Destination Weddings

The Destination Wedding More and more brides are planning a destination wedding. Instead of having a “Wedding Day” it becomes the “Wedding Event”. For a new bride, a one day celebration can become a more memorable sequence of days with family and friends arriving with plenty of time to spare for rest, relaxation and celebrating at a chosen local.
Whether you pick a location for sun and surf like Mexico or Hawaii or for the lights and excitement of Las Vegas, the Destination Wedding can save a bride and groom plenty of money as well.
No matter where the bridal party is traveling to, the wedding gown/ensemble will need to look fresh and unwrinkled for the ceremony. Airlines no longer let brides carry on their gown to be stored in a cabin closet. It will have to be checked as baggage or brought aboard as a carry on to be stored in an overhead compartment. If you feel confident enough to check it, you will need one of our large Keepsake Preservation Boxes. They come with their own shipping carton and handle to help you carry it with you. If that does not seem like an option, Foster-Stephens can provide just what you need to bring it safely with you.
Our 072GH All Tyvek Double Handle Garment Bag will handle any size dress and is easy to carry with you. No one will be able to see the dress and it has a special pocket for identification. For simpler dresses we recommend our Treasure Preservation Kit. Your dress will fit in nicely and you can carry it aboard and store it in the overhead bin above your seat. All of our Keepsake Preservation Kits come with packing instructions.
Once you arrive, try these quick fixes for wrinkles: Hang your gown on the bathroom door, close the door and run the shower on hot until the room is filled with steam. This will relax most wrinkles. Also, travel with a portable hand steamer.
Whether your dream wedding is on a beach, at a castle or near your home, Foster-Stephens’ can provide the perfect storage solution for you. Your life is filled with many special memories…..each one is worth preserving!

Treasure Hunters

How much is a wedding dress worth? Most of the time the value is in the eye of the beholder or in this case, the bride. I mean lets face it. Whether you spend $500 or $20,000 on the dress, just like a brand new automobile, as soon as you drive it off the storeroom floor, the value plummets. Its value is now in how great it looks on the bride on her wedding day and how great her pictures end up turning out. Most brides do not buy the gown with the thought of throwing it on Ebay and selling it to the highest bidder. Alterations have been made to a specific physique and it has monetary value only to the bride who can look at it year after year and reminisce about her wonderful day in the spotlight. Unless she has since divorced. Then it maybe found at the bottom of the trash compactor. I have even talked to many dry cleaners that are stuck with dresses because the bride and groom were getting divorced before someone ever got around to picking it up.

Over the years, Foster-Stephens’ has gotten many phone calls about these “found treasures.” I have received phone calls from people just moving into a new home and finding this boxed treasure in the attic. Our name is on the bottom of the box so they track down our company. They inquire as to how much the dress is worth and would I like to buy it back? I have to politely say that no, I really am not in the market for a dress right now, that has been sitting in an attic of all places, in whatever size for whatever reason! They are surprised and shocked that their get cash quick scheme hasn’t panned out like they thought it would.

There are then the treasures that have been found on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Again, these poor dresses have been found by a caring soul who wondered what was in the big white box. They have also found our name and looked up our phone number to inquire how to return the gown to its rightful owner. I do not know what truck these dresses have bounced off but we do not know who has cleaned and boxed that gown. Someone is missing they’re wedding gown from their special day and is probably devastated. These gowns probably find their way to the local pawnshop where they sit waiting for someone else to think it is special again.

So if you were a bride, are a bride or hope to be a bride soon, please take care of your special wedding dress by having it cleaned and preserved and by storing it in a safe place within your home. Trust a professional to clean it for you and remember to move it with you as you upgrade your living quarters. As long as you remain happily married, YOUR dress will be a treasure from your wedding day for always.