The Ultimate Guide on Wedding Dress Preservation

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Weddings alone can be expensive, however, we all know that whether you buy your gown brand-new or inherit a family heirloom, it’s one of the most valuable artifacts you’ll own, and as such, it must be pampered arguably. Wedding dress preservation is a must for your beautiful dresses, especially if you’ll be planning on handing it down your family tree!

Preservation can be done in two manners; by using a professional company or DIY preservation, and we’ll take a look at both.

PROFESSIONAL WEDDING DRESS PRESERVATION

The Professionals

There are companies that make it their sole mission to assure your precious dress is treated for its best. Choosing companies which are dedicated to wedding dress preservation, is great on many accounts and have lots of benefits, such as being hassle-free. You just pick your plan, send it off and your worrying can end there.

Service

Depending on the service and package you choose, you can also preserve up to 3 additional items, such as your veil, garter, gloves, etc. Everything is meticulously cleaned with the highest technology tools, even removing damaging substances that the human eye can’t see, like body oils and sweat that take their toll on the beautiful gown over time. After this, the dress is pressed and folded in to a high-quality box, which will generally be moisture, light, acid and temperature resistant, to avoid mold and mildew deteriorating the fibers of the gown. Most companies will also include 2-way shipping in their original price, meaning you won’t have to pay extra for shipping costs.

Price

Now, let’s get down to prices. Of course, using a specialized company will be more costly than preserving your dress yourself, but if you’d rather leave it in professional hands and not have to worry about accidentally botching your very expensive gown, maybe professional services are the way to go. A decent wedding dress preservation service will vary in price, but in general could be anywhere between $150 to $800 and even more, depending on any additional add-ons you may choose. Anything over $400 is going to be very high quality preservation for very detailed dresses and gowns with pretty heavy stains, but there are lots of good, solid companies who charge as low as $130 for more simple dresses if they’re running a special offer, so don’t fret if you can’t afford such a high-end preservation, there are many, many specialized companies with glowing reviews that aren’t as harsh on the wallet.

PRESERVING YOUR OWN GOWN (DIY)

Cleaning

Whether you do your own wedding dress preservation or not, it is best to have the cleaning done by a professional. This is because the products we purchase to clean may be too harsh on something so delicate and it’s best to have the pros manage this. Once the dress is completely cleaned it’s finally your turn to preserve it! 

Find the Right Place

First and foremost you’ll want to find somewhere to keep it. This means a place with the least moisture, light and possibilities of getting crushed. It shouldn’t be somewhere dark and musty either, just somewhere in your day to day living space, on top of an armoire, in the top of your closet, hanging on the wall in the hallway, etc.

Get Everything Ready

You’ll want to use an acid free box, hopefully without a transparent display window, as this could be glued on and glue can seriously harm your gown. You’ll also want to use acid free tissue paper and an acid neutral bust form if you can find it. Make sure your packing space is completely clean, vacuum, mop, clean in any way possible the area you will be using for your wedding dress preservation, wash your hands and use cotton gloves as our skin contains damaging oils that will make the fibers deteriorate over time.

Start Preserving

  • Line the box with the tissue and neatly fold your dress, insert the bust form if applicable, otherwise you can ball up some extra tissue to insert in to the bust. 

  • Do the same for the sleeves of the dress. 

  • Once your gown is folded in nicely, cover it with a second layer of acid-free tissue and cover the box with the lid. 

  • Do not seal the box, as this will seal in any moisture or dust there was. 

  • Store it high up, in case of floods, spills, pets or children, hopefully not in an attic as the temperature shifts will damage it. 

Voilà! Your dress is self-preserved.

Cost

As for costs, the major chunk of your budget will go towards cleaning. Prices can vary from $99 to $300 for a standard dress. The simpler the dress is, the less it will cost. As for the preservation kit, a standard kit (including cotton gloves, box and tissue at least) goes for about $30 to $60 and possibly less if you buy the materials separately!