Now that you've exchanged vows, done the first dance, and popped the champagne, you can relax and enjoy the rest of your wedding. Your honeymoon trip can now begin.
As soon as you slip into your wedding gown, you hand it to your attendants. They just have one question for you before you leave: "Wedding gown cleaning or wedding gown preservation?"
Wow, that's a really good question. Is that not the same thing? is your response. We're going to share a little secret with you. You're mistaken. In contrast, these two procedures couldn't be more dissimilar.
After the ceremony, it's hard to know what you want to do with your wedding dress. While most ladies think that a cleaning is all they need to preserve their wedding dress, there is actually much more that can be done.
When it comes to clothing, the dress you choose on your wedding day is likely to rank towards the top. To that end, you may want to consider investing in some sort of wedding dress protection.
Some women have kept their wedding gowns in pristine condition so that their daughters can wear them someday, while others have done so simply to hold on to the beautiful memories of what they donned on their special day.
Regardless of the motivation behind your need to store your dress, you can follow these easy steps to locate a reliable bridal gown preservation company that will ensure your garment remains in pristine condition for years to come.
The act of preservation can be considered to have begun during the wedding. When you take your dress off, pack it safely in a suitcase so that it doesn't get damaged on the way to the cleaning staff.
Consider hiring a firm that specialises in cleaning formal attire, such as bridal attire and marriage dresses.
Carefully selecting the experts who will handle your bridal gown is an important part of keeping the garment.
Your wedding gown is far too precious to trust to just any dry cleaner or storage facility for its care and preservation.
If you follow these steps and ask the preservation firm the right questions, you'll have your wedding dress in pristine condition for years to come.
Wedding Dress Preservation: What Is It and Why Bother
The term "wedding dress preservation" refers to the methods used by experts in the packing of wedding dresses to ensure that they preserve their beauty and durability throughout time.
Your wedding dress will be examfined by a professional preservationist who will look for stains, tears, and other flaws in the fabric and embroidery.
After that, they will devise a unique cleaning technique.
Step one is the most crucial because it cleans the wedding gown of any unseen stains that may become more noticeable as time passes if they are not removed.
Once the wedding gown cleaner has cleaned and pressed your gown, they will package it in acid-free absorbent paper and store it in an archival box fit for display in a museum.
How Does Preserving a Wedding Gown Differ From Simply Having It Cleaned?
Wedding dresses need to be cleaned after the big day because of all the grime, champagne, and cake that have probably gotten on them.
If you don't get rid of these stains, they'll turn yellow.
Your wedding dress conservator will use non-toxic solvents to remove the stains before the big day.
If the bride decides to invest in wedding dress preservation, the first step is to have the garment professionally cleaned.
Unfortunately, organic compounds are the enemy of fine textiles of all kinds, including wedding dresses.
What are the characteristics of an organic compound? Sweat, makeup, dirt, and even sweets like chocolate cake and champagne can all ruin a dress.
Stains are likely to form on the gown after it has been stored for a while, even if the compounds don't leave any immediate evidence.
Attempting to clean a gown which has been kept for months or years is likely to be more challenging and involve harsher cleaning processes, and produce less desirable outcomes.
A wedding dress is often a woman's most expensive item of clothing.
If you want to maintain your investment in the gown, you should have it cleaned whether or not you plan to keep it.
However, if your dress has sentimental value, it is best to save it.
If you want to be able to pass down your wedding dress to your heirs one day, it's best to have it professionally preserved to ensure it stays in usable condition for decades to come.
In either case, a casual corner dry cleaner is not a suitable substitute for a professional bridal gown washing service.
You may trust and consider having your dress cleaned and preserved by the experts so it looks perfect for your wedding day.
Which Is Better, Having Your Wedding Dress Cleaned or Having It Preserved?
Having your wedding dress professionally cleaned is a must. The need to preserve can be ignored.
Dresses worn for a wedding must be washed by a professional cleaner after the event to remove any stains or dirt that may have accumulated.
After the party, your dress will likely have picked up at least one stain, whether it be wine, dirt, or a scrape of frosting.
Stains from sugar, sweat, or other oils may not be obvious at first, but they can develop with time.
Preserving your dress for future generations is essential.
Preserving a wedding dress in archival boxes with proven preservation techniques and materials ensures that it will last for years to come.
Spotless bridal gowns are the only ones worthy of preservation.
As a result, you'll need to do both if you want to keep your dress in pristine condition.
