Are you worried about how your wedding dress will look on your wedding day? Worse, are you concerned about walking down the aisle or having your photo taken with wrinkles in your wedding dress? What about your bridesmaids' dresses, will their outfits be a wrinkled mess? Do not worry, because we are here to give you the secrets to a wrinkle-free wedding dress and how to have wedding day outfits that are looking their best. So, whether it is for your wedding dress or your bridesmaid dresses, a suit or tuxedo, or even a mother of the bride or groom’s dress, we have all the tips and tricks you’ll need to feel and look amazing on your wedding day!
Here at The White Dress By The Shore, we see many, many brides come through our bridal shop to find their dream wedding dress, and we hear concerns about how their wedding dress will look on the big day. They also voice concerns about how everyone else will look, especially if they are traveled to their wedding and have to pack your outfits.
But, worry no more, brides-to-be, because we have all the tips that you need to know about how to care for your wedding dress on your wedding day and more importantly, how to walk down the aisle without a wrinkle on your bridal gown!
If you want the exact steps to steaming your wedding gown or how to find the perfect clothes steamer, be sure to head over to Brides.com for an article written by our owner, Beth Chapman.
You’ve likely spent months - or even up to a year - searching for the perfect wedding dress to make you feel and look beautiful on your wedding day. And, you’ve likely had your wedding gown altered to perfection. If you don’t know about the wedding dress alterations process, be sure to get our free guide to wedding dress alterations. The fit of the wedding dress is one of the most important factors in your bridal style!
But, what about wrinkles? Here’s our three-step process to a picture-perfect wedding day look without wrinkles. Also, brides and wedding party members should rinse and repeat this advice because how you care for a wedding dress is the same process for caring for a bridal suit, bridal jumpsuit or bridesmaid dress, mother of the bride or groom dress, as well as groom and groomsmen suits and tuxedos.
Anyone who wants a wedding day without wrinkles will want to pay close attention! Here are our three best secrets to a wrinkle-free wedding day outfit...
Wedding Day Outfit Secret # 1: Steam Is A Wedding Day Friend
Most wedding day garments like wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, tuxedos, jumpsuits, and suits are made of synthetic fabric or a blend of synthetic materials, like polyester or chiffon, and these fabrics should be steamed.
Is your wedding dress made of natural materials like silk or taffeta? If so, do not use a steamer. We repeat do not use a steamer on silk wedding dresses. Instead, skip this first secret and move right to secret two below. Spoiler alert, if your wedding dress is made of silk or taffeta, you need to iron your wedding dress on a silk setting.
Suits and tuxedos should also be steamed and not ironed. If you try to iron a suit, it might leave a shine on the suit that you weren’t expecting. While you are steaming your wedding dress and bridesmaids' dresses, be sure to hang up the tuxedos and suits and steam those as well. The steaming will remove wrinkles and creases in the suit jackets and pants. But, for those button-down shirts, skip to secret two and be sure that your iron shirts.
What is a steamer you ask? A steamer is a hand-held tool that has a tank of water that boils and blows steam out of a nozzle. With a steamer, you hold the nozzle close, but not touching, to the fabric and the steam will remove the wrinkles from the fabric. A steamer works very similarly to hanging a dress or a shirt in the bathroom while you take a hot shower.
Wedding Day Outfit Secret #2: Iron When Necessary
If your wedding dress is made from natural materials like taffeta or silk, you should not steam your bridal gown. Instead, you should iron your wedding dress. You should also iron your wedding dress if it has pleats as the steam may remove the pleats and that can be hard to get back. If you steam silk or taffeta it may leave a water mark and could damage the fabric. No one wants to walk down the aisle with a ring on their wedding dress!
Be sure to test your iron out on a small backside of the material or wedding dress to make sure that there will be no problems or that the iron isn’t too hot. There are settings on most irons, be sure to check the settings before ironing your wedding dress.
Wedding Day Outfit Secret # 3: Prep Like A Pro
If you have a steamer for your home use, it will work well for your wedding dress too. There’s no need to invest in a professional steamer for your wedding day alone. You can also call ahead to your hotel or wherever you’ll be getting ready before your wedding to see if they have a steamer or iron that you may borrow.
Be sure to allow enough time to prep your wedding dress and any other wedding outfit garments that might need to be steamed or ironed. If you’re using a smaller steamer the water tank will be small and you might need to refill the tank a few times to get through the entire wedding party's outfits.
Speaking of water, be sure to change the water out on your steamer or iron and use fresh, clean water. Dirty or old water might leave a mark on your wedding dress or garments. You should steam in an up-and-down motion and be sure to hold the steamer a few inches away from the wedding dress.
Prepping garments prior to the wedding is one key area where the bride might need some help such as from a wedding planner or bridal stylist. Wedding dresses, especially those with long trains or a lot of fabric, can take up to three hours to steam properly. Factor in caring for your wedding day outfits into your wedding day timeline and schedule so that you and your entire wedding party aren’t late.
Our last tip for steaming or ironing your wedding dress is never to do this while someone is wearing the garment. Always take the dress or garment off before seaming or ironing!
If you need more or want more expert tips for caring for your wedding dress on the day of your wedding, be sure to go over to Brides.com to read The White Dress By The Shore owner, Beth Chapman’s expert article on How To Steam A Wedding Dress And Other Wedding Day Attire.
If you're still shopping for your dream wedding dress, be sure to book a wedding dress shopping appointment with us in our Clinton, CT bridal store. We have a beautiful selection of the top wedding dress designers, including plus size wedding dresses as well as little white wedding dresses perfect for reception or rehearsal dinner.
Photo Credit: Jacqui Cole Photography