Lately, we've heard quite a lot from brides who have discovered our service after being sold a cleaning and preservation plan by their local bridal boutique or corner dry cleaning service. It always makes us disappointed to learn that newlyweds have spent an astronomical amount to have their dresses cleaned and preserved, especially with all the mounting bills a newlywed couple incurs such as a new house, new furniture, etc., when they could have had an even more professional cleaning and preservation performed for a fraction of the cost. Brides have told us the prices they've been quoted have ranged from $500 to over $800 dollars! That is more money than the average bride purchases her gown for! To help you weed out the local services that are padding their pockets, and taking from yours, we'll look at what questions you need to be asking before you send your dress off to be preserved.
The MyDressbox option
The price range for our service is between $299-$399. You order a box that you will place your gown into and then send to the us. Your gown's safety is guaranteed by our free insurance, and your gown will be lovingly hand cleaned, steamed, repaired and boxed.
Contact us for wedding dress cleaning.
Individual cleaning
Having your gown hand-cleaned by a specialist on-site, while more expensive, has many advantages over your gown being sent to a factory. True gown preservationists use museum quality materials and processes to ensure a flawless final product. Many have special rooms with light, dust and humidity controls where the gowns are preserved by technicians clad in lab coats and gloves. Shores process includes a consultation and hand-cleaning by a certified gown specialist, giving the dress owner the opportunity to have the cleaned dress "revealed" before we proceed with the preservation. Once we have approval, we perform an anti-sugar treatment to ensure all stains that could cause yellowing and brown spots in the future have been removed. Then your gown is wrapped in freshly laundered muslin, surrounded with acid-free tissue paper, and placed in an acid-free and pH neutral container. Specialists will guarantee your gown's safety and provide you with a preservation guarantee against yellowing and brown spots. Pricing for this type of service can range anywhere between $300-$600, with an average cost for cleaning and preservation falling near $450 depending on your gown. Pricing can also vary slightly depending on the market you are in.
There are certain factors that cause the price of cleaning and preservation to go up. Fabric content: Natural fibres such as silk require a different level of expertise and time when it comes to stain removal and cleaning. Trim and construction: intricate trim and cuttings need to be protected and sometimes removed and replaced to ensure against damage which increases the labour involved in cleaning a gown. Damage in need of repair will incur alteration charges. Significant staining could incur restoration charges. In general, a silk couture gown will be on the higher side of average, and a synthetic gown from a retailer would be on the lower side of average to clean and preserve.
Alternatively, contact us for wedding dress dry cleaning.
How much does a wedding dress cleaning cost?
The price for wedding dress cleaning varies from region to region and from company to company. Straight cleaning of a gown without preservation techniques typically cost between $250 and $500+, depending on the company and the type of cleaning that is involved, as well as where you live and whether or not your dress is being cleaned locally. Those who choose to go through the bridal salon where they purchased the dress may pay a significant premium, as salons act as a middle man and take a markup.
Cleaning and preservation can get slightly more expensive, ranging from $250 – $1000, depending on the company you use, the amount of insurance coverage you want (applies mainly to mail order services), any accessories you want to be preserved with your wedding dress, and how you want the dress stored for safekeeping. Brides who are looking for basic quality cleaning and preservation, with their dress preserved in a quality acid-free preservation chest, should expect to spend between $250 and $600. For more premium-priced services, you can expect to pay approximately $270 – 1,000. Again, prices can vary considerably depending on the region and the company you are using for the cleaning and preservation.
Dry cleaning a wedding dress through a high-end dry cleaner can run you around $500+. That's just a baseline, though. If you have other special requirements, the price is likely to increase.
Wedding gown dry cleaning should never cost you more than $400; you'll know that you're not getting the best deal if you're paying more than that; including upgrades and any special treatment your dress may need. Most dry cleaning services offer flat rate prices for your entire dress, but some places will charge you extra if they find that they have more work to do than average.
Wedding Gown Preservation Cost
The goal of wedding gown preservation is to thoroughly clean the gown and protect it from dust, tearing and yellowing. Gown preservation usually is performed by a company specializing in the preservation of fine garments, by a bridal salon or by a specialist dry cleaner.
Typical costs:
- Basic preservation for a simple gown with minimal stains starts at less than $200.
- Preserving a traditional satin gown with some details and trim and some staining costs about $200 to $400.
