Keepsakes: Preserving Your Gown, Cake, Flowers & Photos

You've sweated over every last detail -- of course you're going to want to keep hangin' on to the sweet memories! Here's the low-down on everything from putting away that gorgeous gown for safe-keeping to tips on creating an archival photo album. Beware of any vendors that tell you their warranty is void if you open the box in which your gown is stored.

PRESERVING YOUR GOWN

WHAT IT IS
Preservation provides a means of maintaining the quality and appearance of a gown through customized cleaning and appropriate storage. Methods range from savvy self-storage (in a temperate, dry, dark location) to museum-quality preservation.

HOW IT WORKS
Professional preservationists analyze the fabrics, dyes, weaves, and ornaments of your gown, as well as the composition of stains in order to formulate a customized cleaning plan. In removing invisible soils and other stains from the gown, they remove the potential fabric damage that results when these substances embed in the fabric and undergo chemical reactions. After cleaning, the gown is carefully wrapped in stable archival materials and packaged in an archival Coroplast box (the storage box of choice for most major museums) and should be protected from extreme temperatures, moisture, and exposure to direct sunlight.

COST
The price of cleaning and preservation will vary with the complexity of a gown's beadwork, train length, and stain damage. A local high-end dry cleaner will charge as much as $100 for standard dry cleaning. Specialized gown preservationists will normally charge between $250 and $500.

WHY DO IT
Preservation is a fab idea for any bride who spent big for her couture-quality gown, and is recommended if the gown will not be used for more than three years. If a dress is not going to be worn ever again, it may seem silly to save it, but consider the amount of time, love, and money that you invested in choosing a gown for your wedding. Preservation can maintain the integrity of this important piece of memorabilia. Also, while you might not agree with your family's fashion sense, you can give them the chance to benefit from your good taste by keeping your gown in beautiful condition so that a future bride -- a sister, daughter, or niece -- can wear it at her wedding.

TIPS
Before committing, question several establishments regarding their pricing, procedure, and warranties. Your gown should be preserved as soon as possible after the wedding; however, it is generally safe to wait as long as six months after the ceremony. Until you do send your gown off for preservation, be sure to store it in a dark and dry place, rolled or folded in a clean white sheet.

SHELF LIFE
Beware of any vendors that tell you their warranty is void if you open the box in which your gown is stored. With professional gown preservation, you can freely remove the gown from the archival box without fear of damaging it in any way -- just wear gloves so the oil from your hands doesn't get on the fabric, and repack it carefully when you're done. Many preservationists claim the gowns will keep for 50-70 years, and some companies even offer a warranty.

FREEZING A CAKE TIER

WHAT IT IS
Couples traditionally take the top tier of their wedding cake and freeze it for future consumption on their first anniversary.

WHY DO IT
With all of the dancing and mingling to be done, chances are you won't be able to fully enjoy your cake on your wedding day. Freezing and eating the cake on the first anniversary is a very sentimental and romantic tradition.

HOW IT WORKS
Instruct catering staff to take off the top tier of the wedding cake and box it for transport. Appoint a "cake captain" to take it home and 1) remove the sugar flowers and set them aside; 2) wrap the (unadorned) cake in several layers of plastic wrap (never use aluminum foil); 3) seal the wrapped cake in an air-tight bag; and 4) store in the freezer. Chill the cake well before wrapping so that the icing hardens (this way it won't stick to the plastic wrap and make a mess).

COST
$0. But if you forego freezing, as many couples do, and would prefer to order a fresh single tier in the same flavor as the original wedding cake, expect to pay $20-$150.

TIPS
Choose cakes that freeze well -- delicate cakes dry too fast. Best bets: Chocolate, hazelnut, almond, and carrot cake. Freezer faux pas: White cake, fresh fruit, and whipped cream fillings. Snag a ribbon (from your bouquet, the centerpieces, your hair, a gift) and tying it around the cake package to mark it while it lives in the freezer.

SHELF LIFE
For best results, Weinstock recommends storing cake no longer than two months, forgoing the first-anniversary tradition. Like anything else kept in the freezer for long, cakes will definitely be a bit stale after one year. If you do decide to save your cake for the full year, focus on the nostalgia, not the flavor.

PRESERVING YOUR BOUQUET

WHAT IT IS
You dry your bridal bouquet -- by yourself or via a professional service -- and hang onto it as a meaningful keepsake.

WHY DO IT
A preserved bouquet can be both a memento and decorative piece for the home.

HOW IT WORKS
There are three methods: silica gel (quick-drying mode via immersion in a sand-like, silicon substance); pressing (press select blooms from the bouquet and flatten via a flower press and framed); and freeze-drying (pros spray the blooms with a starch to set the colors and then "bake" the bouquet in a freeze-dryer). All modes allow for beautiful presentation in frames, glass domes, etc. But freeze-drying is the only method that allows for "open arrangements" (they don't have protective covering), and yields the most true-to-life results in terms of flower shapes and colors.

COST
$50-$300, depending on choice of preservation and presentation. Examples: A freeze-dried shadow box presentation might be $150, a dome presentation (preserved via silica gel) can cost around $300, while a partial bouquet pressed and framed against silk might price at $65-$200.

