Christina Underkoffler, Author at Treasured Garment Restoration

June 23, 2014 In General, Short and Sweet, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Gown Preservation, Weddings

How to Save Money On Your Wedding Day

The last thing you want is to start off your new marriage in debt from your wedding.The average cost of a wedding in the US in around $25,000. If this price seems way out of budget for you, we’ve researched and talked to brides about some great ways to save a few dollars for your big day!

1. Get a friend ordained
You can now go online and file with the state to have a friend ordained and have them officiate your wedding.
This can shave off a few hundred dollars from your wedding bill.
Plus it can serve as a great memory to have someone close to you pronounce your marriage.

2. DIY on the small things
If you have access to craft materials DIY projects can save major dollars. However, this can also take up a lot of time and effort. So if you do choose this route, recruit friends to help out so you don’t spend weeks focused on one project.

3. Hire a wedding planner
This may sound like a tip that will cost you more money, when in fact it can save lots you if you choose carefully. A wedding planner often knows all the secrets around your area that can save you thousands of dollars. They often know the right people and can get you deals while also showing you where you can skip certain costs you wont need.

4. Buy Pre-owned
The internet makes it easy to find quality pre-owned wedding dresses. This can save a huge portion of your wedding bill. Check out sites like www.preownedweddingdresses.com or even www.tradesy.com for beautiful dresses that are in great condition. Even after the wedding, try getting some money back by selling your dress to another bride.

5. Buy in season
One huge mistake many wedding planners make is buying flowers or foods that include off season items. When it comes to flowers, buy in bulk and something that’s in season. Bigger flowers can also save you money because they have larger stems so they cost less per bouquet.

June 18, 2014 In Clothing Tips, General, Short and Sweet, Weddings

Dressing The Groom

We covered dress styles for the bridesmaids and bride.
But what about the groom’s attire?
There are a variety of styles in tuxedos that you may have never even known about.

Luckily you have us to walk you through a couple of the styles we see here at St Croix Cleaners and Treasured Garment Restoration.

These three basic styles are once you often see going down the aisle.
However, it’s all about the details. There are many specific factors that go into picking the perfect tux for your event.

First up is the buttons

There is also a one-button suit which is better suited if
you’re going for a hipper more laid back event.
A good rule to live by when it comes to buttoning etiquette is to always leave the last button unbuttoned.

You also have to consider what type of lapels you’re interested in.
Here are a few of the styles you’ll see.

Lastly, the pockets. For this detail, you should make sure what you choose matches the number of buttons the tux has.

The most important part of choosing the right tux is choosing the right tailor to fit you.
Suits almost always need a few alterations. Bring it to our experts and we’ll be sure you look great on your big day!

June 16, 2014 In General, Short and Sweet, Vintage

Vintage Tablecloths

We recently had the opportunity to clean some very beautiful tablecloths that came with an even more interesting back story.

Believed to be brought over from Ireland in the 1900’s, these tablecloths belonged to
Eleanor Jane Hall Adams. A grandmother of a well known St. Paul local.

Eleanor married the boy next door and moved to St. Paul in 1947, bringing these intricate tablecloths with them.
Her husband eventually moved on to being the first Champlain of Macalester college.
They have survived in wonderful condition while being passed down through 4 generations and plan on continuing to do so for generations to come.

Shown above is the tablecloths after being cleaned and preserved by our treasured garment specialist

June 10, 2014 In Clothing Tips, General, Short and Sweet, Wedding Dresses, Weddings

5 Tips To Choosing Bridesmaids Dresses

1. Find a style that suits everyone

Talk to your friends and see what styles they DON’T want. It’s no surprise that dressing multiple bridesmaids is a challenge. Show them the styles you’re interested in and have them decide amongst themselves on the final choice. Another trend is having the same dress but fit differently to each bride. That way everyone has something that’s flattering.

Capture7

2. Find something they would wear again

Because of the cost of bridesmaid’s dresses, find something they could wear another time other than just your wedding. The average cost of a bridesmaids dress is between $100-$300. Make it worth it for them.

3. Make sure the style matches your wedding

Try to find a dress that makes sense and is in sync with the overall theme of the wedding. We’ve all heard the saying “We wouldn’t want to outshine the bride” but it’s possible for everyone to be happy here.

4. Take into consideration the weather

This may seem obvious, however it’s easy to overlook. The time of year should make sense with the style you choose. Even the time of day should be considered.

5. Have an alteration specialist in mind

To ensure that all the dresses fit right, keep an alteration specialist in mind for your bridesmaids to go to. St. Croix Cleaners has staffed excellent seamstresses to help each one of your bridesmaids create the perfect fit.

May 13, 2014 In Clothing Tips, Short and Sweet

Care Label Guide

Ever wonder what those crazy symbols on your tags are? Our production crew is staffed with experts that have the garment tag language down. A lot of the time the symbols are meant for your dry cleaner to know how to handle your garments. However, some of them can help you with your home laundry too. Print this out and keep it by the washer to ensure your items get cleaned properly!

May 12, 2014 In Vintage, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Gown Preservation, Weddings

Wedding Dress Design & Alterations

The season of fancy dresses, dancing all night, chicken dinners and green beans, romance and wine is fast approaching. That’s right, it’s almost wedding season – are you ready?

If you’re looking for quick alterations for your fancy dress, or need to get that bridesmaid gown ready for the upcoming wedding, we can help! Enter Treasured Garment Restoration’s Wedding Dress Designer and Alterations specialist, Darcy Zeppernick, featured yesterday in the Pioneer Press!

