Use An Online Wedding Dress Preservation Service
One of the dangers of wrapping and boxing your wedding dress properly is damaging the fabric and not actually preserving it at all. A proper preservation box is specially sealed, with gauges on the box to ensure the temperature and humidity level is kept stable at all times. To preserve your wedding dress so you can be sure it will stay pristine, consider investing in an online wedding dress preservation service.
Once you place your order, a preservation box is mailed to you. You pack up your wedding dress and ship it back to the preservation company. They give your dress a museum-quality cleaning, repack your dress inside the preservation box, and ship it back to you. The box is now fully sealed and ready for decades-long wedding gown storage. With this service, all you have to do is make sure you store the box in a climate controlled room. This is a convenient way to keep your cherished wedding dress in a condition that is like new.
Considering the investment that you made in your wedding dress and how much it means to you and your spouse its worth it to preserve it for the memories. To learn more about caring for specialty fabric on dresses and gowns, contact Embassy Cleaners today.
Consider Professional Wedding Dress Preservation
Proper preservation can protect your dress from yellowing, permanent creasing, mildew and mold, oxidation spots, light and dust.
Since wedding gowns can be quite expensive, Kelsey McLellan from Prestige Preservation explains that most women choose to have them professionally preserved in order to protect that investment. Even if their daughters dont plan on re-wearing the gown , certain pieces can be incorporated into memorabilia to be passed down to future generations.
Preservationists will usually remove stains, make necessary repairs , press or steam the dress, wrap in acid-free tissue and store it. Generally, there are three types of preservation methods:
The cost of professional preservation can average anywhere from $150 to $500 so if you do choose to work with a wedding dress preservation company, know the facts. Be sure to ask who is responsible for any damages if they occur during the preservation process and if they offer a warranty .
Wedding Dress Preservation Keeps Both Your Gown And Memories For Generations To Come
Your wedding gown is the single most important and most special dress that you will ever wear in your life. If you don’t care for it properly, it will almost be as if you were throwing it away.
Keeping your bridal gown in good condition is not just a matter of storing it. It needs to be cleaned and preserved first. You may be tempted to give wedding gown cleaning a try yourself in order to save some money however, wedding dress stain removal can be tricky you might end up doing more harm than good to your gown.
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How Can I Protect My Dress Without The Help Of A Professional Service
If you aren’t completely sold on investing in full-blown wedding dress preservation, you can also take certain precautions on your own to ensure your dress is protected. “Cloth or tyvek bags can offer short-term protection, but your gown should not hang for long periods of time, and a wedding chest provides more protection from sharp objects, smoke and from fire,” Conant suggests. The acidic content of ordinary paper will literally scorch your gown. Don’t use colored tissue paper either. If the box accidentally becomes wet, it could stain your gown. For storage, professionals recommend wrapping the gown in pre-washed unbleached muslin, and then placing it in a sturdy box under your bed. That way, if you decide to preserve your gown down the road, it will be right there waiting for you.
Of course, a DIY method is riskier than working with a trusted professional using museum-quality methods.
Still searching for your dress? Find bridal salons in your area here.
Find seamstresses and preservation professionals near you here.
How Wedding Dresses Are Preserved
Preserving the wedding dress involves special cleaning, either with wet cleaning by hand or using a dry cleaning process. A trained preservationist will also examine your dress for hidden stains and develop a plan for preservation that takes into account the type of fabric of the dress. Proper storage also includes packing the dress carefully to keep the gown from incurring any damage from the elements or insects. The dress is wrapped in acid-free paper and folded gently into a box that is either pH neutral or acid free. Some preservationists will wrap the dress in pre-washed and unbleached muslin fabric instead of acid-free paper. The box is then sealed airtight to prevent discoloration to the dress over time. If you request a box with a viewing panel, the clear material should be made of acetate or Coroplast to protect the dress from exposure to light.
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How To Properly Store A Wedding Dress
If you plan to do your own packing of the dress and accessories for storage, be sure every piece is clean and completely dry before storing. Accessories like a belt or headband that have metal buttons or faux jewels and decorations should be stored separately from the fabric items to prevent accidental damage from tarnishing. The same goes for leather goods such as shoes or handbags.
If possible, wedding dresses should be stored flat in an appropriately-sized container. Garments that are left hanging can become misshapen and develop rips and tears from the stress on seams. Never use a regular cardboard box unless it is a storage box labeled for archival storage. These are made of acid-free paper and are perfectly safe to use. Buy the largest size needed because the fewer folds in the dress, the less chance there will be fiber breakage from creases.
However, if you cannot find archival storage boxes or if you are concerned about the box getting crushed, purchase a plastic storage box. The box must be made of cast polypropylene to be safe for your fabric keepsakes. Look for the #5 within the recycling triangle or the letters “PP” to be sure that you have the correct type of box. Other types of plastic can cause yellowing. Never store a wedding dress in the plastic bag furnished by a dry cleaner. If you plan to leave the dress hanging, cover it with a white, 100 percent cotton garment bag or make one from a white cotton bed sheet.
Should You Prepare Your Wedding Dress Before Professional Cleaning
Most professional cleaners won’t require you to do anything to your wedding dress before the actual cleaners. Professional cleaning services have more efficient equipment, skilled hands, and treatment products than home cleaning options. Let your dry cleaning company worry about any block spots or yellow stains on your dress.
If you must perform any initial steps, you may want to examine your wedding dress to identify the stained and spotted areas. You can inspect your dress in these areas when your dry cleaner returns it.
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Some gowns are completely made up of silk some entirely of polyester or other products. Even though many outfits have cleaning up labels, they are not to be relied on since occasionally they are just incorrect.
Be Smart About Where You Store Your Wedding Dress
Once youve carefully packaged your dress, be sure to store it somewhere safe from extreme temperatures, light and humidity.
