Blog/News

Have You Dreamed About the Perfect Maine Wedding?

Imagine that dream coming true—without you having to pay for it! That's the real-life magic behind the Real Maine Wedding of the Year contest. Every year, Real Maine Weddings magazine gives one lucky couple a $100,000 dream wedding.  They partner with some of  the best wedding vendors in Maine to help plan and execute the big event, and we're proud  to be one of them. We contribute Wedding Garment Care, including on-site care and wedding dress cleaning and preservation. 

Winners of the Real Maine Wedding of the Year are chosen by public vote. The public also has the chance to vote on nearly every aspect of the wedding, including the wedding dress, favors, and more. This makes the experience fun and interactive, and lets the winning couple crowdsource the very best planning advice.

As the 2018 contest gets underway, let's take a look back at #RMW2017. 

All images are courtesy of the amazing photographers at Russell Caron Wedding Photography and Kim Chapman Photography. 

Get the Best Alterations Around

Pratt Abbott’s alteration department consists of five talented tailors who work to care for our customers’ garments. In South Portland, we have Muriellyn and Nhung. Darlene and Julianna  work at Forest Ave. And Linda works in Biddeford. Together, they mend or alter hundreds of garments per week. 

How to Care for Holiday Table Linens

At the many family dinners, festive parties, and neighborhood open houses this holiday season, you want your table to look perfect. Many linens are special, especially when they are gifts or heirlooms handed down from generation to generation. But unfortunately, even on holidays, people have "accidents" and spill food and drinks. As a result, knowing how to properly care for your linens becomes especially important.

Maine's 35th Coats for Kids campaign

Pratt Abbott is thrilled to kick off Maine's 35th annual Coats for Kids campaign in partnership with the Salvation Army, WCSH/WLBZ Channel 6 News, Hannaford, Shaw's, Pepsico and the Maine Bankers' Association. Coats for Kids collects and distributes gently-used coats to Maine's low-income youth. Now is the time to go through your cold-weather gear and set aside items that don't fit or you never wear. Don't worry about sizes—big kids need coats, too! 

What is velvet?

Velvet is one of fall and winter’s fashion favorites, especially crushed velvets and velvet garments with decorative trim. Many types of apparel are made of velvet, including pants, dresses, gowns, coats, capes, and jackets. Velvet is also popular for household items, such as furniture covers and drapes.

How Important is Wedding Photography?

Your wedding photographs are almost more important than your wedding itself. After all, your actual wedding day will fly by for you, but the pictures will last a lifetime. That's why you’re probably budgeting a hefty amount for your wedding photographer. You know it’s money well spent. But you don’t want to go all out and then be disappointed with your wedding images. That’s why we’ve created the Ultimate Guide to Fabulous Wedding Photographs. Follow our tips and you’ll be thrilled with the results.

Getting ready for another year of school almost always calls for at least one shopping trip.

Whether you're a teacher, parent, or college student you've got some looking good to do
this year. The most important thing for students is to be comfortable in what they're wearing. That allows the mind to focus on learning rather than self-awareness.

One of the world’s biggest soap manufacturers, Procter & Gamble, says people do their laundry improperly by not sorting loads, overloading machines, and washing clothes too often.

People spend more time doing wash now than 50 years ago, but research shows the clothes are coming out less clean and more worn than elsewhere in the world.

When it comes to stains, there are some instances where it is better tolet your drycleaner do the work. This applies especially if the stains are numerous or cover a large area, if the stains require a chemical procedure for which you are not equipped, if the fabric is fragile or highly sized, or if you are not sure what the stain is or have doubts about the fabric. However, you can often remove small stains satisfactorily at home.

There has never been a better time to get married, fashion-wise. Whether you love traditional wedding dress styles or prefer edgier looks (like pants!), bridal fashion for 2018 has something stunning for everyone.