Some brides choose to have their wedding dresses professionally cleaned for a variety of reasons.
One is if you plan on wearing the dress again soon, such as if you're a bride attending two weddings or if you purchased a shorter or even less traditional dress that can be worn to both weddings and parties.
If you plan to donate or sell your dress, you should have it cleaned first.
If you desire your dress's elegance to stay and you don't plan on wearing it any time soon, preservation is a must.
Yellowing can occur in dresses if they are not properly preserved.
It is suggested that washing and preservation is a must if the bride intends to keep the dress as an heirloom.
You may still desire the dress as a memento, although you don't plan on giving it to your daughter.
As an alternative to throwing away their wedding dress, some women opt to use it again as a christening or baby blanket instead.
How to Find a Good Wedding Dress Preservation Services?
You should consult with loved ones for referrals before the wedding. Get in touch with your neighbourhood dry cleaners to learn more about the options available to you.
You should make sure to ask if they do the cleaning themselves or if they send it out.
Finally, make sure to ask how often they're successful. How many bridal gowns do they keep in storage every year?
How many times have they done this type of thing before? Once you've picked your choice, have a bridesmaid bring it to you in the honeymoon suite.
Inquire further as to the extent of their education and training. More significantly, make sure to ask them numerous questions pertaining to their background and the industry.
You can trust that their knowledge will align with your findings if you consult with others who have experience in the field.
Not only that, but the depth of their responses will reveal how much they've learned through the years about preserving bridal gowns.
Use these five questions to ensure you get the finest washing and preservation for your wedding dress:
For how much would you charge to preserve my wedding dress?
You'll find that the cost to maintain the wedding dress varies about in the middle between the service and procedures used and the store's inherent "profit."
Some women have been duped into purchasing wedding dress protection "packs" that turn out to be little more than a box and some tissue paper.
The DIY boxes and tissue paper kit may be purchased for less than two hundred Australian dollars.
It is estimated that the true cost range will be between AU$300 and AU$500.
If you pay more than that, you're either overpaying for unnecessary extras or showing your insatiability for the store's advantage.
Several internet stores provide competitive pricing.
How Do I Permanently Get Rid of the Stains on This Dress?
Finding a business with experience in wedding dress preservation and a set process to follow is essential.
Try to find a dry cleaning service that also offers hand cleaning of the seams and bust of the garment. The dirtiest and most stained areas will be those highlighted by the bolded zones.
Dirt can make the hem look dirty and black. Stains from makeup, deodorant, or body oil are acceptable at the bust.
These are crucial areas that require special care and a thorough hand washing.
A trained professional should be able to identify the various stains and remove them.
Do they rely on you to mark and identify the stains, or do they conduct a manual investigation of your garment to determine the source?
How do they tell if a stain was made with champagne, soda, cake frosting, or something else that doesn't leave a visible colour behind?
Is there a plan for the special cleaning of your wedding gown?
The majority of dry cleaners will just throw your gown in with the piles of other garments to be cleaned.
That means you can store it alongside your colourful dresses, suits, and blouses.
Separately, you need to have your dress cleaned.
You should also ask about the type of cleaning products they will use and whether or not they are experienced with the specifics of washing the delicate components of your wedding dress.
Is “Perc,” the Most Well-Known Dry-Cleaning Solvent, Used in the Process?
As a very toxic and environmentally harmful compound, Perc is also harsh on the delicate fabrics used in weddings.
If you can, look for a business that uses an alternative to perc.
Increasingly high-priced new cleaning methods exist that do a similarly good job of sanitising the environment as their predecessors.
Is there a preservation box provided for your gown?
Unfortunately, there are certain businesses whose safes aren't locked. This lets moisture in, which means that as seasons shift, so will the humidity in your dress, which can eventually cause damage to the fabric.
In addition, bugs can enter a container even if the lid is tightly sealed.
Insects like earwigs, cover bugs, and pillbugs would love to set up home in your clothes.
We've made sure that your garment won't shift around in the preservation box, and that the bottom won't collapse.
Once you open the boxes to examine your outfit, you'll need to cut the strings holding it in place.
The warranty will be null and void if you do this. Your outfit will be safe from moisture and insects in a sealed box.
If you break the case seal and use the product, you will no longer be covered by the warranty.
Once My Wedding Gown Has Been Preserved, What Should I Do With It?
When properly preserved, a wedding gown can have a nearly brand-new appearance. It needs to be neatly pressed and presentable.