Sally Conant, executive director of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, recommends keeping your gown somewhere you would be physically comfortable. Aim for a cool, dark and dry environment with a relative humidity of 50 percent. This rules out attics and basements. Attics are too hotso hot, in fact, that temperature could reach 140 degreesand basements are damp and prone to flooding.
Many women chose to store their dresses under their bed or in a dry closet. If you dont have any room to store your gown, we have a variety of self storage unit climates and types that will keep it cool, dry and protected.
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Consider Wedding Dress Dry Cleaning
We’d highly recommend getting your wedding dress dry cleaned if you want to preserve your gown properly. But not just with any dry cleaner one who specialises in wedding dress preservation. They’ll be able to take a close look at the fabric, stitching and details to clean it most appropriately.
Even if you think you’ve been careful on the big day and not spill anything on it, it’s always best to get the gown professionally cleaned as some marks may appear over time.
When you’re choosing a wedding dress cleaning specialist, there are a couple of things you should bear in mind.
First of all, you should check out their processes, and check they use a virgin solvent rather than a recycled one. Recycled solvents are typically used for ordinary dry cleaning, and they’re likely to leave your dress smelling a little bit funky.
You should also check that in the event of any damage being done, the cost of the dress will be refunded. We can’t imagine anything worse than losing both your wedding dress and your money.
About The Wedding Gown Preservation Kit
- Tested to be dermatologically safe and non-toxic
- No fabric color loss
- Safe on delicate fabrics, sequins, beading and other embellishments commonly adorning wedding dresses.
- Extended garment life
- Excellent cleaning power on water soluble and lipophilic stains
- Keeps whites white and keeps colors vibrant
- Superior protection against future yellowing or graying of fabric
- Leaves your dress with a fresh smelling scent and removes all odors
Learn more about the wedding dress preservation process by watching the video below:
If youre looking for a more budget-friendly way to get your wedding dress preserved post-wedding, I definitely recommend checking out their Celebrity Wedding Gown Preservation Kit. This kit contains all the great features of the Traditional Wedding Gown Preservation Kit with a few extra features for more delicate dress designs. The price includes sales tax and also includes FREE door to door shipping of your wedding gown to the Wedding Gown Preservation Company and back. The kit also includes $1500 worth of insurance for the trip and the service only costs $199!!!
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Invisible Stains Might Be Lurking On Your Wedding Gown
Oddly, the most dangerous spills are the ones you cannot see. White wine and other things dry clear, and these latent stains contain sugar that caramelises over time into dark brown stains that ordinary dry cleaning cannot remove. You may think your gown is fine, but in six months or more, the latent stain becomes pale yellow and then darkens as it ages. Heat accelerates the process.
Professional cleaners and preservationists are trained to spot the unseen. They’ll be able to deal with any stains on your wedding gown, from the invisible to the visible. Did the bottom of your dress get dirty from your picture-perfect shots in a garden? Did someone slosh red wine on it during the reception? Did an overzealous aunt smudge her foundation on it when she came in for a hug? They’ll create a treatment plan for each type of stain.
Diy: How To Preserve Your Wedding Dress For A Lifetime
A wedding is like a dream come true for every girl. And when we talk about the wedding dress it is a memorable asset to keep even after the wedding is over. The day that presented the girl like some princess or a fairy in the lovely looking wedding dress can always be remembered and cherished. But to preserve those sweet heart-touching memories you will have to preserve well your wedding dress. If you do not know how to do that, we are just here to help you out with that only. Follow these simple steps and get your wedding dress preserved for a lifetime.
Difficulty level: Moderately easy
Time required: 30 minutes to 1 hour
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How Do You Store Your Wedding Dress After The Wedding
In our expert opinion, the best way to clean and store your wedding dress is to have it preserved by a wedding-dress professional and kept in an acid-free archive box. From there, keeping your wedding dress at home comes down to a few storage basics:
- Store your wedding gown box in a cool, dark place away from humidity your closet or under your bed are good options.
- If you havent had your gown treated for preservation but want to keep it safe at home, do not store your gown in a plastic bag this can lead to further damage from moisture, bugs, and oxidation long-term.
- Dont store your wedding dress or preservation box in your attic or cellar these areas are prone to temperature fluctuation, air and water leaks, and vermin damage.
- Keep your wedding dress out of contact with other clothing items to avoid acid transfer, friction, and staining.
Now that youve got the storage basics, keep reading for everything you need to know about professionally preserving your wedding dress.
Can A Yellowed Wedding Dress Be Whitened
In addition to not getting out stains very well, bleach can dissolve the adornments on your gown and cause permanent fabric damage. As long as your wedding dress has simply yellowed and doesnt have deep-set brown to black spot staining, you may be able to restore your gown yourself. Silk is a much different story.
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Wedding Dress Preservation And Standard Dry Cleaning Are Not The Same
Unlike one-size-fits-all dry-cleaning, wedding gown preservation begins with an experienced specialist’s assessment. The specialist creates a unique treatment plan according to your dress’s fabric, stitching, and details, in addition to analysing stains along the hem and entire dress.
There are, however, some dry cleaners who also offer specialised wedding dress cleaning. You can use them, but make sure to vet their process first. Specifically, you’ll want to find a dry cleaner who uses a virgin solvent rather than a recycled solvent. Recycled solvents contain impurities that can redeposit onto clothing and leave your wedding dress with a strange smell. Wedding dress cleaning and preservation should only be done with a virgin solvent.
Before committing to any cleaner or preservationist, thoroughly research their policies. You want someone who guarantees they won’t do any damage during the preservation. And if any damage is done, look for a guarantee that the cost of the dress will be refunded. Furthermore, find out how long they guarantee that the wedding dress will remain pristine after their preservation.
