Silk Taffeta Nightmares

spglsp

I'm having dress issues. My dress is a silk taffeta ballgown with a short train. I wanted to hem it up a bit because it seems to be just barely touching the floor constantly but the tailor said that's how it's supposed to look. I'm not sure about that but it's really the least of my problems. The main issue is the material, specifically the wrinkles. Up until this point I've assumed I could have it steamed at the tailor, drive it to the venue, use my hand steamer to get out the last of the wrinkles from the trip, and be set. Today my tailor told me that she has been steaming it but it gets wrinkled again by the time I see it because of the garment bag. She says I have to have it professionally pressed (>$100) and that even then, putting it back in the bag would bring all the wrinkles back. Since I have to get it out of town to the venue, she recommends pressing it when I'm there (of course I'm only going to be there the day before the wedding). I asked about hand steaming it and was told that wouldn't do anything and the internet seems to be warning me about water spots on taffeta. I don't know what to do here and I'm really regretting getting this dress at all. Does anyone have any suggestions about dealing with wrinkles on taffeta for an out of town wedding?

Maggie0829

I think wrinkles in your dress is just something that you are going to have to accept.  Tafetta is known for wrinkling.  So even if you get it professionally pressed and didn't put it back in the bag, just you getting into the dress and moving around will cause wrinkles.  I think your best bet is to research dry cleaners in your wedding area that can professionally steam your dress.  Call them up to find out prices and to see if they would be able to press your dress the day before your wedding. Once that is done, keep the dress out of the bag as much as possible.  Other than that there is not much you can do to keep your dress from wrinkling, that is just the nature of the fabric.  Plus all fabrics will wrinkle.  I had a silk dress and that wrinkled, especially near the bottom due to walking and lifting the skirt.  In the end though it really won't be that noticeable in photos and you will only notice it if you look for it.

CMGragain

Silk taffeta wrinkles.  Polyester taffeta doesn't.  Bring your steamer, anyway.  Silk will water spot.  It is also very heat sensitive, so be careful about ironing it.

blabla89

My dress was technically shantung but I had the same issue.

The solution my seamstress and I decided on was for me to take the dress to a cleaner in my neighborhood that has a good reputation for working on wedding dresses, to get it pressed the afternoon before the wedding and keep it outside the bag. She suggested that I cover the back of our SUV in a sheet and lay the dress out flat on the ride home, then just hang it outside the bag. That should work well for you - just hang it outside the bag and lay it flat when you drive to the venue.

Anyway, I took my dress to said cleaner, and a family member picked it up for me right before they closed the afternoon before the wedding (I was frantically dealing with other emergencies) and hung it in my house. I got home late after the RD and realized it was wrinkled, so the next morning I called and the cleaner told me they couldn't press it for whatever reason because of the way it had been cleaned before or some nonsense like that. So on the morning of my wedding I had to go out and buy sizing and press the pleats myself, then steam the back of my dress. It turned out fine. My dress wrinkled a bit throughout the day (sitting in the car, during our first look, etc) but it's not super noticeable in photos.

TLDR: Don't stress too much about it. If you can get it professionally pressed near the venue, transport it carefully and hang it outside the bag, then you'll just need to do a little touching up yourself. Read/watch some tutorials about pressing/steaming taffeta and make sure you know the right way to do it. It'll be fine.