Most local dry cleaners will take in wedding gowns to clean. Before you take
your cherished wedding gown to a local dry cleaner do some investigating first.
Ask local area bridal stores if and who they recommend locally. Most bridal
salons send out their wedding gowns to a professional
wedding gown preservation
company. Here’s why!
Local dry cleaners usually place your wedding gown in their dry cleaning machine
with all the other items to be done. There may be suits, colored dresses,
slacks, blouses and other mixed fabrics in with your wedding gown.
Many years ago there were special required courses for dry cleaners to take to
learn how to properly care for wedding gowns and other specialty garments before
they opened up their store. These required courses are no longer required for
dry-cleaners to operate. It’s too bad because that experience is very valuable.
Finding an experienced dry cleaner who really does know how to care for
different types of fabrics and garments is difficult, especially for delicate
wedding gowns. Silk can especially be difficult, it chafes easily and can easily
be damaged, especially when trying to remove any stains.
Some solvents that dry-cleaners use can melt some beads and sequins. Some times
if the beads and sequins are glued on the solvents can dissolve the glue which
leads to a real mess.
Many local dry-cleaners have minimum wage employees with very little training.
Who is really going to clean your dress and how much training or direction do
they have when doing it?
Your local dry-cleaner will place you gown in a box - doubtful if the box is a
special acid free box - and they give the wedding gown to you - cleaned.
A professional wedding gown preservation company has a thoroughly trained staff.
Wedding gowns is all they do. Your
wedding dress is cleaned, only with other
wedding gowns. Special attention is taking for the hem and bodice areas for
extra dirt and body oils accumulate. Spot cleaning is done with the right
chemicals and proper methods.
Your wedding gown is also given a special “anti-sugar” treatment to make sure
any wine, cake or other food stains will not yellow.
Your wedding gown will also be hand steamed and pressed, placed on a special
bust form and placed in an acid free box. Then shipped to you fully protected in
an outer shipping box.
An you’ll receive a guarantee - look for at least a 20 year guarantee from any
wedding gown preservation service you are considering.
Go to the different websites offering wedding gown preservation. Check them out.
Study their process and their guarantee. Look for price. Many times prices can
vary $30-$90 for exactly the same service. Don’t be fooled into thinking if you
pay more you’ll be a better gown preservation.
Have your wedding gown preserved. It’s a cherished memory that can last
throughout the years.
By Erlene Clifton
Testimonials
"Thank you. This will be the second time I have used your service. The first time was almost seven years ago--when I got married. My daughter just wore the dress on a cruise ship wedding (January 7th) and the dress looked as good as it did on the original day! I plan to preserve it again in the event my second daughter decides to wear it at some point. Thanks for a great job!"
Karen - Baldwinsville, NY
"I had a beautiful fair tale
wedding! The only thing less than perfect at the end of the night was my
gown. I ended up with cake icing, grass stains and tar on my gown.
Thank you Wedding Gown Preservation So. for doing such a GREAT job in getting my
gown clean and looking wonderful in the chest" Shannon
Guevin Boston, MA
"I just wanted to let you guys
know that I received my dress and it looks wonderful in the box. And I am
so glad that I can now keep my gown for a lifetime without having to worry about
it getting ruined. You guys did an excellent job. I will recommend
you to all of my friends." Michelle Perkins,
MI