine – Common Wedding Dress Stains And How To Clean Them

wedding gown care

Your big day has finally arrived, you’ve been planning for your wedding for months now and everything is in place, your guests are on their way and all you need to do is slip into your dream wedding dress that everyone is going to be wowed by!

But… Why is there always a but? What if the unthinkable happens on your and your partner’s special day and you end up spilling something on your dress and staining it? It’s a well-known fact that whenever we wear something white, stains gravitate towards us and there is no exception, not even on your wedding day!

You could be popping on one last coat of mascara before you head to your venue when, whoops! You drop the brush and you have a black streak all down the front of your dress. Maybe it’s raining (which is lucky on your wedding day, by the way) and you have a long train that inevitably ends up covered in mud by the end of your photo shoot. Or, maybe your emotional aunt is giving you a hug at your reception and accidentally spills red wine all down the back of your dress… It doesn’t bear thinking about!

It is important to remember that accidents happen, no matter how well you prepare and if you do end up with a stain on your dress, no matter how small, you mustn’t let it upset you and spoil your special day. None of your guests or your partner would want to see you freak out about something, that in the grand scheme of things is quite trivial.

The best piece of advice we can offer when it comes to stains on your wedding dress is to prepare for the worst, remember there is always a way to resolve a situation and most importantly, stay calm!

Of course, one of the easiest ways to avoid spilling anything down your beautiful white wedding dress is to put in place a few prevention methods. We recommend the following:

  • When getting ready be sure to do your hair and apply all makeup BEFORE putting on your dress. If you need to lift your dress over your head when putting it on, a silk cloth over your face will prevent any of your makeup rubbing off.
  • Don’t eat or drink anything whilst wearing your wedding dress

By following both these stain prevention methods you will reduce your chances of spilling anything down your dress but not eating or drinking on your wedding will not make it much fun… If you decide to ignore this tip (which we strongly recommend you do, if you want to enjoy your wedding day), we suggest putting together a small emergency stain removal kit to deal with any little mishaps as they happen.

Your emergency stain removal kit should include the following:

  • Stain remover wipes
  • Cotton buds
  • White cotton cloths
  • White chalk
  • Baby powder
  • Rubbing alcohol

If you get this dress lifesaver kit ready in advance and give it to your maid of honor to look after on your wedding day, you can be sure you are ready for any stains that come your way.

The next question is, what do I use from my emergency stain remover kit for different types of stains on my dress? As with any clothing, different stains need different treatment and below we have outlined a selection of the most common stains you are likely to end up with on your wedding dress.

Makeup – If during a quick makeup touchup during your wedding day you end up with a drop of foundation or lipstick on your dress, grab a stain remover wipe asap and the stain will be gone before you know it. Nobody will ever know!

Ink-based stains – You’re at your wedding venue, signing the marriage license, when the pen leaks all over your dress! For this, you will need the rubbing alcohol and a couple of white cotton cloths from your emergency stain remover kit. Use one cloth to blot the stain dry and then apply the rubbing alcohol to the other cloth to lightly dab the stain.

Water-based stains – We have already mentioned red wine once but if you do end up with it on your dress, use one cotton cloth to absorb as much of the stain as possible and then soak another cloth (or a cotton bud if it’s only a spot) in warm water before dabbing the area until the stain begins to fade. Remember, red wine is notoriously difficult for getting out so if you can’t remove the entire the stain there and then, pop a bit of white chalk over it to hide the mark for the remainder of the day.

Oil-based stains – Whether it’s a drop of salad dressing or a piece of oily food that ends up in your lap during your wedding breakfast, be sure to sprinkle it with baby powder quickly to soak up the oil. If required a drop of rubbing alcohol on a cotton bud should remove any remaining residue.

Chewing gum – This one is a little more unlikely but if somehow you do end up with gum stuck to your dress, ask someone at your venue to get you some ice cubes and hold it to the gum until it hardens, making it easy to scrape off.

Hopefully, with your emergency stain remover kit to hand and these nuggets of knowledge, you are ready to tackle any disaster stains your wedding dress may encounter.

If you have had to use your trusty white chalk as a last resort cover up option on your big day, you can try any of these stain buster methods at home again to see if they remove it a second-time round.

It is always advised to have your wedding dress professionally cleaned. However, if you are looking to clean it yourself at home, you could try spot cleaning the out layer only or soaking the individual layers in a bath of warm water and detergent for a couple of hours before hanging them out to try.

Depending on your wedding dress material, you might be able to clean it at home but we would always recommend having it professionally cleaned to avoid any irreversible damage. Also, it’s a lot less stressful if you leave it to the professionals!

