Cleaning + Preserving Your Wedding Gown

Cleaning + Preserving Your Wedding Gown

Oh hey, babe! Wedding day has come and gone, it was amazing and now you are tying up the loose ends that are so much less fun but still really important. You’ve posted your vendor reviews, sent out thank you notes and ordered your wedding album and now you are ready to tackle taking care of your bridal gown!

Maybe you are unsure what you are going to do with your gown long-term. Maybe you want to pass it down to your daughter // granddaughter, maybe you want to donate or sell it, maybe you want to keep it for yourself because, well, you did marry your best friend ever in it and that makes it a pretty special garment if you ask me [ click here for other ideas for after the big day ].

One thing is for sure - you need to have your gown cleaned and preserved.

Below are all of the things you need to know regarding the cleaning and preservation service offered at Something White Bridal Boutique.

Photography :: Capture With Caroline

So how does it work?

In brief, Something White Bridal Boutique works with a third party provider to professionally clean and preserve your gown. This process will remove soil and invisible stains that, given time, will ruin fine fabrics and adornments. After cleaning your gown, we work to prevent years of stress to shoulder seams from hanging and carefully package your gown in a custom-designed triple-sealed bridal gown package. It has a heavy, sealed plastic window to allow you to view your dress, but the chest is tightly sealed to protect fabric from air, sunlight, moisture and insects. Your gown will remain in top condition until you decide to remove it from the box.

No matter the garment, careful cleaning is one of the most important steps. Your gown will be cleaned and meticulously inspected. These methods will ensure that oils and visible stains and marks are removed as well as those troublesome stains that may not be visible to the eye. If left in place, these stains can discolor and eventually cause deterioration of the fabric. This process will insure that stains that contain sugar and/or salt will be removed to avoid caramelization [ unsightly brownish marks and streaks ].

Ordinary dry-cleaning will not dissolve sugar-type stains or salt.

Careful pressing, folding, shaping and inserting in the preservation box is the next important step in the process. Folding your wedding gown carefully and ensuring no tight creases will happen is essential to prevent permanent effects on your gown. Traditional boxes and packing tissues contain a form of acid which may damage fabrics down the road. This type of box may cause yellowing of fabrics in the future.

Packaging and sealing your wedding gown is the final step. First, your gown will be placed within a high-quality inner box [ free of any damage-causative elements mentioned above ]. It will be folded with high-quality acid-neutral tissue so as not to cause permanent creases and the inner box is then sealed with a heat-shrink neutral clear vinyl material. This process will protect your gown from contaminating air, dust and potential infestation. After sealing, a proprietary process removes the oxygen from within the seal. Finally, your gown is placed in an outer protection box.

We can’t wait to help you clean and // or preserve your wedding gown! In fact, we are almost as excited as we were to help you find your gown!

Bridal gowns do not have to have been purchased from SWBB.

To schedule an appointment for drop off, submit the form below and a member of our team will be in touch! We will happily answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding the cleaning and preservation process!