For the outfits that only get one chance
Careful, unhurried pressing for wedding outfits, prom dresses, christening gowns and interview suits. Delicate fabrics are steamed rather than pressed, and everything comes back hung in a full-length cover.
Why this is not part of the bundle
A work shirt takes four minutes and forgives a mistake. A layered chiffon gown takes over an hour and forgives nothing — one pass with too hot an iron and the fibre is glazed permanently. Occasion work is therefore quoted per garment, booked into the diary against your event date, and deliberately never rushed to fit a 24-hour promise.
Four occasions that come round most
Weddings
Bridesmaid dresses, groomsmen's shirts, mother-of-the-bride outfits and page boy suits. Bookings are taken to the date rather than the usual turnaround, and everything is delivered into your hands on the day you need it.
Proms & formals
Chiffon, tulle and satin gowns that have hung in a wardrobe bag for months. These are steamed rather than pressed, which drops the creases without flattening the drape.
Interviews & presentations
A two-piece suit and shirt, turned round quickly and hung properly. This is the most common single-garment booking and usually fits into the next-day round.
Christenings & funerals
Often booked at very short notice and handled with that in mind. Delicate christening gowns, including inherited ones, are steamed by hand with no direct iron contact.
How each material is handled
Occasion wear is rarely one fabric. Knowing which part of a garment can take an iron and which cannot is most of the job.
Silk & satin
Steamed, never pressed directly
Direct heat glazes silk permanently. These are steamed on the hanger with the head held clear of the fabric.
Chiffon & tulle
Steamed in layers from the inside out
Layered skirts are worked from the underskirt upward so the outer layer is never crushed by the one beneath it.
Wool suiting
Pressed under a cloth
A pressing cloth prevents the shine that a bare iron leaves on wool, particularly on lapels and seat panels.
Beading & sequins
Worked around, never over
Heat lifts glued decoration and melts plastic sequins. Embellished panels are steamed from the reverse only.
Linen
Pressed damp, at high heat
Linen only holds a crisp finish while there is moisture in the fibre, so it is pressed with steam and hung immediately.
Polyester blends
Low heat, more steam
Most high-street occasion wear is a blend. Too hot an iron leaves a permanent sheen, so these run cool and slow.
Anything unfamiliar is tested on a hidden seam or an inside hem before it goes anywhere near the main body of the garment. If a fabric will not take heat safely, you get a phone call rather than a surprise.
Working backwards from your date
Occasion bookings run to the event, not to the usual next-day round. This is the schedule that works best.
- 2–3 weeks before
Get in touch
Ring or message with the date and roughly what is involved. Occasion work is booked into the diary rather than added to the daily round, so early notice matters more here than anywhere else.
- 1 week before
Collection
Bring occasion pieces out on your own hangers wherever possible rather than folded into a bag. If something has been stored in a case, that is worth mentioning — deep fold lines take longer to relax.
- 2–3 days before
Steamed and covered
Work is done unhurried, garment by garment. Everything goes straight into a full-length cover and is hung, never folded, from that point onward.
- The day before
Delivered
Returned the day before the event so there is a buffer if anything needs a second look, and so you are not waiting on a delivery on the morning itself.
Short notice? It is still worth ringing. Single suits and shirts can often be fitted into the next-day round even when the diary is otherwise full.
07979 502210“My daughter's prom dress was chiffon and I was terrified of ruining it. Chris steamed it rather than pressing it, brought it back to the door herself and talked me through how to store it until the night. It looked absolutely perfect.”
Before you hand over something irreplaceable
Everyday services
Most occasion customers are already sending a weekly bundle — it is simply added to the next collection.
Got a date in the diary?
Ring or message with the event date and what needs pressing, and you will get a firm per-garment quote before anything is collected.