This is where cleaning facilities and professionals like Love Your Dress come in and take the stress out of removing stains from your wedding dress. It’s important to make sure your beloved dress will be cleaned by a team of experts using modern technologies. That’s the definitive way to get it looking as good as new following your wedding day, helping any unwanted stains vanish and make them a thing of the past.😉

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Wedding Dress Shopping Etiquette [2024]: 14 Things You Need to Know Before Your Appointment

Wedding Dress Shopping Etiquette

Wedding dress shopping is an exhilarating experience for a bride. But, as her bridal gown is one of the most expensive dresses she will wear in her life, this can also make her nervous. Fortunately, you will have your entourage and bridal consultants to help you make your dress decision. And, as with everything wedding-related, there are specific etiquette rules that you should stick to when shopping for your wedding dress too. Let us take a look at what they are.

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How To Move Away from the Traditional White Dress

 

Since the age of Pinterest, more brides have resorted to doing something “different” for their wedding day. More often than not, the traditional aspects of a wedding such as a fruit cake for a wedding cake, a white wedding dress and getting married in a church instead of the venue’s chapel, has been tossed aside to make way for new ideas.

The History of the White Wedding Dress

 

By now, most of you might have heard the story before: Prior to the traditional white wedding dress – 1800’s and back – it was considered an elite privilege to have access to white linen. Pure white linen was extremely expensive at that time and only the riches could afford it.

When a bride was to get married, she would wear whatever fancy dress she had.

It wasn’t until 1840 when Princess Victoria married Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg. The dress was a stunning victorian style and rounded off with lace. It became so popular, that brides from that time forward only wore white to their weddings.

Fun fact: Queen Victoria was not the first princess to get married in white. In 1559, Mary, Queen of Scots, also wore white when she had wed Francis Dauphin. However, white was the colour of mourning in France at that time, so the trend did not pick up.

Moving Away from the White Wedding Dress

You have probably seen it all on Pinterest or social media: The controversial brides in their non-white wedding dresses. And you will definitely see more of them in the future, too!

There can be many reasons why a bride chooses not to wear a white wedding dress. The most popular reason is because it is not her first marriage. However, it might be the bride’s personality to choose a controversial dress only because she feels like it. And finally, another reason may be in honor of a loved one who passed away. The bride simply chooses the favorite color, pattern or motive, in memory of that person.

The following is a list of options which you can choose from to move away from the great, white wedding dress craze!

  1. Keeping the White Skirt

The whimsical look of a white tulle skirt, paired with a lace top or a blouse, took the world by storm. Even now, in the alternative fashion industry, two-piece dresses are still all the rage. If you are not completely comfortable to move away from a traditional white gown, then this might be a better option for you.

  1. Off-White Options

If you still want the soft, elegant look of a white dress, but you’re not keen on crisp white gowns, maybe you should opt for off-white dresses or pastel colors. The soft tones still gives it that elegant, wedding look and you will still be comfortable knowing that your dress isn’t white.

 

  1. Going the Opposite Direction

If you’re keen on mixing things up to a whole new level, then you will be glad to know that black wedding dresses are also a thing. The black wedding dress doesn’t need to shout “gothic theme” from the rooftops. It may also be incorporated into a very elegant, Gatsby theme when paired with gold. Check out this post from The Pretty Blog, for more inspiration.

 

  1. Bright Colors

You can be bold and go for something bright and colorful on your wedding day. Mix it up by using different materials and textures, or go for plain bright colors. The options are endless!

 

 

  1. Floral Dresses

It has been a few years already since floral patterns became a trend in interior design and décor. And with that, came the floral wedding dresses. So much so that The Gilded Gown did a feature about many popular designers who jumped onto the flower wagon. Also, see this post from The Wedding Chicks for a more elegant, clean floral look.

 

  1. Ruffled & OTT

Over The Top (OTT) wedding dresses also became a thing in recent years. This may or may not have been the origin of the wacky series My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding! Who knows… All we can say is, if you want your day to be truly unforgetable, then wear an unforgetable dress.

 

Author Bio: The Wedding Club is a blog created for brides who want to plan their own weddings, and also for wedding planners who need some guidance in the industry. Follow us on our social media and visit our blog here

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7 Tips to Help You Sell Your Wedding Dress [Step-by-Step Guide]

7 Tips to Help You Sell Your Wedding Dress [Step-by-Step Guide]

The wedding dress is usually one of the most important things that reminds a bride of her wedding day. Nonetheless, it is a dress that is seldom worn more than once. Unless you plan to have a vow renewal ceremony wearing your original wedding dress years later, or wish to hand it down as an heirloom for the future generations, it will usually just be boxed and sit in your closet in the years to come.

Although most brides aren’t too eager to sell off their wedding dresses soon after they are married, many decide to let it go after a while. When you think that you’ve spent a huge amount of money on it, it is pretty sensible to recoup some of that amount by selling it. This money could be used to celebrate a honeymoon, or it could go into the family’s financial budget, wedding day debt or a similar need. Then there are also those dresses that are sold for other reasons. It could be that the marriage didn’t work out and the bride decides to give up everything that reminds her of it. Or, it could be that the bride wasn’t sure she wanted to wear the dress she bought, and so decided to sell it and buy another.

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