Wedding Gowns & Bacon?

Last Friday, I was working at another of our family's businesses, Lemon Fresh Cleaners.  I was called to the phone in the late morning.

A slightly distraught female voice was on the other end of the phone line.  She explained to me that her sister was getting married that evening, and had to be dressed in her wedding gown for photos in just three hours. 

The problem was that the wedding gown had been stored overnight in a house where some family members were staying.  That morning, they had decided to make bacon and burned the bacon and grease, causing the odor of scorched bacon fat to waft throughout the house, permeating everything, including the fabric of the wedding gown.

I doubt there are very many brides who want to get married in a gown smelling of burned bacon grease.

So, they did the smart thing and called a reputable dry cleaners that specializes in wedding gowns.  Little did they know that they also reached the owner of a bridal boutique. 

In case anything like this ever happens to you or someone you know, here is some of the advice that I gave to this bride and her sister.

If we had had a bit more time, I would have definitely suggested wet-cleaning the gown, since it was made of polyester satin and this would have removed any trace of odor.  Although we had time to clean the gown, there was not sufficient time to dry the gown.  You would really need at least 24 hours to do so.

Since actually cleaning the gown was out, my next best advice was to hang the gown outside in the fresh air for 30-40 minutes.  The day was breezy, which was good.  Again, the gown was polyester satin, so even a little dampness would not harm the fabric.  The same goes for any polyester fabric or a lace gown.  Never put a silk satin gown anywhere that it could get water-spotted!

Lastly, I recommended trying a fabric deodorizer, such as Febreze.  My cautions to this are that some people can be allergic or sensitive to the fragrance or chemicals in these products.  You would not want to discover any sensitivity on your part or your groom's part on the wedding day!

If you ever have a wedding day emergency with a gown or bridesmaid dress, I'm honored to help!