“Zeppernick has worked with many brides to restore, update and redesign vintage wedding gowns. Updates can include removing the sleeves, reducing the neckline and adding things like buttons or a sash. Other options include using fabric from the existing gown and incorporating it into a new dress. Existing fabric can be made into a bodice or used as trim.

“We can do nearly anything the bride wants,” Zeppernick says. “We try to figure out what it is about the gown that they like and what they would like to change.” ”

Read the entire article here.

One of Darcy Zeppernick’s Wedding Dress Designs – 1920’s Inspired.

May 2, 2014 In General, Short and Sweet, Wedding Dresses, Weddings

Choosing the Right Style Wedding Dress

When the time approaches to go wedding dress shopping its important to do your homework. Wedding dress lingo can often be confusing. That’s why we’re here to give you a few of the basics you need to know going into the store. Here’s our tips:

First, we have the Trumpet silhouette. This is a form fitting bodice that hugs the hips and begins to flare out about mid thigh. This is a very common trend that is fabulous for women with straight figures. The trumpet will help dramatize the curves of your silhouette. It is also very similar to the Mermaid with the only major difference being where the flare starts. With the mermaid the flare begins right at the knee so it is a bit more drastic.

Mermaid Trumpet

The A-line, also sometimes called princess, is one of the more universal styles for brides. This style looks good on almost all body types which is why it is so popular. This style starts with a fitting bodice that begins to flare are the waist. One of the major benefits of this style is the level of comfort you have with the dress not being as constricting after it flares.

A-line

The Ball Gown Silhouette is very similar to the a-line. However, with the ball gown style we have a much larger skirt. Both the ball gown and a-line styles define the waist more than the other styles. This style can be really fun because it leaves room for layers or a dramatic design.

Ball Gown

Another style we see is the Empire. This style is almost completely defined by the waist line. The dress drapes the body in a way that makes the bride look taller. This style is also thought of to be one of the most comfortable styles to go with and looks good on all body types.

Empire

Another, more sleek and form fitting version of the empire would be a Sheath dress. Sometimes you might hear this one refereed to as the column dress as well. The sheath dress hugs the curves and is often made of lighter fabrics.

April 24, 2014 In General

Wedding Dress Alterations

Finding the right seamstress is the most important part of altering your wedding dress. Luckily, Treasured Garment Restoration and St. Croix Cleaners have highly experienced seamstress within our company that specialize in Wedding gowns alterations. From recreating your mother’s gown to a simple hem, our team wants to make your dress fit perfectly on your big day. Here are some things to keep in mind about getting your dress fitted…

Finding the perfect fit when wedding dress shopping can be tricky. If you can’t find that perfect fit, it is safer to go too big than too small. With alterations we can always take a dress in but adding material is difficult and you can only let a garment out so much. Take caution though, because if the gown is too big, the proportions may look odd if it’s over altered
When going in for a fitting be sure to bring your accessories. This includes shoes, jewelry and any other garments you plan on wearing with your dress. Shoes especially because it can affect the length at which your dress will sit.
Your last fitting should be within 2-3 weeks of your wedding date. This is to ensure that anybody changes are taken into account in the final fitting so your dress will fit the same the day you walk down the aisle.

April 15, 2014 In Clothing Tips, Short and Sweet

Ways To Prevent Color Fade and Wear On Your Clothes

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Do you ever have items that seem to fade and wear out in certain parts of the garment? This is often due to wear over time. Certain fabrics such as cotton, linen and ramie are more susceptible to this kind of wear. It also depends on your lifestyle and the quality of the item itself. Unfortunately, their is no way to prevent this. But, their are ways to prevent the wearing out and loss of color on your items and we’re here to share a few helpful tips with you!

Wash darks with darks, and lights with lights. Though this may seem to be common sense to some, many people mix loads. This is a leading cause of fading in both dark and light colored garments. The best way to prevent this is doing separate loads.
Do not stuff the washer. We know that doing separate loads may be time consuming. But in the best interest of your clothes, it is important to not over stuff the washer. Your items will not get cleaned properly and it also leads to more time in the dryer which leads to our next tip…
Don’t spend all day drying your clothes. The more you over stuff the washer, the more you over stuff your drying, the more time it needs to fully dry. Too much time in the dryer is bad for fabrics. It can cause the color to fade and wear out. The clothes need to move freely in the dryer.

April 9, 2014 In General

5 Bridal Gown Trends for 2014

Here at Treasured Garment Restoration, we’re excited for some of the new wedding gown trends of 2014. We found something old, something new, and even something blue trending for this years brides to be.

1. Cap Sleeves

Cap sleeves can often help create an illusion neckline. It is a great way to keep your dress sophisticated but also add a touch of flirtation. Another perk of having cap sleeves is you can spice up the sleeves with beading or any other adornments.

2. Shorter Length

Wearing a shorter dress on your wedding day gives you the opportunity to show off the amazing shoes you bought that often go unnoticed with a longer gown. Plus, if you’re having a outdoor wedding, a shorter dress is easier to keep clean throughout your special day.

3. Descending Roses

Flowers have always been a must at every wedding. Now, we’re seeing brides continue the theme through their gowns.
Having roses descending down the dress can give your dress a fun and flirty touch while still keeping it elegant.

4. Laced Sleeves

Laced sleeves are a classic for any bride of any season.
Even Duchess Kate Middleton wore this stunning Alexander McQueen with laced sleeves down the isle in 2011.

5. Pop of color

If you’re looking for something a little less traditional, try looking at colored dresses! We’ve seen this trend before with Elizabeth Taylor and Kaley Cuoco. Having a colored wedding dress is an excellent way to spice up your walk down the isle and show off your unique style.

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