I didn't save many things from my wedding, but my dress is one of the things I wanted to preserve for the long term. I was a little sad that my mother didn't have her own wedding dress, she borrowed her sister's, so I wanted to preserve mine in order to give future offspring the option of using it for their own.

However, I was unprepared to deal with the complications of the wedding gown preservation industry. It turns out that cleaning a gown is nothing like cleaning a coat or a blouse, the beading and embroidery require extra care...and extra money. This Martha Stewart Weddings guide is particularly helpful in providing information for selecting the right cleaner.

Among other things, one should look for a preservation service that will not...

• ...use one-size pricing policies. Pricing should differ according to the amount of damage and details that will make cleaning more complicated, like lace, beads or thread work. Quoting a single price is an indication that all gowns will be treated the same.
• ...void any guarantees if the box is opened. This policy prevents brides from inspecting their dresses to see that they were cleaned properly. Furthermore, dresses should be taken out of their box and re-folded yearly to prevent permanent crease lines.
• ...um, not stand by their warranty for years, even against invisible stains. Some stains take years to discolor a dress, and are a sign that it wasn't thoroughly cleaned.

Labels: wedding

posted by Alison 10/23/2007 07:25:00 PM : (0) comments : splink