TRANSPORT
For best results, the bouquet should be dropped off at the preserving establishment as soon after the wedding as possible. Translation: the day after the wedding or the Monday following a Saturday reception. Many professional services will be unable to provide service if the blooms have been too badly dried out, bruised, or otherwise damaged. If you're simply dropping off your bouquet at a local service, transport it in a Styrofoam cooler, with gel packs on the bottom. Loosely cover the packs with tissue paper or wax paper (so that the bouquet doesn't touch them directly) and then place the bouquet on top. Then, pack tissue paper around the bouquet to prevent it from moving and bumping.

TIPS
Think about preserving just a few select blooms instead of the full bouquet. This will cut down on the cost of preservation. Also, it's important for preservationists to receive the bouquet in prime condition. So get a tossing bouquet, and, at the reception, leave your actual bouquet in a safe place where it won't get bruised or crushed (maybe have a bridesmaid handle this) as a precaution. Sometimes brides will immediately have the caterer store the blooms in the refrigerator, or, if it's a hand-tied bouquet, stick the stems in water.

SHELF LIFE
Receiving the finished, fully preserved product will take 8-12 weeks with freeze-drying; 6-8 weeks with silica gel; 6-8 weeks with pressing. Formally preserved flowers can last indefinitely, maybe even up to 100 years. If humidity is avoided, along with direct sunlight and bright halogen lamps, brides can expect their bouquets to last a lifetime.

MAKING AN ARCHIVAL PHOTO ALBUM

WHAT IT IS
While photographs are the most obvious way to preserve wedding memories, there are specific strategies required to ensure that your prints and album have an extra-long shelf life.

WHY DO IT
Carefully compiling and packaging your photos will prevent common damage such as yellowing, fading, or disintegration. When you weave the photos together, it's a beautiful way of telling a story -- and you'll be able to pass the memories on to your kids.

HOW IT WORKS
Your photographer will work with you collaboratively to select images and determine the sequence and design of your album. Here's more need-to-know info:

Acid-free materials: It's most important to have an archival album with acid-free paper, acid-free prints, acid-free adhesive, and even acid-free photo corners. Also, a strong binding that is handcrafted will produce a sturdier album. What makes an album acid-free? Acid-free albums are composed of acid-free papers, and the photos that they contain should be printed in a reputable lab where they will be washed long enough to remove all the chemical rinses used in developing.

Color vs. B&W: Black-and-white prints last longer than color (color turns sooner because of the chemicals used -- unless you use a very expensive process.) The nature of the materials used in color prints is more susceptible to fading due to surrounding conditions, such as temperature and moisture.

Prints: One choice for prints is resin-coated press prints, which are high-quality, but not archival. Fiber prints are your best bet -- they are high quality and archival. If you are constructing an album, pay attention to how you handle your photos. Both touching them and resting them on newspaper can taint them with oil and acid that will speed their aging process.

COST
Albums range from $125-$5,000. An archival album at Tiffany's goes for about $150 to $200. You can also find a variety of wedding albums in The Knot Wedding Shop. The most expensive? A handmade book -- which includes the process of scanning, book mock-up, layout, and sequencing -- can cost between $2,500 and $5,000.

TIPS
Can't afford an album? If budget is an issue, put money into prints: have fiber prints made and then buy an archival box to store them in until you have the funds to purchase a book.

SHELF LIFE
Acid-free paper should last 75-100 years. (Many of the inexpensive albums today begin to disintegrate much earlier than that.) Be sure to keep your wedding album in a cool, dry place, away from bright sunlight.

MORE IDEAS
Save a bottle of wine from your reception dinner to drink on your anniversary.
Root the ivy or a rose from your bridal bouquet and watch it grow.
Frame and display your invitation and/or your marriage contract.
Create a memory box -- include favorite wedding items such as the ring pillow, flower girl basket, petals tossed by flower girl, unity candle, rice, bells, garter, pieces of your centerpiece (candle, ribbon, vase), matchbook, piece of candy, cake topper, and wedding favor.
Air-dry your bouquet (hang it upside down and store for approximately 3 months in a dark, dry room).
Make a scrapbook: Include a copy of your engagement announcement, save-the-date card, invitation response cards, program, thank-you note, at-home card, and/or wedding announcement. Include response cards, gift cards, etc. You can also include a copy of your menu, a wedding cocktail recipe, and/or your play list for your band or DJ.
Create a time capsule of your wedding day with a copy of the newspaper from that day, a weather report, your horoscopes, and record your favorite song, book, movie, TV show, restaurant, etc., at that time. When you're done throwing in your goodies, seal it up and open it on a future anniversary.
Save a written copy of your vows -- so you can use them for your vow renewal ceremony.
Put out a guestbook for your family and friends to sign at your wedding.
If you're having a Jewish wedding and breaking the glass, save the glass shards and use them to adorn a mezuzah, candlesticks, or vase. And why not frame your ketubah on your bedroom wall?
Having an Afrocentric wedding and jumping the broom? Hang your broom in your home as a reminder of your special day.
Honeymoon memories need to be savored, too. Buy a special box to keep your vacation souvenirs -- shells, a lei, postcards, or a handful of sand.

 

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