Steaming Your Wedding Dress

make sure your gown is photo ready!

You did it! You found your gown and had it fitted perfectly. It looks wonderful except...the wrinkles. What are you going to do about those? They aren't very classy in photos.

First things first, ask around to see if any of your vendors already have this service. Steaming a wedding gown can take hours, so it's best to leave it to the pros if you can! Your seamstress, dress shop, wedding planner...many of them have the ability to steam your gown.

Next option is a dry cleaner. Many offer this service to steam and press your gown. You do NOT need to have it cleaned unless you feel like the gown needs it. Unless it was previously worn to an event or was a sample off the rack at the store, it shouldn't need to be cleaned just from trying it on.

What if I am traveling with my wedding dress?

Great question, this puts a whole different spin on making sure your gown is aisle ready. DO NOT have it steamed before you travel. It's pointless. Hauling it around in a car or an airport will just cause more wrinkles. Talk with your planner about having it steamed when you arrive where you are going, or schedule with a dry cleaner to have them steam and press your gown in the area you are traveling to. If you are going to a resort, many have this service available, or a steamer you can borrow!

What if I need to steam my wedding dress myself?

Rowenta Pure Force 2in1 Handheld Steamer

You probably will need to do some level of steaming yourself. Even if you have it professionally steamed, transporting it to your venue can cause wrinkles and creases to form. Having a hand steamer available is the best way to quickly knock out those wrinkles.

Our favorite personal steamer is the Rowenta Pure Force 2in1 Handheld Steamer.

Available on Amazon Prime with our Associate Link: https://amzn.to/4n7CFKD

Best way to avoid wrinkles is to hang the gown outside of the bag with the train down. Somewhere safe, of course, away from people and pets.

Pro Tips:

• Wrap some cheesecloth or a clean sock around the head of the steamer to reduce any spitting.

• Use distilled water only. This keeps mineral buildup and yellowing from effecting your gown.

• Steam from the underside of the fabric, just be careful of steam building up inside the gown, it's HOT!

• Wear an oven mitt or gloves while steaming underneath a gown to protect your hands from the heat and potential burns.

• Keep the head of the steamer and steam away from your face! It is HOT and can burn you if it comes too close to your skin.

• Give yourself time. Steaming a gown takes patience and time, go slowly and carefully. With a handheld steamer you will likely need to refill the water more than once. Ideally steam your gown the day before so you are not rushed.

Once you've steamed your gown you will need to let it dry COMPLETELY before wearing it or moving it. We don't want to just wrinkle it again by being impatient.

A few other things we suggest to have on hand for the day of:

Static Guard - Great for tulle and chiffon gowns that cling and attract hair and dirt easily. Spray day-of and follow instructions on can.

Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/4ncC4rk

Stain Remover - Accidents happen! Make sure you have something on hand to clean up little spills or makeup marks on your gown. We suggest Shout Wipes for makeup and oil related stains, and a Tide pen for food related spills.

Tide Pen: https://amzn.to/4p4joeU

Shout Wipes: https://amzn.to/4natPMk

Lint Rollers - Great for Satin, Mikado, and Crepe gowns. Use to remove hair, dust, and particles that like to cling to fabrics.

Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/3Vsmsns

Create a "Go-Bag" for your day off needs and make sure you think about yourself and your bridesmaids.