Pulled off your dream wedding? Huge congrats, girl! You did it! 

Now that the celebration has ended, you are left with one beautiful souvenir of it: your timeless wedding dress! 

A little dirt on the hem, some cake on the bodice- sounds like you celebrated hard– just as every epic wedding should be! 

Now it’s time your treasured love should be pampered with an effective professional cleaning session, right? But the question is – can you trust any dry cleaner with your big-day dress? 

That’s risky business! 

Think about it—local dry cleaners may be great for your officewear, winterwear, or even that coffee-stained sofa cushion.

But with your wedding dress? It’s indeed a whole different story! 

What if the cleaner you choose messes with your dress because of negligence, poor technology, or lack of expertise in handling various dress styles? 

This is why asking the right questions is essential before you entrust anyone with your gown. So, we have this blog, consisting of eleven essential questions to ask to ensure your gown stays flawlessly spotless and ready to grab all the limelight again, even decades later! 

11 Essential Questions to Ask Your Dry Cleaner Before Trusting Them With the Wedding Dress

1. Will my dress be cleaned in-house or sent to a different facility?

Before committing to a cleaner, ask if your gown will be cleaned in-house or sent away. Local dry cleaners may outsource bridal dress dry cleaning to third-party facilities due to a lack of specialized technology, adding an extra charge. 

So, why not save some bucks and order cleaning and preservation kits directly from Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation? We pride ourselves on doing everything in-house, ensuring a more reliable and controlled cleaning process. 

This way, we maintain high standards of quality and consistency, providing the utmost satisfaction that your bridal gown is handled with utmost care. 

2. What cleaning methods do you use, and are they safe for my dress’s fabric and embellishments?

Every wedding gown is crafted differently, including fabric, embellishments, or detailing. A big red flag with many local dry cleaners is using PERC (Perchloroethylene), a harmful chemical that can cause severe, permanent damage to delicate fabrics and embellishments.

So, pick a service that has upgraded to more advanced, eco-friendly cleaning solutions. We at the Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation use German-engineered SYSTEMK4 Cleaning technology. 

This eco-friendly solution is not only gentle on delicate fabrics but also incredibly effective in eradicating the toughest set-in stains.

3. How will my dress be stored during and after cleaning and preservation?

How your dress is stored after cleaning is critical to its long-term preservation. Local cleaners typically pack dresses in plastic bags, which can trap moisture, eventually causing discoloration, mold build-up, or yellowing. 

In contrast, we offer top-tier protection by packing simple wedding gowns using acid—and lignin-free tissue paper. We also use a UV-coated Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) peeping panel, which allows you to check on your gown inside the preservation box without exposing it to harmful light. 

To prevent shifting, an acid-free preservation bust holds the gown in place. Not only this but with three box sizes tailored to different dress styles, we offer comprehensive protection to preserve your gown’s structure for generations.

4. Will the gown be inspected for risks before cleaning?

Local cleaners might not take the time to properly assess your dress before cleaning it. They may overlook small tears, loose beading, or other issues requiring extra attention.

Without a thorough inspection, these problems could worsen during the cleaning process. But, in our case, as your dress arrives with us, our experts conduct a detailed inspection of it beforehand, identifying any weak areas that might need extra care. 

5. Do you provide a guarantee on your work?

When entrusting someone with your wedding gown, you want to be confident that they stand behind the work. Many local dry cleaners don’t offer any guarantees if your dress is damaged during the cleaning process. Without it, you could find yourself stuck if the worst happens, without recourse for damages. 

On the contrary, we offer a 100-year guarantee, with a commitment to preservation that ensures no future yellowing or deterioration over time.

This type of peace of mind is hard to come by when relying on general dry cleaning businesses.

6. Can I get insurance in case my gown gets damaged during the process?

Even with the best services, accidents can happen. That is why it is a good idea to inquire whether the cleaner provides Insurance to cover potential damages during the entire process. 

Look for cleaners that prioritize insurance as a standard part of their service, as the Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation does. We offer coverage to keep your dress secure during the transit. Also, no matter which kit you order, each one comes with a built-in insurance amount. 

The Traditional Kit comes with $2,000 of coverage, and the Celebrity Kit includes $3,000.  If you’d like extra protection, you can easily add additional insurance when you purchase your kit or when it arrives. 

7. Does your service include both cleaning and preservation?

Some services may only offer cleaning, leaving preservation up to you. Well, it’s entirely your personal choice to pick either cleaning or preservation or both! 

But if you want to keep your gown safe from fading, yellowing, or fabric damage, pick a service that includes wedding dress dry cleaning and boxing as well. 

With this level of care, you can relax, knowing the dress you spent so much time choosing will be perfectly preserved, ready to be a family treasure.

8. Are your staff trained with the latest cleaning techniques?

Every wedding season brings some of the most popular wedding dresses adorned with fresh styles, silhouettes, and details. It is crucial to ask if the service you have picked has experts who are updated and trained well with not only vintage elements but also modern embellishments. 

A service that is committed to continuous staff education and training can easily handle any gown. This definitely gives you a feeling of assurance that your precious treasure is in safe hands, no matter how unique it is.  

9. Do you offer cleaning and preservation for accessories as well?

Accessories also deserve the same level of attention and care as your wedding attire. It is indeed a fact that many dry cleaning service providers focus solely on the gown, neglecting accessories like veils, gloves, etc. 

But think about it—don’t your accessories complete the entire look? Would you like to leave your accessories behind? No, right? So, preserve them to ensure your entire bridal attire is as perfect as you wore it for the first time. 

So, make sure the service you choose offers care for all your wedding day essentials, not just your dress! In our case, no matter which kit you order, you will receive cleaning and preservation of five wedding day accessories (veil, garter, etc.) at no extra cost. 

10. Can I view your portfolio of past preservation work?

If your local dry cleaner does not have a portfolio showing their past preservation work, it is a red flag; do not trust them with your gown! Your wedding gown is a priceless asset, isn’t it? 

So, it deserves to be in the hands of a trusted, reputable company that will always be happy to share examples of their past projects to build your trust and confidence.

Click here to check out our wedding gown restoration gallery, which includes before-and-after pictures of several wedding dresses. You'll be blown away by how even the most damaged gowns are brought back to life, restoring their original beauty!

11. Is your service a fixed price, or does it vary?

Okay, asking the dry cleaning company upfront for a clear breakdown is excellent, so you’ll know exactly what to expect regarding the wedding dress cleaning and preservation cost. 

Well, no two wedding attires are the same, right? Some are simple yet elegant, while some are classic and heavily embellished. Hence, a one-size-fits-all pricing approach may not suit every gown.

We also have a different pricing structure for our cleaning and preservation kits. The Celebrity Kit is crafted specifically for couture gowns, while the Traditional Wedding Dress Cleaning + Preservation Kit is ideal for a mid-range boutique gown. 

The Restoration Wedding Dress Preservation Kit is tailored for gowns over 20 years old and focuses on careful restoration. The Clean Only Wedding Dress Kit prepares your dress for resale or reuse, ensuring it’s refreshed and ready for another wear.

Keeping the Magic Alive: Questions that Count!

To sum up, taking a little extra time to ask these questions can be the difference between a quick dry clean and a truly cared-for keepsake. 

You are not just choosing a dry cleaner–you’re selecting a preservation expert who truly understands what your dress means to you! After all, your gown also deserves the same special treatment it gave you on your big day!

So, why settle for anything less than the best? Let Trusted Wedding Gown Preservation take care of your bridal attire with expertise and care that honors every detail. 

Get started today!