Your train fluttered in the breeze during your first kiss as newlyweds. The fabric swirled around you as your new husband whisked you up on the dance floor, and draped across his arms as he carried you across the threshold....
Every bride feels a tinge of sadness when it's time to put away their wedding gown.
Preserving your bridal gown feels like sealing away precious wedding memories. We've been there. Sometimes you just can't bare the thought of turning your beautiful, carefully picked wedding gown into a dust-collecting time capsule.
Get a little more life out of your dream dress! Use these creative preservation alternatives:
Save the Sketch, Box the Dress
Make your wedding dress a work of art. Give Dreamlines two or three pictures of your dress. They sketch it. You frame it. The sketch is completely white or ivory with an outline done in blue, black, or brown. The artist highlights beading, lace and tint with paint and pens.
Sketches of your bridesmaid dresses can be given as bridesmaid gifts (providing your girls actually liked their gowns). You can also use your wedding dress sketch on your thank you cards or as your first wedding anniversary gift. Bonus Tip: First anniversary gifts are traditionally made out of paper.
Let's be honest: Your future daughter is as likely to wear your wedding dress as you were your mother's 1970's gown. It's not going to happen.
Instead, pass down a wedding keepsake that will never go out of style.
Stephanie London creates stunning paintings of your dress, sure to bring back wedding day bliss years after you say "I Do." Choose between an acrylic or oil painting on canvas with a UV-resistant satin finish. Pass the painting down as an heirloom or hang it on the walls at your new marital abode.
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.
It's not a bad thing to admit that you won't be wearing your dress again. Make it into something you'll love every day. Check out these examples from The Patch Work Bear:
Making a quilt, purse or stuffed animal out of a wedding dress takes a steady hand and a keen eye for detail. Satin and silk are delicate materials to work with, especially after they're beaded and stitched. Just think what would happen if you carelessly threw your wedding dress into the washer. Use caution when you're caring for your new wedding teddy bear! And check out this edible dress bridesmaid cookie card for a dressed-up way to propose to your bridesmaids.
Use these gown preservation methods and enjoy your dress long after the sun sets on your wedding. And before your Big Day, shop for personalized bridesmaid gifts and all your wedding accessories at WeddingStand.com.
