How to Make Your Heirloom Wedding Dress More Modern

You might have known since you were a young girl that you would wear your mother or grandmother’s heirloom dress on your wedding day. Or you might have found the perfect vintage dress in a local store. But you should know that making your vintage wedding dress modern will not be easy. To look your best on your big day, you have to make sure that the work you need to put in to make the vintage dress wearable will be worth it in the end. This article will show you everything you need to do to get your dream dress from the bridal boutique or attic to your wedding day venue.

Looking for Needed Alterations to Your Heirloom Wedding Dress

Look for glaring issues in the dress such as snags, tears, and stains. Then examine the color of the antique dress carefully. Did the dress yellow over the years? Then feel the dress with your hands. Did the gown fabric get really fragile? If that’s the case, you might need to go to a tailor and get some reinforcement for the gown.

The Antique Wedding Dress Restoration Process

First, take the dress to a tailor who specializes in restoring antique wedding gowns. These professionals can tell you what exactly needs to be done to the dress, the costs involved, and how it will look once all of the restorations are complete.

You will really want to pay attention to how the tailor thinks the dress will look after they’ve completed their work. Some antique gowns may not ever get back to their former glory, even after a ton of work by a talented professional. For example, tighter fabrics may be very hard to press. This means that if you have a silk satin dress you would like to wear, there may be wrinkles that you may not be able to get out.

Then there are those dresses that will not hold up well if your dress professional tries to restore its original color. Some gowns will retain their yellowed look, even after the pro you hired finished their work. So know all of the potential downsides before you agree to restore the gown.

If You Need to Make Major Changes to the Dress

Your wedding gown should look like it was only made for you. If your mother or grandmother was of a different size, altering your dress can be a difficult endeavor. This process may not be easy even if you’re the exact same size as the family members who wore it before you. Ask a few different professionals about what they would do to alter the gown to your measurements. Just make sure that whoever you select is extremely careful with the dress fabric.