Buying a Vintage Wedding
Gown
Are
you sentimental and value traditions? Are you a
bride who loves vintage wedding gowns and wants to
capture the romance and beauty of an earlier age? Well
you are in luck. Vintage wedding dresses are in
and very popular with many brides.
As you begin your search for that perfect dress, educate
yourself so you will not become a victim. Believe it or
not there are actually people who might try to cheat
you. Know what you want and how much you are willing to
spend.Remember to shop around. Ask questions. If it
doesn’t feel right, it’s ok to walk away.
Beware
of online vintage shops that don’t have written
details about a dress. Or say under the picture it is in
mint condition, but with a list of many things wrong in
the description. Buying a vintage gown isn’t as scary as
it sounds if you have educated yourself and use follow
the following tips below.
-
How
much do I want to spend? Knowing
your budget will help you from falling into the trap
of falling in love with the unattainable.
- Know
what style you’re looking for. Look
for styles that flatter your figure or show off your
own personality. If you find a dress
you like, but don’t love, consider removing the
sleeves or shortening it. Take up the hem line or
change the neckline. Don’t be afraid to modify a
vintage dress to
make it your own.
- Check
family attics first. You might
want to check with your mother, grandmother, and
relatives or close friend. Many women treasure their
wedding gowns and have preserved them just for this
purpose. Don’t be afraid to ask around.
-
Know the
condition of the dress before buying or
borrowing Depending
on the age of the gown it could be too fragile to
wear. Check the stress points of the gown. These are
under the arms, shoulder seams, zippers, waist line
seams, and buttons.
-
Avoid
buying gowns with stains. Beware of
buying a gown with stains. It could cost you a lot to
have them removed and could change the appearance of
the gown.
-
Delicately
try on the dress. Vintage
gowns need to be treated with great care. Vintage dress
sizes are not the same as today. You will want to be
careful not to damage the dress while trying it on.
Vintage dresses seem to run in smaller sizes mainly
because brides were married at a younger age.If you are a
larger bride you might want to consider having a
replica dress custom made.
-
Know where
to buy. Not
knowing where to look and what to look for can be very
discouraging and disappointing. You can find vintage
gowns at many different places: thrift shops, yard
sales, antique stores, consignment shops, on-line
shops and even on e-bay. Make a list of all the
questions you would want to ask the seller and don’t
be afraid to ask them. Any reputable
seller will not mind. Make sure the seller offers a
written description of the dress if you find it
on-line. Pictures alone cannot give enough
description about a dress.
Some
great sources for finding a vintage gown are:
Cherishedbride.com
or Vintagegown.com
for authentic vintage gowns, and Vintageweddings.com
for both authentic and vintage reproductions.
As an
added touch, you might want display
a picture of the original bride along with your own bridal picture. If the dress needs restoration, our restoration
experts can be of great service to you. Get a
Free
Estimate for our restoration services.
Don't forget to
preserve your gown after your
wedding
Cleaning and preserving your
vintage gown as soon as possible ensures that your gown
remains in the best condition possible. A reputable
wedding gown preservation specialist will know how to
get your beautiful gown clean and restore it to its
original condition as much as possible - without
inadvertently doing damage to your precious gown in the
process.
Let
Heritage Garment Preservation clean and
preserve your vintage gown for you. Then perhaps your daughter can wear it someday
too!
©
Copyright 2007 Heritage Garment
Preservation
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as long as you include the copyright notice above and
the following copy: This article is part of the
Wedding Gown
Care Newsletter series created
byHeritage Garment
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