The pH-neutral or acid-free box will allow the gown to breathe and respond to temperature fluctuations during transport.
A glass window and mittens for handling will be included in event you want to examine it outside of the packaging.
Always remember to use the soap and gloves the wedding dress preservationist gave you after handling your dress.
Also, avoid leaving the box in bright light, since this might cause the fabric to fade and yellow.
The best places to keep your gown out of the way and out of the light and at a constant temperature are the closet or the space under the bed.
Conclusion
It can be confusing to decide what to do with the wedding dress after the reception.
For their daughters to wear one day, several ladies have carefully preserved their wedding dresses.
While others have done so to preserve the lovely memories associated with the clothes they wore on their wedding day, no other reason was given.
After the big day, the bride should have her dress cleaned.
Dresses are easily ruined by sweat, makeup, grime, and even chocolate cake and champagne.
It is recommended that you get your wedding dress professionally kept if you intend to pass it down to future generations.
After a wedding, brides should have their dresses cleaned by a dry cleaner. Before you give or sell the clothing, have it cleaned.
A bridal dress will be protected from dust and wear by being stored in archival boxes.
Only perfectly clean wedding dresses deserve to be kept forever.
Asking these five questions will help you find the best option for cleaning and storing your wedding gown.
Wedding dress upkeep might run between $300 and $500 AU.
Some brides have been misled into buying protection "packs" for their dresses that are really just cardboard and tissue paper.
It's crucial to hire a company that has experience preserving bridal gowns.
The bolded regions indicate the dirtiest and most stained spots.
Inquire about the methods they use to wash your wedding dress and if they have experience with the delicate materials.
Your bridal gown will be safe from humidity and pests if you store it in a sealed box.
The gown can breathe and adjust to temperature changes in transit thanks to the acid-free packaging.
The guarantee on any product is void if the case seal has been broken and the product has been used.
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.
Content Summary
- After the ceremony, it's hard to know what you want to do with your wedding dress.
- If the bride decides to invest in wedding dress preservation, the first step is to have the garment professionally cleaned.
- In either case, a casual corner dry cleaner is not a suitable substitute for a professional bridal gown washing service.
- You may trust and consider having your dress cleaned and preserved by the experts so it looks perfect for your wedding day.
- Dresses worn for a wedding must be washed by a professional cleaner after the event to remove any stains or dirt that may have accumulated.
- You should consult with loved ones for referrals before the wedding.
- Get in touch with your neighbourhood dry cleaners to learn more about the options available to you.
- Inquire further as to the extent of their education and training.
- Finding a business with experience in wedding dress preservation and a set process to follow is essential.
- Try to find a dry cleaning service that also offers hand cleaning of the seams and bust of the garment.
- Separately, you need to have your dress cleaned.
- If you can, look for a business that uses an alternative to perc.
- We've made sure that your garment won't shift around in the preservation box, and that the bottom won't collapse.
- Your outfit will be safe from moisture and insects in a sealed box.
- The best places to keep your gown out of the way and out of the light and at a constant temperature are the closet or the space under the bed.
FAQS ABOUT WEDDING DRESS PRESERVATION
Why do people preserve their wedding dress?
A wedding dress is an heirloom.
Having your wedding dress preserved makes long-term storage considerably simpler. Preserving a wedding gown is a green option because it protects the dress from future wear and tear, stains, and fading.
What happens to wedding dresses if not preserved?
The only way to ensure that your wedding dress will last a lifetime is to have it professionally cleaned and preserved. You run the risk of the following if you don't properly store your wedding gown: There has been some yellowing of the cloth. Cracks and brown oxidation patches.
Why do white dresses turn yellow?
White garments fade to yellow via perspiration's interaction with antiperspirants, excess bleach, sloppy laundering, and storage. Oxygen bleach, white vinegar and salt solution, baking soda and peroxide in water, toothpaste, lemon juice, and aspirin are all simple home remedies for disguising discoloration.
Can you preserve a wedding dress years later?
Don't stress if your wedding gown is on the older side or if you haven't gotten it cleaned yet, even though it's been weeks or months since the big day. Having a wedding dress cleaned and conserved is something that should be done as soon as possible, but in reality, it's never too late.
Can I preserve my wedding dress myself?
If you want to save your bridal gown for a long time, you'll need to invest in some acid-free paper. Other papers may cause permanent stains on your dress's fabric. Put the garment back into the bridal box it came in and wrap it in acid-free paper. Make sure the seal is tight.