Wedding Dress Preservation

By Amy Hoover

After the vows have been exchanged and the last dance twirled, many brides are left wondering what to do with their dress. While some choose to sell or donate their dress, many decide they would like to preserve their dress for a vow renewal or future generation. Preserving a dress is simple enough once you find the right company to do it.

Dress Preservation Companies

If you're unsure of where to begin, start with the wedding shop that sold you the dress. In most cases, they'll handle the cleaning and wedding dress preservation themselves. Unless you agreed to it prior to the purchase of your gown, the cost is additional. If the shop doesn't have cleaning facilities it will send the dress to an outside cleaning service. This can be costly, so look for alternatives if this is the case at your bridal boutique.

Before you commit to a particular company for your gown preservation, find out exactly what is included. Some may allow you to include a shawl, gloves or veil with the dress, while others charge an additional fee for these items. Also, make sure the dress is cleaned and pressed before it is preserved at whichever company you choose.

Dry Cleaners and Alteration Specialists

Dry cleaners are a major source of dress preservation for many brides. If you have a trusted cleaner, ask about their dress preservation. Often, this can be cheaper than paying the boutique to preserve the dress.

Alteration specialists and tailors with their own shops may have their own preservation services. Find out if they include cleaning with the preservation or if they just offer the preservation service before you use their services.

Online Preservation

The Internet makes everything easy, including preserving your wedding dress. If you happened to buy your dress online, the preservation may be included from the retailer where you bought the gown. Otherwise, look online for places like the following:

BridalKare International, which has a helpful video explaining the entire process.
Heritage Garment Preservation, a Better Business Bureau accredited retailer.
WedClean, which offers online tracking of your gown.

Newlyweds who used online preservation services can also recommend the companies they used. Check ratings out at the Better Business Bureau and check wedding forums and websites for reviews. Take photographs of the dress before you send it in, so you have documentation of the dress condition prior to shipping. Make sure you read all the fine print in the contract and that the company has live help via telephone in case you have any questions regarding your gown. Finally, make sure you ship the dress using a method with tracking, in order to have proof of delivery to the company.

Gown Cleaning

Stains, small tears and other marks should be noted before cleaning. Write a list of wine spills, lipstick stains or mud that was encrusted into the lace hem. This way, the cleaning specialist can be sure to get everything out. However, keep in mind that some stains or tears may not be 100 percent repairable. If you did a trash the dress session, do not expect to get your gown back in pre-trash condition.

Also advise the professional of the details of the wedding itself. Was it outdoors? Was it on the beach? Certain elements can cause a reaction with the dry cleaning solvent. If your dress was exposed to anything out of the ordinary, be sure to disclose the details.

Wedding Dress Storage

Once the dress is cleaned and pressed, you'll have it returned to you in a sealed box. Make sure the box is air tight and no moisture is trapped inside. Don't store the dress anywhere it can be exposed to dampness, mold or mildew such as a basement, garage or attic.

Preserve Wedding Day Memories

It's not enough to hang your wedding dress in a closet and forgetting about it for thirty years. Make sure you take the proper steps to protect it against insects, mold and fading. With luck, your dress will be worn again by someone special and look as good as it did when you first wore it.