3 Must-Dos Before Wearing Your Mother’s Wedding Gown

There’s a reason why many women dream of walking down the aisle in their mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress. Something about the history of the dress combines with its vintage design and creates a special kind of magic. Plus, you get the “old” and “borrowed” taken care of in one fell swoop! As wedding dress cleaning and preservation specialists, we see all kinds of stunning dresses, but vintage wedding gowns will often cause us to take one extra moment of admiration.

With this experience, we also know that getting a vintage wedding gown back down the aisle takes a little more work than you may realize. When new, the gown needed to be properly cleaned, preserved, and stored in order to prevent any yellowing. Next, a clothing care professional will need to potentially repair any damage, like torn lace, or missing buttons. A tailor or seamstress will need to alter the dress to fit the current bride and maybe update any designs the bride requests. Finally, a specialized dry cleaner will evaluate the fabric and details of the dress and then clean and press it so that it’s ready for the big day.

If you’re considering wearing your mother’s wedding gown, we suggest that you:

Get a Professional’s Opinion ASAP

The sad truth is that wearing a relative’s vintage wedding gown isn’t always an option or might need some help. Unless the gown has been preserved properly, there’s a chance that the fabric will be compromised and no one wants a dress falling apart while you say “I Do!” To save a lot of heartache, ask a clothing care professional what they think. They might suggest incorporating a component of the dress into a new gown or even wearing the veil if the dress itself isn’t in tip-top shape. Most dresses need a little love, but are absolutely do-able. The sooner you know what kind of care it needs, the better.

Consider Updating Elements

Unless your entire wedding is vintage themed, you might consider updating one or two elements to help the gown fit with the overall style of the wedding. The most dramatic, but simplest, ways to do this are by changing a neckline, adding or removing beadwork, or changing sleeves.

Chat With Family

If you are planning on wearing a family heirloom dress, but you haven’t seen the scene in 27 Dresses where Katherine Heigl’s character melts down (for good reason) because her sister altered their mother’s dress beyond recognition, watch it and take notes. Most family wedding gowns are special to more than one person, so make sure that you’ve chatted with family members and have been given the go-ahead to make alterations. Trust us, you would want someone to do the same thing for you.

If you’re considering wearing a family member’s vintage wedding gown, come and see us at Parkers Custom Clothing Care. Our wedding gown specialists will be able to tell you what needs to be done so you can add another special day to your vintage wedding gown’s beautiful history.