A few of the Most Expensive Wedding Gowns

The average wedding gown in 2017 cost $1,211, but that doesn’t even come close to some of the most expensive wedding gowns of all time.  These designers are always trying to be at the height of fashion and the top of the price range!

Starting back in the 1950s, we have the Imperial Pearl Syndicate gown.  Simple in design, this gown was made with over 100,000 cultured pearls on a bed of white satin and a silk ballerina skirt.  This gown weighs an astonishing amount at 27 pounds and most models could only stand to wear it for a half an hour at a time! This dress was considered the most expensive gown during its time period, total cost was $100,000!

A more commonly know wedding gown is the custom Alexander McQueen creation that Kate Middleton wore on her wedding day to Prince William designed by Sarah Burton.  Kate’s gown featured a Satin Bodice with a slightly padded hip.  The attention to detail is truly incredible.  The lace was hand placed and sewn onto the bodice, and cascading in the back is a tasteful 9ft train. It was pieced together like petals on a flower and made with ivory silk and hand embroidered flowers.  This dress comes in at $388,000!

From a very traditional gown to one that doesn’t quite represent the ideal wedding, we have the Vera Wang Peacock Gown.  Vera Wang used the talents of 8 other designers and 2009 male peacock feathers to great the garment.  It contains 2009 feathers to commemorate the year when it was created.  Each feather had to be individually placed and sew on the base of the dress.  Although this gown has yet to be worn at an actual wedding the total cost is $1.5 million dollars!

Our final gown known as The Diamond Wedding Gown was a collaboration between designer Kenee Strauss and jeweler Martin Katz.  It is considered the most expensive wedding dress in the world.  It was made in 2006 for no particular bride, featuring the finest silks and has over 150 karats of diamonds hand sewn to it.  This gown was used just as a display piece for the Ritz-Carlton. If you would like to wear this gown for your wedding, it will set you back $12 million!

Whether your dress was found at a thrift store to a $12 million dollar couture gown, Treasured Garment Restoration has everything you need.  Please check out our wedding alteration services or our cleaning and preservation services for all your bridal needs!

0

TGR Original: Kathryn’s Wedding Gown Preservation

Kathryn didn’t want her wedding dress ruined over something as silly as not getting it cleaned and preserved. In hopes of her daughter someday wearing it, she brought it to the experts at Treasured Garment Restoration. Read more about Kathryn’s wedding dress journey below!

When was your wedding and where did it take place?
My wedding took place in Woodstock, IL, the ceremony was at St. Mary’s Church and the Reception was at Bull Valley Country Club on June 20th, 2015

When did you know that your wedding dress was “the one”
I went in knowing exactly what I wanted, something that would be timeless, and still, be popular in 20 years. The main style I wanted was A-line and because I had a religious ceremony it had to have some form of straps. I only had to try on 6 dresses before finding the one, it honestly made me look 6 sizes smaller then I was, it was definitely that timeless look I was going for (plus I knew it would totally make my fiance at the time cry when he saw me! Ha!)

What is your absolute favorite memory from your wedding day?
Honestly, the fact that all my friends and family from all over the country were in the same place at the same time. You just never think that’s possible till it actually happens, and the fact that I’ve never seen Nick (my husband) so happy in his life, I always knew he’d be the guy I’d marry so it was awesome to finally get it done!

Why did you decide to get your wedding dress cleaned?
I literally love my wedding dress, and I would hate for any hidden stains to ruin it in several years. Plus if I have a daughter I would want her to wear it or use some part of it in her wedding dress. It’s one of the few parts of your wedding you can hold on to for a lifetime, and I wouldn’t want to ruin it just over not cleaning it.

Why did you bring your wedding attire to a member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists?
It was recommended by my bridal salon in Madison that I need to get it professional cleaned after the wedding, Treasured Garments had the best reviews in the area so I knew it would be in safe hands there. I was definitely not willing to take a chance of my dress getting ruined, and I didn’t see that happening with the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists.

Photography Credit: http://wemakebridescry.com/

0

10 Things to Do After You’ve Found “The One” Dress

10 things to do after buying Wedding Dress

Just because you’ve found “the one” doesn’t mean that your gown-shopping extravaganza is complete. Make sure you cross these items off your to-do list before you head down the aisle.

 

1. Order Your Bridesmaid Dresses

Now that you know the style of your gown, you can begin researching bridesmaid dresses, decide on one you love and place an order. You don’t have to mimic your dress completely, but match fabrics or design details for a bridal party (and pictures) that looks pulled together.

