So you have your dress, whats next?

Image by Belle Art Photography.

Before the wedding…

Ok so you have had your fitting, your dress fits you perfectly, your accessories are confirmed, you have broken in your shoes and the wedding is fast creeping around, but in the flurry of excitement you forgot how your dress should be stored and how to get the creases out? Fear not this blog post has you covered and we will discuss options for your dress post wedding too.

Your dress bag. At your pick up appointment we will bag your dress up in an unbleached cotton dress bag, we purposely chose a heavyweight cotton so nobody can see through the fabric and get a peek at the dress, and not only does it have a carry loop but it folds in half too, which means if you need to get on the train home it’s not overly cumbersome, it’s also handy if you are getting married abroad. If you are in York for the day and want to grab your gown later we can store it for you and you can pick it up later in the day if we can accommodate this between appointments and opening times.

When you get home. Check your dress and make sure it’s still hung up in the bag, ensuring if there are any hanging loops that they are used. Don’t hang it folded and make sure its hanging from the hanger at the top just to alleviate any heavy creases and store it somewhere out of direct sunlight and in a dry place, a wardrobe is ideal. We appreciate that a parent or friend may be storing your dress before the day so just make sure you pass any hanging tips over to them.

Accidents happen. We are all human, these things happen. It could be something as small as spilt juice just before you leave or a make-up mark. We swear by Isopropyl which is an alcohol substance that when used with a clean square of fabric can get rid of most marks without leaving any stain/water marks. Our good friends at Heima York sell it in store, but it’s best to ring forward first to check they have stock, and they are based just near the Minster in York so you can pick it up the same day as you collect your dress. Isopropyl is also great if you have one of our sample sale dresses and dry cleaning hasn’t cleaned it up as much as you would have liked (see more on sample sale dress care here) you can use Isopropyl to spot clean stubborn areas.

Hand Steamers. I know what you are thinking, another thing to purchase, when will it end! Trust us though this piece of equipment is invaluable to you and your bridal party. They are really reasonable and compact and can be used for everyone in the party, including the groom and groomsmen. Charlotte Jacklin has a good blog on why steamers are so good and her feedback on some brands. Alternatively Argos and John Lewis have a good selection and have handy reviews to help you make your decision. Our advice is to always pop a clean sock you don’t need anymore over the end of the steamer incase it spits out any excess liquid or limescale. And don’t forget this can 100% be used after the wedding, if you haven’t had the joy of steaming your bedsheets when they are on instead of battling an iron, you are welcome…

That covers everything leading up to the big day, in part two (scroll down) we will discuss options for after the wedding…

Photography by Corinne Moffat

after the wedding…

Cleaning. It’s the sign of a good wedding if your dress is filthy, no matter how much you try to keep it clean someone will spill something, and you will let your train do it’s thing on the floor, it’s an inevitability. It’s an obvious point to make but the sooner you tackle it the less stubborn the stains will be, depending on the level of filth it’s probably a good idea to send it to the dry cleaners. We get asked a lot for good dry cleaners, as a label we don’t have a need to use the dry cleaners so we go on brides recommendations and most say their local/high street dry cleaners did a good job of nudging most of the dirt, it is worth mentioning that dry cleaning itself isn’t the most environmentally friendly process but Johnsons offer a green clean which is kind to the planet and the garment. It is worth pointing out that dry cleaners aren’t cleaning wizards, they won’t get it back to pre wedding clean but they will help. They may also ask you for fabric compositions and some other details, if they do feel free to drop us a mail and we can let you know. Alternative options: you could try a few home remedies such as a handwash in the bath or similar (google is your friend with this one, again we have never tried it ourselves) and the Isopropyl spot cleaning we mentioned above for anything not too stubborn.

Storage. Once your dress is clean if you do want to hang it, it’s worth hanging it on a clean padded hanger ensuring any hanging loops are used and then back in the cotton dress bag provided which is really breathable. Alternatively it can be stored in a box but just ensure it’s a breathable box to avoid mould and also put in moth repellent as you would in your wardrobe (such as lavender bags) It’s worth mentioning that Moths get the moisture they need to survive from eating, meaning they will focus on areas that retain sweat and also dirt and stained food and drink areas, another reason to get it cleaned before storing it.

Alterations and dyeing. We are very passionate about brides wearing their wedding outfit post wedding, whether it has been shortened or dyed we love, and I mean LOVE, to see them being used again. Understandably we don’t offer a dyeing or alterations service as we are a teeny tiny team of 4 our time is taken up creating gowns for new brides and doing their alterations. We have however dyed up a few of our pieces to see how they take the dye but it’s worth driving home that some fabrics will take the dye better than others and we are no experts when it comes to dyeing, if you want to dye your pieces post wedding we can always send you a swatch to do a test on first before dyeing the dress/separates or if you are having length taken off a skirt or dress then the excess from this would be good to dye up too. If you are nervous of doing it at home most good dry cleaners offer a dyeing service but it’s worth checking their capabilities. We spoke to the team at Nicola Killeen who dye up pieces for the costume and theatre industry and are very good at what they do, they do offer a dye service for brides but it’s worth bearing in mind that it won’t be a quick process as they have their hands full with other projects and they take their time to discuss fabrics colour and testing with you before dyeing anything, they are happy for us to recommend our brides so if you want to discuss this in more detail with them then the team are happy to do so (please note we do not take commision for any dyeing referrals and haven’t used them to dye ourselves, this is just a friendly recommendation, but do keep in touch to tell us how you got on.) As for alterations if you want some length removing or a dress separating into a top and skirt then a local seamstress or high street alteration shop will 100% be able to do this for you, we can adjust your pieces here when we are quiet but during the summer it’s really not feasible for us so drop us a mail and we can let you know if it’s possible.

And finally! Please tag us and email us your pictures, a lot of brides think we might not want to see their pictures but we 100% do. Please please send them over to us at hello@rollinginroses.co.uk after your wedding and we will likely share them too. Images and reviews are at the heart of our business, it’s what potential new brides look for first so please leave us a review here and don’t forget to tag and send your pictures! and a final finally, congratulations! We hope you have an incredibly long and happy marriage and hopefully we will see you in the boutique again with friends and family looking for their dream dress. Thanks for having us as part of your journey.

So much love,

Rebecca, Hayley, Ellis & Sophie.