Importance of wedding dress preservation
Post their wedding day, most brides are unsure of what to do with their dress. Some plan to donate their gown while some sell it away.
The creative ones try repurposing their marriage dress into a cocktail attire by adding some colour or accessorizing it.
However, most of the brides have a strong connection with their wedding gown and don’t want to part with it. They want to preserve it as for them their marriage dress is a symbol of love, happiness, and celebration.
Taking care of a marriagedress and preserving its original beauty and colour is difficult. It requires special treatment, this is why the dress preservation is so important.
A wedding gown is generally intricately designed and the lacework, embroidery, embellishments are delicate. Hence it cannot be cleaned and preserved like any ordinary dress. As it helps in ensuring the dress is preserved well and lasts a lifetime.
If a wedding dress is not preserved properly you risk having the following:
- Yellow staining of the dress
- Rusty oxidation spots on the dress
- Growth of mold or mildew
- Permanent creasing of the dress
It involves a dress cleaning service along with the use of chemicals for proper storage of the dress. A Wedding dress preservation service is important if one wishes to keep their wedding dress in its most pristine condition even in the future.
It’s the ideal solution for safeguarding the investment made on a wedding dress. It also helps to avoid the stretching of the fabric especially in the shoulder areas of the dress.
After the wedding, most brides end up leaving their wedding dress in the cupboard or loft for days or months. They plan to get it cleaned at some time but it is usually forgotten.
The sweat, body oils, cake and champagne stains when left on the dress unattended for a long period of time start oxidizing and discoloring the dress.
Some stains that are invisible can end up darkening the dress material to a brown colour. It is advisable to get the wedding dress cleaned and preserved within six weeks of the wedding to reduce the risk of permanent staining.
What is wedding dress preservation?
Wedding dress Preservation involves the use of special cleaning and packaging techniques to ensure the wedding gown retains its beauty. A professional wedding dress cleaning and preservation services provider first surveys the gown—the material, embellishments etc.
They will check for stains on the dress and determine the types of stains and then formulate a specialized cleaning procedure. Cleaning is a part of the preservation process, it tries to clean the gown of all types of stains, including the hidden ones.
After cleaning, the dress is pressed, wrapped in acid-free tissue paper and packaged in a preservation chest for long-term storage. The dress is wrapped in acid free paper and stored in a box to avoid further yellowing of the dress. It should never be stored in a plastic bag as the plastic fumes can cause further discoloration.
The box containing the dress should be stored under the bed or in a cupboard away from sunlight. Storing the dress away from sunlight and moisture will ensure the preservation of the dress and you will be able to store it to show it to your future generations or possibly hand it down to your kids at their wedding.
Also Read: What is Fusion Wedding?
How is Preservation useful?
- Prevents irreparable damage to the fabric or dress
- Professional cleaning and preservation increases the value of the gown if you plan to sell it
- You can pass on the preserved dress to a bride in your family or your kids on their wedding
- Create a living memory of the wedding day by preserving the dress
- Get rid of any invisible stains and prevent discoloration of the dress