- An elaborate silk gown with large amounts of lace trim or beading, a long train and other details can cost as much as $800, especially if there is extensive staining.
- Cost varies by region and tends to be more expensive on the coasts and in large metropolitan areas.
What should be included:
- The gown preservation specialist inspects the gown by hand and treats any visible stains, such as blood, grass, dirt or wine. The gown sometimes will be treated for non-visible sugar stains, which can damage the fabric over time. Then it will be professionally cleaned and pressed.
- The gown will be fitted onto a bust or folded, and stored on acid-free tissue paper or unbleached muslin inside an heirloom-quality, acid-free box -- sometimes with a viewing window - or hung in a cotton bag.
Additional costs:
- If the dress has minor rips, snags or tears, the preservation company will repair them, with cost depending on the amount of work needed.
- Most preservation companies will clean and preserve the veil, gloves, handkerchief and other accessories for an additional fee of about $15 or more per item.
Shopping for wedding gown preservation:
- Before having your gown preserved, hang it by the loops attached to the side seams and avoid storing it in vacuum-sealed containers, which can cause mildew, or plastic bags, which can emit fumes, according to The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists. After preservation, avoid storing it in temperature or humidity extremes, or direct sunlight.
- It is important to find a preservationist before the wedding because cleaning and stain removal work best if done right after the dress has been worn. To find a gown preservation specialist, ask for a referral at the bridal salon where the dress was purchased.
- Dry cleaners who preserve fewer than 100 wedding gowns per year probably do not have expertise.
- Request the company's policy on mistakes or problems. If the gown is ruined or discolours, some companies guarantee their work; others refund only the cost of preservation.
Ways to reduce the cost of gown cleaning and preservation
There are also ways to reduce the cost of cleaning and preservation. The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists offers a $35 off coupon good at any affiliate location. Some cleaners offer packages that can be purchased that include gown services prior to the wedding and the preservation afterwards at a discount.
Need help with storing your wedding dress? Check out our article on the do's and dont's.
What is included in the price tag?
What you get for the price will depend almost entirely on the company you are using. Almost all preservation services also include the cost of cleaning your wedding gown and packaging it in an acid-free cardboard preservation chest with a viewing window. If you are sending in your wedding dress, you'll want to find out if they offer insurance at a price or if you have to pay extra for insurance. Insurance coverage provides financial protection should anything happen to your wedding gown between the time you send it in through the time you receive it back. In the very rare instance, your gown is lost or damaged, and you are covered depending on the amount of insurance you purchased or is included. Although many people feel nervous about sending off their gown in the mail, it is actually very safe. Most companies send you a prepaid shipping label for UPS or FedEx, and everything is tracked. Since wedding dresses are so personal to each individual, no one really wants to steal a wedding dress. It's a very convenient option if you go that route.
As far as other costs, the base price may or may not include any accessories, such as your veil, garter or handkerchief, so you'll want to check on that as well. If you decide to send in your wedding dress, you'll want to find out if shipping is included or extra. You'll also want to find out what their guarantee policy is as far as if the gown yellows over time, or if you are dissatisfied with the cleaning. You really don't need a lifetime guarantee, a 100-year guarantee is more than adequate coverage.
Does price equal quality?
Don't be fooled by the price. Price does not always equal quality. There are some very affordable companies that are very reputable and have been in business for over 100 years that do beautiful work. It is a good idea to do research on a company's reputation.
MyDressBox is are wedding dress cleaning and preservation specialists servicing all major cities in Australia and New Zealand, including Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong, Geelong and many more.
If you are planning to use a local company or cleaners, it is a good idea to ask whether wedding dress cleaning takes place on-premises or if they send their items off to a third party. Oftentimes, a small cleaner will send wedding dresses out to companies who are better equipped to deal with the entire process and delicate fabrics, but this can make communication about where your dress is and how long it will take to complete a bit difficult. Going directly to the source, or a company that specializes in wedding dress cleaning, often gives you better results at a much better price point.
How long does dry cleaning take?
Dry cleaning a wedding gown could take anywhere from a few days to a month depending on how many layers are on your dress and how busy the dry cleaning shop is. If you're lucky and the shop isn't busy, a quality dry cleaning for a wedding gown should take two-three days.
Making sure that you take your gown to a well-known cleaning and preservation company is the most important part of the cleaning process. Taking your gown to your local dry cleaning company runs the risk of having the company itself shipping off your gown to a wholesale dry-cleaning company.