Different women have various reasons for preserving their wedding dresses. Some want to hand them down to their daughters and grand daughters while others simply want to keep them as souvenirs. Some want to sell them while others want to lend it to friends or relatives.
I have my own reasons for my very own wedding dress preservation. Tops is because the hubby and I spent a lot of time, money and effort just to have my dream come true, so why let it go to waste? I treat it with reverence because it was the dress I wore when I exchanged vows with him. And yes, I want to preserve it not only for my daughters and grand daughters but for myself, too. I want to wear it on our silver and golden wedding anniversary (fingers crossed).
That’s why on the day I wore it, I took extra care of it so that it won’t be so hard to clean and preserve. Here’s what I did:
1. I removed the stains immediately
Oh yes, no matter how brides try their best, there’s always a chance that a dollop of icing, wine or cosmetics will leave their traces on the wedding dress. And yes, it did happen to me. Well, it was my wedding day and I had every right to enjoy every moment of it – stains included. I had the wisdom (courtesy of my mom) to dip a white hanky in a saucer of water to remove most of the stains immediately.
2. I got rid of my sweat
As most of us know, perspiration is a mixture of water and body oils which can be difficult to remove after a few days. And brides do get too sweaty what with all the excitement and activities – checking on guests, posing for pictures and some dancing, too. So I used armpit guards to absorb sweat in the most problematic area – the underarm. I smelled fresher, felt drier and unworried about leaving sweat stains in those areas of my gown. Yes, that’s the way to go if you’ve got a dress with sleeves. And yes, I did wipe my sweat away with a soft cotton hanky to prevent my makeup and perspiration from ruining the neckline of my beautiful gown.
But of course, no matter how I tried to protect my dress, there were just some things that I had no control over, like the mud and grass stains on my skirt. So how did I go about my wedding dress preservation? Simple. I took it to the pros.
Why I Trust The Experts
Somebody asked me why I had to take my wedding dress to the cleaners when I can do it myself for free. I smiled and asked her why she had to take her car to the cleaners. She replied, “Well, that’s different. Cars are expensive investments that need quality care.” To this, I said,”My wedding dress is more expensive than any BMW, Mercedes or Cadillac in the whole world because this is the dress I wore when I committed myself to my ultimate treasure, and that’s my husband. Therefore, it needs superior care that I might not be able to provide.”
And I have already seen what unprofessional hands can do to such a fragile garment. One case is that of a friend who was proud (and still is) of doing everything herself. She can change the tires of her car, repair the electrical wires in her home and do some mean computation of her assets in the stock market. This superwoman of a friend assumed that she can clean and preserve her wedding dress herself. So she researched, bought the necessary materials and did it herself. And she regretted it later. For what was once a beautiful gown turned into a heap of jumbled mess that proved to be an eyesore. What a waste!
Another thing that made me decide to entrust my wedding dress to the pros is because I am a garment enthusiast (I take pride in taking care of our clothes and reading a lot of articles about it). I know that wedding dresses are usually made of the most delicate materials like silk, tulle, organza and that they also have elaborate appliques, covered buttons, etc. As such, wrong handling, wrong washing and pressing can ruin its beauty.
That’s why I took it to the pros. They know how to do it and they have the right materials and equipment for doing it as well. But I didn’t choose a Wedding dress preservation expert at random. I did my research and hired the one that best fitted my needs.
How to Choose a Wedding Dress Preservation Company
Oh sure, all wedding dress preservation companies will tell you that they are the best. That’s their business. But don’t take their word for it. As they say, to see is to believe. Here are some tips on how to choose the company that can do justice to your priceless garment:
1.Opt for a local company
Doing so will save you a lot of time, money and effort as you won’t have to spend much on gasoline and other related expenses. Plus, they’ll just be an arm’s reach away if you’ll need assistance.
2. Check their website
Aside from being faster and easier, the World Wide Web has a wide list of wedding dress preservation companies or services in and out of your area. And while you’re there, go ahead and explore. Check their about page to know how long they’ve been in the business. Click their services offered tab so that you’ll have an idea of what methods they use for their preservation. It also helps to read the testimonials of previous clients.
3. Ask past customers
If the company is just around the corner, your neighbors will be your best resource for this matter. Ask them if they’ve had their special clothes done in that company and how satisfied they were about their services. If it is in the next state, you’ll be better off researching about them in Google. Chances are, there will be forums and reviews from satisfied or disgruntled costumers. Is that a little too invasive for you? Oh, that’s okay, it’s your wedding dress you’re trying to protect, after all.
