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Wedding Gown Preservation

I received a phone call the other day from one of my past brides.  I could tell from her voice that she was distraught.  She told me that she had a flood in her house and her gown had been ruined.  When she discovered the water she set the boxed gown up but didn't check it as she assumed that since she had had it preserved in a box it was safe.  After she attended to the other things she went back to the box that held the most important outfit she had ever worn.  Her shoes, bra and veil were also in the box.  When she opened it all she found was a mildewed mess.  Black fungus had begun to grow in the fibers.  I can picture her now and she probably looked a lot like the girl in this picture.  I was heart sick for her. I had not handled her gown preservation.  I wish she had let us do that for her.

Not all preservation is created equal.  I hear stories of dry cleaners requiring a release prior to cleaning a wedding gown.  They don't want to be held responsible in the event that your gown is damaged or ruined in the cleaning process.  Some cleaners will dry clean your gown and put it in a box.  Sometimes it will be in a bag, usually not sealed.  Some so called authorities say that a gown should not be sealed.  That fabric needs to breathe.  Fabrics don't have lungs, why would they need to breathe?  When you preserve peaches you seal them in a jar in a process that removes oxygen and bacteria and the peaches stay beautifully orange.  There are 4 things that will deteriorate your gown.  Air, moisture, sunlight and insects.  If any of these come into contact with your gown you will have a problem.

Several years ago I was chatting with my preservation company rep. and she said that there had been  flooding in Florida so severe that coffins were erupting from the grave yards and even some of their boxed wedding gowns had been recovered and returned to her for re boxing.  As long as the inner clear packaging had not  been punctured the gown was totally protected and preserved.

At The Gallery by Lynette we do not recommend any preservation method except first, cleaning by the best method for your particular gown, if it is silk it must use a low moisture cleaning process.  Many gowns can be wet cleaned but must be dried thoroughly.  The air within the preservation chest must be totally moisture and oxygen free and the sealed very heavy clear covering must be administrated by an expert.  Sure, you might pay slightly more (usually not more than $20) but isn't it worth it to know that if your gown were found floating it would be protected.  Our process is totally guaranteed and is only $199 for most gowns which includes both cleaning and archived.  Drop your gown by and we will handle the rest.  You can also include two accessories at no extra charge.

History of Saint Valentines Day

St. Valentine's Story

Let me introduce myself. My name is Valentine. I
lived in Rome during the third century. That was long, long ago! At that time,
Rome was ruled by an emperor named Claudius. I didn't like Emperor Claudius, and
I wasn't the only one! A lot of people shared my feelings.
Claudius wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join.
Many men just did not want to fight in wars. They did not want to leave their
wives and families. As you might have guessed, not many men signed up. This made
Claudius furious. So what happened? He had a crazy idea. He thought that if men
were not married, they would not mind joining the army. So Claudius decided not
to allow any more marriages. Young people thought his new law was cruel. I
thought it was preposterous! I certainly wasn't going to support that law!
Did I mention that I was a priest? One of my favourite activities was to
marry couples. Even after Emperor Claudius passed his law, I kept on performing
marriage ceremonies -- secretly, of course. It was really quite exciting.
Imagine a small candlelit room with only the bride and groom and myself. We
would whisper the words of the ceremony, listening all the while for the steps
of soldiers.
One night, we did hear footsteps. It was scary! Thank goodness the couple I
was marrying escaped in time. I was caught. (Not quite as light on my feet as I
used to be, I guess.) I was thrown in jail and told that my punishment was
death.
I tried to stay cheerful. And do you know what? Wonderful things happened.
Many young people came to the jail to visit me. They threw flowers and notes up
to my window. They wanted me to know that they, too, believed in love.
One of these young people was the daughter of the prison guard. Her father
allowed her to visit me in the cell. Sometimes we would sit and talk for hours.
She helped me to keep my spirits up. She agreed that I did the right thing by
ignoring the Emperor and going ahead with the secret marriages. On the day I was
to die, I left my friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and
loyalty. I signed it, "Love from your Valentine."
I believe that note started the custom of exchanging love messages on
Valentine's Day. It was written on the day I died, February 14, 269 A.D. Now,
every year on this day, people remember. But most importantly, they think about
love and friendship. And when they think of Emperor Claudius, they remember how
he tried to stand in the way of love, and they laugh -- because they know that
love can't be beaten!

Bridal Guide

I just got off the phone with the Editor of Bridal Guide Magazine.  He wants some input on the problems that brides are facing with the issue of buying wedding gowns off the internet.  It is a big problem because un suspecting individuals are being tricked into thinking that the picture online is a representation of what they will receive.  All I can say is the immortal words of Clint Eastwood  "Do you feel lucky?  Well, do you?"

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