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Welcome to
Wedding Gown Preservation Advice |
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Wedding
Gown Preservation: How To Choose
Take the
mystery out of wedding dress preservation.
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Do you want to
preserve your wedding gown for the next generation? Maybe you simply want a
wedding gown preservation to save the memory of your big day. Brides who want a
wedding dress preservation either want to keep their dress as a family heirloom
to be passed down to future generations, or they may want to sell it. Some will
eventually make it into a Christening outfit for their children. If you want to
keep your dress – and keep it in good condition – you will have to
get it cleaned and preserved by an expert in wedding gown preservation. Here
are some tips to make sure your wedding gown preservation will not disappoint
you.
Many brides just use the wedding dress preservation company or
cleaner recommended by the bridal shop where they purchased their gown. Before
you trust your gown to them you should do a little research and ask questions
about the reputation and experience of the cleaner. You should trust your gown
to dry cleaners who have experience with bridal gown preservation and process
the dresses in house, rather than shipping them somewhere else.
Before
ordering a wedding gown preservation, ask if the cleaner offers a guarantees.
Ask if the cleaner will permit you to inspect the gown before it's sealed in
the box. Its the only way to protect yourself if the gown comes back and it's
not your gown, or has not actually been cleaned or stored properly.
You
should expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $500, depending on the level of
service you require and the type of dress you purchased. When you bring or ship
your dress to a wedding gown preservation company or dry cleaner that provides
this service, a staff person will examine the fabric, beading, and other
details to determine how to best clean it. Every gown is different.
The
most important part of the dress is the hem because it is usually the most
soiled. Dirt from the dance floor, parking lots and any other place you may
have walked is sure to attach itself to the dress. Most professionals scrub the
hem by hand. The biggest problems are grass, mud, perspiration and body oils,
make-up, and invisible sugar stains (from wedding cake, soda or wine). Some of
the most difficult stains to remove are red wine and White-Out, which some
brides use to cover up small stains on the wedding day.
Failure to
remove sugar stains is the biggest reason for a wedding gown to yellow over
time. Conventional dry cleaning does not remove these sugar stains. Be sure the
company you choose for your wedding dress preservation has a system in place to
get the sugar stains out.
After the dress is cleaned and pressed, the
next step is the actual preservation. The cleaner folds it and places acid free
tissue paper between the folds. The dress is then placed in an acid-free chest
with a display window. Sometimes, accessories, such as veils and garters are
cleaned and preserved as well and placed in the box with the dress. Not any old
pretty preservation chest will do. The chest the cleaner uses must be of high
quality construction, and it must be acid free. Depending on the cleaner you
use, the processing time could be anywhere from three to six weeks. Don't rush
the cleaner. Every gown is different, and they require careful
handling.
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