2. Decide on Your “Something Blue”

Whether you plan to pin a piece of blue ribbon to the inside of your dress like Kate Middleton did, or you’d rather slip into a pair of blue peep toes and accessorize with sapphire gems, don’t let this lucky charm become a source of stress by waiting until the last minute to pick it out.

Read more on The Knot.com: 10 Things to Do After You’ve Purchased Your Wedding Dress

0

It’s All About the Dress!

Betty Altheide 1953

It was a warm Saturday in Minneapolis, July 18th, 1953. Betty Schuler arrived at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in her beautiful white eyelet layered wedding gown and she was a bit nervous, yet excited as she was about to become the bride of John Altheide.  Betty recalls that it was rather warm that day and that there was no air conditioning; “I don’t remember the temperature exactly, but I do know that no one fainted” (as was the case in many hot, summer weddings in those days).

After growing up in Edina, MN, Betty went on to college at William Woods University, an all-girls school in Fulton, MO.  John grew up around St. Louis, Mo and attended Westminister College, also in Fulton, MO.  How did they meet?  “It was December 3, 1949, we met on a blind date going to a Fraternity party”, she blushed, as John stands by, in disbelief, that she even remembers the date!

After they finished school, John went into the Air Force.  They got to see each other only about 3 or 4 times in the ensuing 2 years that he was enlisted.  After 1 year, he proposed to her.

Betty proceeded with all the wedding planning on her own since John was not around.  The ceremony was held at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, the reception was held at the Edina Country Club.  She purchased her dress at Dayton’s in downtown Minneapolis and remembers that the dress plus the hoop skirt she wore with it was under $100.00. She was careful with the dress at her wedding, no cake spilled, no punch spilled, no drinking at the reception—so it was looking great after the big day.

The newlywed couple then spent their honeymoon at Maddens Resort in northern Minnesota where they actually were able to spend some time together to really get to know each other.  John, having been in the military for a couple of years, had been doing his own laundry, and Betty was alarmed to find that he didn’t spend much time sorting his colors—all of his underwear was pink! They then moved to St. Louis, Missouri after the wedding.  It seems that everything worked out through the years — Betty and John just celebrated their 59th Wedding Anniversary this summer—and they’re looking forward to number 60 in 2013!

In the spring of 2012 when Betty and John and their children were cleaning out their nooks and crannies, they came upon the dress, yellowed and stained, and it was sent to Treasured Garment Restoration for evaluation.  If the gown was so well protected the day of the wedding, what happened, then, with the horrible spills we saw on it when it came to be restored? “Well”, Betty explained, “35 years ago –when the dress was 25 years old—there was a party amongst our friends and the requirement was to bring or wear something from your wedding.  So, I wore my wedding gown!”  Amazingly, Betty was still able to wear the gown after 25 years and 2 children and her only comment was “yes, I fit into it, but I didn’t sit down all night”.

Fortunately, this spill was only 35 years old.               After careful testing, TGR was able to
If it had been spilled 59 years ago, it is possible          determine that the latent stains – aka
that these stains may have created holes                      caramelized sugar stains would be
in the fabric.                                                                                   able to be removed!

We, at Treasured Garment Restoration, have seen a number of things show up on vintage wedding dresses that can re-ignite memories of the day… and we are truly passionate about restoring and preserving the each unique dress along with the memories it symbolizes for our customers!

One thing remains constant– it’s all about THE DRESS!  Brides will spend countless hours looking at photos, magazines, (now Pinterest) and shopping for the one dress that makes them feel like a princess for the day.  Each dress is unique and could tell a story of its own—if only a dress could talk!

1953 Gown, oxidized (yellowed) and stained.                                      After – restored to white in 2012!
0

Care Label Caution?

In case you can’t read this label clearly it states:
“Caution Dry Clean Only Dangerously Flammable If Washed”

 

Now, I’ve seen some interesting marketing ploys before, but I’m not quite sure what this one is after!

I sure hope the bride who wore this dress didn’t spill anything on her wedding dress at the ceremony or the reception! Seriously, I’m not aware of any textile that would spontaneously combust when introduced with water. As members of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, Treasured Garment Restoration and our parent company, St. Croix Cleaners, can certainly clean this dress and any other wedding dresses with wild labels on them. Learn more about our wedding dress cleaning and preservations here.

0