Looking for the perfect gown was not easy. You had to spend countless hours visiting numerous bridal stores and fitting an endless array of wedding gowns. But all your efforts were worth it because just when you were about to collapse in exhaustion and despair, you spotted the ideal gown with at the right style, trimmings, fit, and color. One look at it and you knew it had that magic you were looking for all this time. Now that the wedding is over, you feel sad that you have to say goodbye to this wonderful dress. But this is not necessary, as there are so many things you can do to preserve this gown and make it last for a very long time.

Clean the Dress

Clean the gown immediately after the wedding (or the honeymoon) to prevent stains such as food spills, body oils, and perspiration from seeping into the material. The longer you leave the stains on, the more difficult they would be to remove. Check the care instructions on the wedding gown to know the right process of cleaning it. Some types of gowns especially those that contain sequins and beads cannot be dry cleaned while others such as silk, acetate, and rayon are recommended for dry cleaning. Many wedding gown experts would advise gentle washing of the gown with hand using specialized gentle cleaners to remove visible stains.

Store it Properly

Keep your precious gown in a clean, acid free tissue. Place the acid-free tissue in between the folds of the dress and around it. This would help prevent permanent folds and wrinkles. Remove shoulder pads, metal buttons, and buckles, and anything made of foam that is attached to the gown as these materials do not have excellent shelf life. Do not store the gown in plastic bag because this has poor air circulation. It is also not a good idea to hang your wedding gown. Instead, store the gown in a pH-neutral box in a secure place free of insects and away from heat sources. Take out the dress from times to time to examine it.

Hire a Professional

If you do not have time to care for your gown or you feel you do not have the skill to preserve it efficiently, it would be a smart move to hire a professional gown preservation service so that it would be able to maintain its original beauty. Yes, this may be a little more costly but at least you would not have to worry about your much-loved wedding dress. You can be assured of expert specialized cleaning and storing procedures.

Preserving your wedding dress is one of the important things that you have to do after the wedding. You have to ensure proper cleaning and safe storage. It would also be a good idea to hire a professional gown preservation service. Who knows? In the future, your daughter may want to wear your gown and she would be very thankful that you did everything to maintain its original condition.

Winter Bride

The moment is still fresh in your mind. You knew your beloved was up to something but it was not until he bent on one knee and took out a beautiful diamond ring that you finally realized that he was going to ask your hand in marriage. You were filled with all sorts of emotions at that time—you were happy, nervous, excited, and anxious all at the same time.

Of course, you said yes. After all, you have been waiting for this moment all your life. Your dream to become a winter bride has come true because your spouse-to-be has chosen the perfect season of winter to celebrate your union. You cannot be any happier.

Having dreamed of this several times, you know what being a winter bride means. It means being able to enjoy a backdrop of awesome white snow and being able to do excited and thrilling winter activities.

Aside from this, you also are aware the trends for winter weddings are constantly changing so what may be trendy when you first imagined yourself as a winter bride ten years ago may not be the trend of today. To help you with this matter, here are the latest trends in winter weddings that can contribute to the smashing success of your big day.

1. Black and White

Black and white wedding is a very popular trend for winter weddings this year. The guests and the entourage can all wear black so that the bride will stand out in a shimmering white gown. You can decorate the wedding venue with black and white embellishments for dramatic beauty and striking contrast. Moreover, the event could also be captured in black and white still photographs to complete the effect.

2. Calligraphy

Calligraphy, which refers to the use of stylized writing or creation of monogram of the couple’s initials, is becoming more and more popular especially during the winter season. This monogram can be used to mark invitations, candles, wedding favors, tableware, table napkins, and even the aisle runner. This can also be used to adorn the wedding cake through icing calligraphy.

3. The Wedding Dress

Think of a fairy tale wedding. Think of ball gowns and long gloves. These are the hot items for this year, which is definitely most suitable for the chilly season of winter. This is especially nice for winter wonderland themes or fantasy fairy tale themes. The bride can easily imagine herself as a beautiful princess bride.

4. Little Details

When it comes to winter weddings, the ideas are endless. For one, you can make use of snowflakes, icicles, mini wedding bells and crystal accents to decorate the wedding venue and add glamor to the event. You can even adorn yourself and your bridesmaids with snowflake wedding accessories. You can send in invitations that have little snowflake designed embossed. Little touches that seemed unimportant years back are certainly trendy and hot this winter season.

5. Wedding Cake

Dressing up the wedding cupcake tower with blue, silver, and white icing and decors is very trendy for winter weddings this year. Use of cupcakes in lieu of the traditional tiered wedding cake has become a popular trend not only because they are hip and unconventional but also because they are less expensive, something that we can all use during a time of financial crisis.

6. Flowers

The traditional wedding flowers for winter are red roses, amaryllis, and calla lilies. However, the fad this year tells us to experiment with fuller flowers such as hydrangeas and ranunculus. Adding mini wedding bells or crystals can make these blooms even more dashing.

Sure enough, you will spend time in preparing and planning the whole event to ensure that it will be beautiful and memorable not only for you and your partner, but also for all the people attending your big day.

Source: Nina Lampe