style preservation
Stain Solvers If wine hits your wedding dress, don’t panic—use these expert tips. BY BROOKE PRESTON Just thinking about a smudge or splash sullying the wedding attire is enough to send some into a stress-dream spiral. But the reality is, these things sometimes happen—be it from a rogue meatball or a fresh bed of mulch. If you fall victim to a sartorial smear, don’t fret! Many stains can be removed or mitigated by following a few calm and slow steps. We asked Greg Butler, who owns Dublin Cleaners with his wife, Margaret, to share his expert insights into when to blot, and when to not.
First things first: If the stain happens before your wedding day, call a dry cleaner that has experience working with the delicate fabrics of a wedding gown. Not only do the pros know how each stain type and fabric should be handled, they often are willing to rush an order when needed. “A lady brought a gently-used wedding dress on a Wednesday, because it had arrived later than expected; we cleaned and pressed it Thursday, and she wore it that Saturday,” Butler says. “If it’s before the wedding, there’s
a lot we can do to improve the problem; 95 percent of the time, the stain will come out for us or be greatly diminished. We’re generally able to do most anything for people [with an urgent need] within 48 hours.” He confides that the nastiest common wedding-attire offenders tend to be red wine, asphalt and oil (picked up from parking lots, driveways or paths), though even those can usually be removed by a professional. To be on the safe side, take small sips and high steps.
Alysse Kaeding trusted Dublin Cleaners to clean and preserve her Essense of Australia gown after she married John Kaeding. (AddVision)
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COLUMBUS WEDDINGS SPRING/SUMMER 2020
