Signature Grand Weddings

When a bride-to-be picks out her wedding gown, she envisions her daughter wanting to wear that dress to her own wedding in years to come.  So when the rice has been thrown, the gifts have been opened and the wedding day has come and gone, what do brides to with that very special dress?  Whether it’s for future generations to enjoy the gown or to keep as a reminder of that day, every bride should have the gown professionally cleaned preserved.  Preferably, this should be done within 30 days of the reception.

Before that cleaning process begins make sure to duly note and discuss any and all stains incurred on your wedding day with your cleaner. Be sure to stress before any "heroic" steps are taken to remove stubborn stains, that the cleaner disclose exactly what risks you would be taking by doing so. Not all fabrics handle well under the pressure of extreme cleaning solvents and neither do a lot of different types of beading. Using the services of a knowledgeable wedding dress cleaner will go a long way to ensuring your peace of mind that the dress will emerge as beautiful as it was on the day of your wedding.

Once cleaned, the dress must be readied for storage and should never be enclosed in plastic or hermetically sealed. Gases created and trapped by the plastic could cause unsightly staining or yellowing of the gown. Instead the gown should be wrapped and stored in tissues and boxes that are acid and lignin free such as those used by museums when storing archival textiles.

Acid free tissue should also be used between the folds of the dress so as to avoid causing permanent wrinkles or fold lines.

Once boxed, your storage location for your dress should be chosen carefully. Basements or attics where humidity and temperature vary greatly are not ideal conditions. Rather, boxes should be stored in bedroom or linen closets or even under a bed where air can gently circulate to give a consistent and stable environment.

Once stored, experts suggest airing the dress out to inspect it every 5-7 years to ensure the lasting quality and integrity of the fabric, and to ensure that new aging stains have not emerged as time elapses. If new stains are spotted, another trip to your drycleaners is in order before the careful professional repackaging of the dress for its next 5-7 year period.