How to Make Your Wedding Gown Live Forever

With wedding dresses costing anywhere from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars (almost $520,000 in Meghan Markle’s case—that’s Duchess of Sussex for you!), most brides choose to do one of the following few things with their gowns: donate it, sell it, re-purpose it into party-wear or preserve it for their daughters to wear on their wedding.

If you’re one of the brides belonging to the lattermost category, you’ve come to the right place!

Because wedding dresses are made with such delicate materials, their preservation is an art best left to the professionals. Going the regular dry-cleaning way is probably not the best way to go about it if you want to get any stains out and make it last a lifetime. Here are the top things you should know about wedding dress preservation:

Always consult a professional

Start the preservation process by getting a preservationist to assess the damage to the gown. After this, they will create a plan to give your dress specialized treatment.

If you decide to go to a standard dry cleaner, make sure they are using virgin solvent on your dress instead of recycled solvent as the latter will leave a smell in your dress. A professional will also be able to spot any hidden stains on your dress that you may miss which can yellow over time.

Do not delay the preservation process

Ideally, your dress should be headed to the preservationist the very next day after your wedding day. But if you’re headed to a honeymoon right after the wedding, ask a bridesmaid to drop off your dress for you. Delaying the preservation process could cost you more once the stains have had time to really settle in.

Watch out for invisible stains

Stains from white wine or other transparent beverages will not show up on your gown initially. But with time, the sugar in them will oxidize and give your dress a yellow or brown stain that will be hard to get off. Perspiration stains can also yellow and stain the dress over time. Getting your dress professionally cleaned will not only get rid of the stains but will also preserve the fabric of your dress.

Be mindful of the storage conditions

After the preservation process is complete, always remember to store your dress in a cool, dark place. Think, under the bed. You want to store it in a place where you would be physically comfortable; somewhere that is neither too hot nor too cold, with a relative humidity of about 50 percent.

Consider getting professional wedding dress preservation

Because of the high cost they have paid for the dress, most brides do not want to take any risk and would rather let a professional handle the preservation process. This will include everything from the initial assessment to the final packaging, and will protect your dress from a number of life-shortening elements – such as mildew, yellowing, light and dust.

About Sterling Cleaners

With over seven decades of experience, Imperial Valet offers the best Wedding gown preservation service in DC. We also provide you with the added benefit of picking up your bridal dress with our valet service – so your bridesmaid doesn’t have to make that trip while you’re on your honeymoon!