Your wedding is over, thank you cards have been mailed, and gifts are put away. Now you’re left wondering how to preserve your wedding dress — the one garment you dreamed of for years. Left unprotected in your closet, time will dull and damage your dress, so before you head down that aisle, make sure you have plans to preserve your wedding gown so you can enjoy its beauty for years to come.
How to Preserve Your Wedding Dress
What Does It Mean to Preserve Your Dress?
When talking with a professional about how to preserve your wedding dress, remember that the goal of preserving your wedding gown is to lock it away in a safe and gentle environment. Garment bags won’t do the trick. Left exposed to the elements, many fabrics will yellow and become brittle over time. For proper preservation, an acid-free bust form and acid-neutral preservation box are typically needed. At Normans Bridal, we use Wedding Gown Preservation Co. to preserve our brides' gowns. Their specialized cleaning and treatment processes keep the dress from turning yellow without requiring an air-tight container.
Cleaning Your Gown
Your wedding day is a true celebration. Like most celebrations, things can get a little messy. While you might keep your gown free from grass stains, scuffs, and makeup smudges, some stains are invisible to the naked eye. But over time, those stains will yellow and then darken if left untreated. Don’t fret! This doesn’t mean you need to pull out the bleach pen during your reception. It just means you need to get your dress to a professional cleaner a day or two after the celebration. Stains settle into fabric and can be harder to clean and remove the longer you wait. Headed on a honeymoon? Enlist the help of a family member or bridesmaid who can be trusted to get your gown to the cleaners.
What to Keep in Mind
Talk to a Professional. If you haven’t already, be sure to talk with a professional about how to preserve your wedding dress. Dry cleaners are typically not able to handle the delicate work required to clean and repair bridal fabrics and detailing. To give your dress the love it deserves, talk with a professional about how to preserve your dress and ask which chemicals they use during the cleaning process. In addition, ask if they provide a warranty.
Ask About the Refund Policy. The last thing you want is for your stunning gown to be ruined during the cleaning process. While some businesses refund the cost of the cleaning and preservation, they will not refund the cost of the dress itself. Do yourself a favor and ask about the business’s refund policy.
Read the Gown's Tag. While you’re at it, take a peek at your gown’s tag. Most gowns will list care and washing instructions. Go over this information with the professional who is cleaning and preserving your gown.
When to Start Planning
Your to-do list is likely already daunting, but it’s important to select a professional who can care for your gown before the big day. Not only will this save you time and worry after the wedding, but it will also provide some peace of mind should a stain appear on your gown during the celebration. Should that happen, don’t try to remove the stain yourself without doing some thorough research. If you’re the kind of bride-to-be who plans ahead, check out this . Because we understand the importance of understanding how to preserve your wedding gown, Normans Bridal partners with a specialized cleaner, Wedding Gown Preservation Co., who only works on wedding gowns. Brides can pick up a preservation kit from us and have it ready to go after the wedding. It comes with pre-paid shipping both ways and is very user-friendly. This service is offered to all brides, even if you don’t purchase your gown from us. But for those brides who do find their dream wedding dress at Normans Bridal, we have a special gift – a $50 coupon toward preserving your wedding gown.
If you have any questions about how to preserve or clean your wedding gown, stop by Normans Bridal any time. Our team of bridal consultants is here to assist you. Not only can they help you find your dream wedding gown, but they will also help answer any questions you might have – from caring for your dress to scheduling alterations to assembling your full bridal look from shoes to accessories. RSVP for a fitting at our downtown Springfield store by giving us a call at 417-866-9800 or contacting us through our website.
