Essential Things You Should Know About Preserving Your Wedding Gown

The options for what brides can do with their wedding dress after the ceremony nowadays are endless. Some repurpose their dress by turning it into a cocktail attire or lingerie. Others do photoshoots and trash their dress with color bombs.

However, most brides prefer to keep their gown because of sentimental attachment they have to it, such as memories, love, celebrations, and other happy moments. These are some reasons brides preserve their wedding dress.

Designers create wedding gowns with intricate and subtle detailing. These beautiful designs make it difficult for you to wash your dress like any other piece of clothing. If you want to make sure your wedding dress lasts a lifetime, the best way to do so is by cleaning and preserving it.

You’ll risk having your dress turn yellow, a permanent crease set in, mildew and mold takeover amongst other things that can cause your dress to change from the once beautiful dress you wore on your wedding day.

If you’re looking for more information about wedding gown preservation, keep reading.

The Cost of Preserving Your Wedding Gown

When you’re planning your budget for purchasing your wedding dress, keep the cost of preserving it in mind. The average preservation kit costs anywhere from $250 to $800.

Dry Cleaning versus Preserving Your Dress

Preserving your wedding dress isn’t a one size fits all issue. The first step to getting your wedding gown preserved is to have an experienced specialist assess it. The specialist will then create a treatment method specifically for your dress type. They will also analyze the stains that may run along the hemline.

Many dry cleaner shops do special cleanings for wedding dresses. However, before you decide which to choose, ensure you vet the services they offer. You should also ensure you find a cleaner that uses virgin solvents rather than one that’s recycled. Unfortunately, recycled solvents have impurities that can get re-deposited onto the dress, leaving them with a funky odor.

You must only clean your wedding dresses with a natural or virgin solvent. Doing your research before choosing a cleaner will keep you abreast of their policies so you’ll know what you’re getting yourself into. In case there are any damages done to your wedding gown, the cleaner must be able to replace the dress, and not just the fees for preserving it.

One major piece of information that you should know is how long your gown will stay in a pristine condition after being preserved.

Tips for Preserving Your Wedding Dress

Getting rid of invisible stains that are on your wedding dress - The spills that cause the most problems with your wedding dress are the ones you can’t see. One stain that dries clear but will dry over time but becomes a dark brown color over time is white wine.

You may think your dress is ok after a wine spill, but it won’t look the same in five to six months. This happens because Latin wine darkens over time. Also, if you store your gown in an area where there’s a lot of heat, the stain will darken even faster.

However, a wedding dress cleaner specialist can spot these stains even if the stains are not visible. After careful examination, the specialist will determine the best method to get rid of the stains.

The label on your dress matters - While people often ignore the labels that come attached to their clothes, the ones attached to a wedding dress are very important. So, you must pay keen attention to it. You must follow anything that is written on it.

Some instructions on your dress might state that you can only dry clean the dress with certain types of solvents.

Timing is everything - Getting your dress professionally cleaned is the first step in preparing your dress for preservation. While some brides wait between five to six weeks before taking their wedding gown to the cleaners, that shouldn’t be the case. If you wait that long, the stains will start setting good in the material.

Storing your wedding dress in a cool place - As soon as your wedding gown is properly cleaned, you should look for the best place to store it. You should ensure that wherever you store it, there’s no direct sunlight hitting it because sunlight will change the color to a light yellow. It doesn’t matter where you’re living, never hang your dress on a regular hanger as it will cause it to lose its shape.

Also, you shouldn’t store your dress in zip-up bags as they were made to keep in moisture. This will cause your dress to get discolored.

Doing Your Own DIY Preservation

If you ever thought about preserving your wedding dress, these steps below will help you preserve your gown.

Whenever you’re handling the dress, you must always use a white cotton glove
You can use a gentle toothbrush or a soft bristle brush to get rid of stains on your dress
Ensure that you do a spot check in an area that won’t show on your dress. This will ensure that your dress won’t be harmed
Never use bleach on your wedding dress in an attempt to clean it. You will risk damaging the fabric permanently
After cleaning your dress, ensure that you wrap it in tissue papers that are acid free
You can also place the dress in an acid-free bag and hang it in a cool, dry area
Every two years, you should check on your dress to ensure that it’s staying clean and safe
Never store your dress in areas such as the attic, cellars, or basement

Conclusion

Your wedding gown will start changing color once you take it out of the store. Once you wear your wedding dress, ensure you get it to the cleaners quickly. There are multiple ways to get your dress cleaned and preserved. Therefore, sending it to Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation can be the difference between losing your beautiful gown and keeping it forever.