4. Talk to the owner
Once you’ve done your research, it’s time to talk to the owner or manager. Ask about the products they use – do they prefer harsh chemicals? How do they go about it? What processes do they use? What kind of storage do they offer? How many accessories are they including? How much do their services cost? If they can answer all of these in a very knowledgeable manner, and if you think their rate is commensurate to their services, then go ahead and leave your priceless possession with them. Otherwise, you’ll have to do steps 2 and 3 again.
5. Inquire about insurance
Does the mention of insurance make you feel queasy? No worries! Bear in mind that companies who are confident of what they can do will never flinch about paying insurances. It’s because they know that with the type of work they do, they won’t be paying any insurance at all.
6. Learn about the methods
Okay, so the dress preservation company has assured you that your wedding gown will be treated with utmost care and attention. However, it also helps to know how they go about it, don’t you think? So we’ve included the best type of preservation as well as the methods that go with it.
How does a Good Wedding Dress Preservation Company Do it?
I’ve done a lot of research, compared data, and one technique keeps on getting mentioned in various websites. it’s nothing new, really. In fact, it has been around for some time, but we just didn’t think of it as applicable in wedding dresses.
Have you ever wondered how clothes of previous centuries survived in museums? It’s because museum garment preservation experts possess the skills, tools and materials needed for such tasks. Luckily, you don’t have to take your wedding dress to the museum for this type of preservation. There are companies that can do this, what with all the technology we have nowadays.
How does this go? Here’s a step-by-step process of what you can expect from a good wedding dress preservation company:
1. They will run a thorough check of your dress and accessories
Before accepting your dress, a preservation company will create an inventory as to the number of items you brought in. The staff will also take note of all the rips and stains. They will also cover the appliques, covered buttons, sequins and other embellishments to ensure that these won’t be ruined during the process.
2. They will clean and press it properly
This process starts by removing the stains in your dress. A good company will ask you to identify the origin of a particular stain so that they can use the necessary solvent to remove it. Once the stains have been removed, your dress will undergo dry or wet cleaning, depending on its care instructions. Ask the owner if they do the dry cleaning themselves or if they have to send it out to wholesale cleaners. If they do it themselves, rest assured that your dress is in good hands. If not, walk away. It’s because some preservation companies might send your dress to wholesale dry cleaners which use huge machines for cleaning up to 20-30 gowns simultaneously. This might damage your dress from stubborn stains from other gowns.
Your dress should be pressed according to its material. Some fabrics can tolerate direct heat while others cannot. In either case, heat must be controlled to prevent fabric damage. After pressing, they hang it in padded wire hangers until it’s ready to be folded.
3. They will preserve it well
In order to do this, an excellent wedding dress preservation company will:
- Use acid-free tissues. Do you wonder why no matter how you take care of your clothes at home, they still turn yellow after some time? It’s due to the acids that exist in the air. These acids are released in the atmosphere each time we burn fuels (yes, your car is one of the culprits) or use electricity (ha, yes, your electrical appliances release acids, too). Now these acids stick to clothes and turn them yellow over time. Another thing that can cause your gown to yellow is by placing it inside a plastic bag. Oh yes, we do this a lot, don’t we? We assume that since plastics are impenetrable, dirt and moisture won’t seep in. Yes, plastics can seal your dress well and harmful vapors as well. This is where acid-free tissues come into the picture. They protect your dress by absorbing the acids in the environment. No acids, no yellowing.
- Use flat storage. This type of container prevents your wedding dress from getting permanent creases that other kinds of storage may cause.
- Do periodical checks. This ensures that your gown gets refolded to avoid permanent creasing. They also conduct these checks to make sure that your gown is placed in a breathable environment to eliminate its chances of getting molds and mildew.
- Give you several storage options. They can offer to seal, bag or box your wedding dress. This, of course, depends upon your gown’s material and your budget as well.
Points to Remember
1. Take care of your dress during the wedding. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun times. of course, you can! Just make sure that you blot out sweat and stains immediately. It also helps to use an armpit guard to ward off the perspiration that may stain the armpit area of your gown.
2. Don’t use plastics for storing your wedding dress. If you still don’t have the funds for a proper preservation (yes, it can cost anywhere from $200-$800), then wrap it in a white muslin cloth that has never been bleached, put it in a cardboard box and place it a dry place.
3. Use a padded hanger. This hanger preserves the shape of your dress. never, ever think of using wire hangers, no matter how cheap they are.
4. Choose a good wedding dress preservation company. This will ensure that your wedding dress gets the quality treatment it deserves.
