The Dos & Don’ts of Preserving Your Wedding Dress

by Joey Curry | Apr 26, 2022 | Uncategorized

Most wedding dresses are gorgeous, expensive, and impeccably crafted, so there’s no secret about why you would want to preserve yours. There are so many memories tied up in that dress, and it would be such a waste to toss it after the big day ends! We’ll go over some of the dos and don’ts of preserving your wedding dress so that it retains its beauty for you or whoever you may want to pass it down to.

DO: Use a Reputable Cleaning Service

Not every cleaning service knows how to handle something as delicate as a wedding dress. Your regular dry cleaner likely won’t cut it. Taking your dress to a reliable cleaning service as soon as possible is the first step toward preserving it for the long haul. A cleaning service with experience in cleaning wedding dresses will be your best bet.

DO: Store Away From Light, Heat, and Moisture

While you should put your dress in a garment bag, that alone won’t be enough to protect it. Light, heat, and moisture will be your worst enemies, so consider where you plan to store the dress. Your attic is far too prone to these things, so don’t rely on it to keep your dress safe.

DO: Use pH-Neutral Materials for Storage

You’ll also want to cover your dress in acid-free tissue and find a place that is neutral in terms of pH balance. Even an environment that is slightly acidic can erode the delicate fabrics of a wedding dress over time.

DON’T: Hang Up Your Gown Long-Term

Hanging your dress up is a bad idea. Normal clothes aren’t left alone for years at a time, but a wedding dress that you keep on a hanger will lose its shape and put pressure on the seams. If you want to keep your dress the same shape, leave it off the clothes hanger.

DON’T: Rely on Plastic Dress Covers

In the dos and don’ts of preserving your wedding dress, this one tip is arguably the most important. Many people believe that plastic dress covers are safe to use, but that’s a myth. They don’t allow for changes in humidity, which can lead to mold growth, and they can fade over time, dropping particles onto the dress and exposing it to harmful light that can discolor it.

DON’T: Leave Your Dress Near Other Clothes or Fabrics

Dyes and fabrics from other pieces of clothing can have an effect on your dress if left near one another for too long. This is because of the extremely delicate materials that make up most wedding dresses. Keep it separate from other clothes and fabrics using acid-free mediums, and it will be fine.

On top of preserving your wedding dress, you’ll want to have beautiful pictures of your special day. Joe Curry is a professional wedding photographer in New York who understands the trials ahead of you. He can take your special day and turn it into everlasting memories that you’ll cherish forever.

Rustic Pizza Joint Wedding-Porta-New Jersey

by Joey Curry | Apr 20, 2022 | Uncategorized

Church Ceremony in Ridgewood, New Jersey

The first zoom call I had with RJ and Lissett I knew something rad was happening. Their love for each other was apparent and the meeting was flawless. Lissett was confident and knew what she wanted, but was also very open and laid back, which is such a great trait in a bride. I learned that RJ loves fishing and has a Mom tattoo. I adopted him as a friend without any say in the matter from him (hey, it’s hard to make friends at 38!!).

They were splitting their Wedding into two different days. The first day was a traditional church ceremony in Ridgewood, New Jersey. I don’t shoot too many of these, not by choice, but I think church weddings are happening less and less these days. It was a beautiful ceremony in the church Lissett has attended her whole life.

Wedding Prep at the Jersey Shore

A few days later we hit the beach! I met my 2nd photographer at Chat & Nibble down in Asbury Park. We had an excellent breakfast and chatted about the day ahead of us. We then headed out to the Bride & Grooms rented Air BnB’s, both a few minutes away.

The house that Lissett and her girls had was awesome. Lots of good light and great photo opportunities. I was happy to meet Olivia, a flower girl who was celebrating her birthday on this same day! Her and her sister were adorable and we had a pretty serious discussion on unicorns. I am still waiting for my unicorn bathrobe!

We took some really great shots and got ready to head to the boardwalk for formals.

Wedding Formals on the Jersey Shore

The beach was gorgeous! One of our first nice days of the year. I almost dropped everything and went surfing!! With a beautiful day like this comes every photographers worst nightmare (well, one of them…): harsh afternoon sunlight. NOOOOOOO!! RJ wanted these pictures on the boardwalk and I wanted to give them to him. Luckily Jesse, my 2nd shooter, was there to help me tackle this issue and came up with a perfect solution and the result was great family photos. Sean, the best man wanted to get out on the jetty for a few photos with the guys, too. I am glad we listened to him because that gave us a few great images.

Wedding Ceremony at Porta-Asbury Park

Ceremony #2: Short and sweet!! But 1st I have to talk about Porta. When the couple told me this wedding was at a pizza joint down the shore, I may have had an internal groan….man was I wrong! This place is so awesome. As soon as I walked in, it was one of those places I mentally added to a ‘come back later’ list. It was huge and open inside with lots of outside seating too. Big long family style tables outside of a huge bar, and very rustic. We were led to one of the back rooms where they hold many weddings and I was immediately enthralled with this place. The first thing you notice is the incredibly unique animal paintings on the wall. Cats, Rams, Chimps etc all dressed to the nines in old, huge, victorian-style paintings. Just amazing and hilarious. Also,a ceiling full of disco balls, lots of natural light coming from the open garage doors at the back of the room and a big bar. The food they put out for cocktail was sooo delicious. Fresh mozzarella with sea salt and olive oil? Yes, Please!!

The ceremony got started and as I mentioned, it was short and sweet. The staff were on top of the organization and everything ran very smoothly. Thanks Peyton and Elizabeth at Porta. We nailed the ceremony and got to Cocktail and Reception.

…and then there was an epic party!!! (keep scrolling for the best cake cutting)

I was so happy to get to spend the day with these two. They were so nice and laid back. Weddings can be stressful, photos can be stressful and these two just seemed to enjoy themselves, the day, and most importantly each other the entire day.

Sidenote: They invited me to a BBQ this summer….FRIENDS!! Nailed it.

Thanks Lissett & RJ