Wedding Dress Preservation

Wedding dress preservation for the next generation is a topic on the mind of many brides after the honeymoon. You’ve had your big day, opened the last of the gifts, and tucked away that special piece of wedding cake for your first anniversary. But your dress, the item that you spent hundreds of hours poring over, is now just hanging in your closet.
Many brides choose to have their dress preserved, so that any future daughters or nieces might have a chance to wear a family heirloom gown. It’s a beautiful way to pay homage to the happily ever after you just started. So how exactly do you go about doing wedding dress preservation for the next generation?
Step One: Clean
Before your dress can be preserved, you need to make sure that it is cleaned. Minute sweat stains, or little places where grease from crumbs went unnoticed, can have an effect on the fabric of your dress if left long term. If your dress has delicate lace detail, or is made of a material like silk, it might be best to go to a professional cleaner to have this step performed. During this process, you may wish to ask the cleaner to inspect your gown for missing buttons, snags, bent hooks, or any other small repairs that need to be fixed before you continue with the preservation. Here at Prestige Custom Cleaners, we have a pre-spot process that we begin with, and then we will delicately clean even the most precious of materials. We finish the cleaning step with a good press, so your dress is now wear-ready.
Step Two: Kit or Service
After the cleaning is performed, you need to choose if you’re going to purchase a kit to send your gown to a cleaner, or hire a local service to preserve your gown. Wedding dress preservation is nothing to take lightly. This is one of the most important garments you’ve probably ever owned, so consider carefully.
If you were willing to spend hundreds, or even thousands, on the gown, it may be best to trust this step to the professionals that you already know. Whichever you choose, the next step involves sealing your gown in a protective casing that can then be stored away for years to come. We’ve been doing this process for over 30 years, and know exactly how to treat your perfect wedding dress. You need to be sure that your gown is enclosed in a case made of acid-free material. While some brides find the idea of storing their gown in a hope chest to be appealing, wood is very acidic, and can harm your gown’s fabric. Tissue paper in the casing will ensure that any creases in your dress’ fabric don’t become permanent.
After Preservation
After you’ve had your gown perfectly preserved, you must store it in the right place. Be sure that it’s kept somewhere that doesn’t suffer from an insect infestation or from mice or other pests that may be able to burrow into your casing. You also need to avoid places with humid air like basements, which can result in mildew and rusted hooks.
If you have any other questions, we’d be happy to answer them any time, and help you get started with your wedding dress preservation.