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Wedding dress steaming is the process of applying the steam from hot water to the dress to release wrinkles and make the fabrics smooth. On the wedding day there are several items you will want steamed. Some of these are best to have steamed ahead of the wedding day and some you will need to steam on the day. Suits and tuxes get pressed ahead of time or ironed, not steamed.
Wedding Dress Steaming
Ensure your wedding dress is steamed professionally ahead of time by a bridal boutique or an alterations team. The cost for this could be $50-$300 depending on the city, your dress silhouette/fabrics, how close to the wedding day you’re steaming, and if you need delivery. Dresses have many layers and a professional will do it perfectly. Some places will come steam on site.
Alternatively, you can buy a steamer to do it yourself (you may also want one anyway for touch ups). Just ask your boutique if your dress is ok to steam, because some fabrics won’t actually work with a steamer and instead require pressing. Always steam from underneath the dress. Most importantly, don’t wait until the day of the wedding to do this!
Bridesmaid Dress Steaming
Your wedding deserves pristine bridesmaid and mothers’ dresses. Wrinkly bridesmaid dresses look terrible! You can get these professionally steamed, on average, for $25-100. Alternatively, you can steam these dresses yourself several hours before they need to be worn. They need time to dry. Hang them up high with space around the dress and work in between layers. Don’t linger too long in any one spot.
Steaming Wedding Robes & Bridesmaid Robes
Do not wear wrinkly robes or pajamas for photos. It distracts from how cute they are. Steam them yourself with a handheld steamer. Worst case scenario, you can hang them up in a bathroom and turn the shower on hot with the door closed. Keep them away from the direct water flow. It will produce steam in the bathroom that may get some wrinkles out. This is my go to vacation hack for my everyday clothes!
Wedding Table Linens
Couples rarely have their table linens steamed, unfortunately. This makes their wrinkles and folds very noticeable on the ends of tables. I usually notice bad wrinkling the most on the head/sweetheart table, escort card table, and the cake table – these are tables that are most heavily photographed. You will likely have to pay extra to have these steamed on site by the planner’s team or by the rental company. You can potentially ask for just the main table or two to be steamed.
If you are going to have someone from your family or friends steam them make sure you have permission from the rental company. Know that if you damage their linens you will have to pay for the entire cost of the linen. You’ll likely need a long extension cord to ensure the handheld steamer reaches each table.
Stress-Free Wedding Steaming
Opt for hiring professionals if you want to save yourself stress. A bridal boutique like mine will steam just about any wardrobe item you can think of. We can steam anything and everything. A planner/rental company can steam onsite linens which ensures your entire wedding photographs perfectly. Remember to buy a steamer for any bridesmaids who didn’t professionally steam their dresses and for any touch ups for your dress.
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