I didn't save many things from my wedding, but my dress is one of the things I wanted to preserve for the long term. I was a little sad that my mother didn't have her own wedding dress, she borrowed her sister's, so I wanted to preserve mine in order to give future offspring the option of using it for their own.

However, I was unprepared to deal with the complications of the wedding gown preservation industry. It turns out that cleaning a gown is nothing like cleaning a coat or a blouse, the beading and embroidery require extra care...and extra money. This Martha Stewart Weddings guide is particularly helpful in providing information for selecting the right cleaner.

Among other things, one should look for a preservation service that will not...

• ...use one-size pricing policies. Pricing should differ according to the amount of damage and details that will make cleaning more complicated, like lace, beads or thread work. Quoting a single price is an indication that all gowns will be treated the same.
• ...void any guarantees if the box is opened. This policy prevents brides from inspecting their dresses to see that they were cleaned properly. Furthermore, dresses should be taken out of their box and re-folded yearly to prevent permanent crease lines.
• ...um, not stand by their warranty for years, even against invisible stains. Some stains take years to discolor a dress, and are a sign that it wasn't thoroughly cleaned.

Labels: gown preservation, weddings

posted by Alison 10/23/2007 07:25:00 PM : (0) comments : splink


Friday, August 31, 2007

Cake Test

Our cake baker has finally returned one of my messages and now I am officially on my own for my wedding cake. Strangely, I feel relieved. I won't be stuck with a cake that I haven't seen before the wedding and I won't hurt my baker's feelings if I show up with a backup cake. She's a friend and having a tough time, so instead of being irritated I have nothing but sympathy for what she is going through.

Anyhow, full speed ahead!


You know what I learned this week? Icing things is hard. Actually, the spreading of the icing on the cake isn't difficult, but getting it to look professional is really, really hard. The little perfectionist demon on my left shoulder told me that a cake that looked home made would never work. The resident of my right shoulder gave up and moved out a few months after I got engaged, so it was silent.

With a default victory for the demon I decided to blow some more money on pre-made fondant. Despite my misgivings, it is surprisingly easy to work with and looks amazing with just a little effort. I only hope that it scales up well for the larger layers.

I glued our toppers on with just a little bit of icing.

Labels: cake, DIY, penguins, toppers, weddings

posted by Alison 8/31/2007 11:13:00 AM : (0) comments : splink


Sunday, July 15, 2007

Wedding Goodies from Metafilter

A few useful wedding-related Ask Metafilter posts:

How to make a wedding toast when you only know one half of the couple?
Event Liability Insurance Recommendations
Good sites for affordable bridesmaid dresses?
How many camels is my girlfriend worth?(Ha ha.)
Vanity Filter: Becoming an iconic bride
How do you refer to a divorced couple attending a formal function together?

Labels: ask metafilter, weddings

posted by Alison 7/15/2007 12:22:00 AM : (0) comments : splink


Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine Will Be the End of Me

I [heart] Martha Stewart Weddings. I can't stand most wedding magazines, especially the ones focused on celebrity weddings*, but MSW just has the right combination of DIY and impeccable taste to make me anticipate each new issue. I call it my 'wedding crack'. I love flipping through it for inspiration, but seeing some of my own ideas, the ones I thought were completely original, on the pages of MSW will ruin my day+. Despite this, I devour issue after issue.

Most of my friends managed to get married without magazines. I have failed to live up to their modern frugal woman ways. I try to read one issue of a news magazine (usually the Economist) to balance out my vapid reading habits, but now, thanks to an impulse buy, I have seven back issues of MSW on their way to me.

I won them in two ebay auctions. I hadn't intended to buy them, I always get sniped out of whatever I bid on, so I expected them to go to someone else at the last minute. Five arrived today and I have been pawing through them instead of working on my machine translation system. They are so pretty and colorful and one even smells like expensive soap.

The biggest problem with these magazines is that they plant ideas in my head that shouldn't be there. They put me in a fog where giving out taper candles as favors and edging 200 treat boxes with artfully cut doilies sounds like a great idea...and then I'm internet shopping...and then disaster follows. It takes a brisk walk for me to come back to reality.

Yep. It's time for a walk. I almost ordered 250 green metallic Chinese takeout boxes.

*That goes double for wedding television programs where people are focused on copying or outdoing a celebrity. I saw one where a woman was obsessed with topping/imitating Star Jones' wedding. Really? Star Jones? Why are you making your wedding about someone else?

+I can't believe you, Martha! Screen printing favors and place mats was my idea. How could you do that to me in the summer 2007 issue?

Labels: ebay, impuse buys, magazines, Martha Stewart, weddings

posted by Alison 7/11/2007 02:09:00 PM : (0) comments : splink

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