Wedding Dress Care and Preservation

You invested a lot of time looking for and a lot of money in that perfect wedding dress.  Now that it is in your care, there are a few things you need to know.

Before the big day:

• Hang your wedding dress by the loops inside the gown, which are connected to sturdy side seams.  Never hang it by the fragile shoulder seams, which could stretch or sag.
• Order Shores Perfect Day Emergency Care Kit, which includes pins, needles and thread, solvent, scissors, buttons, and blotting towel.
• Make sure there is a care label in your wedding gown.
• Know your gown’s fabric in case of a spill.  A spill on an artificial fiber is much easier to remove than a spill on a natural fiber such as silk.

During the big day:

• Keep safety pens on hand so that you are prepared for a broken bustle loop, torn strap, or broken zipper.  Full-service bridal salons often put several safety pins into the underside of your gown for just such incidents.
• In case of a spill, Shores recommends that unless it is large and noticeable, that you leave it alone.  If you must try and remove a spill, here are some tips.  On a synthetic gown, if the stain is water soluble (such as coffee, mud, blood, tea), dab the spot gently with cool water and let air dry.  Do not rub it.  Rubbing hard will damage the finish of your gown.  Silk and rayon gowns are water-sensitive and you could leave permanent water spots.  We suggest you camouflage spots with something white and harmless such as baking soda, cornstarch, or baby powder.  If the stain is oil based (such as grease, lipstick, makeup), then we recommend leaving these alone until you can get professional help.

After the big day:

• Do have your wedding dress cleaned and preserved as soon as possible after the ceremony.
• Never store your wedding dress in plastic bags or vacuum-sealed, plastic wrapped containers.  Plastic emits fumes that can yellow your gown, and it can trap moisture that leads to mildew.
• Choose a wedding gown specialist that will guarantee and personally process your gown.  Never entrust your gown to someone that sends it away to be cleaned.
• Ask the specialist what precautions they take to protect delicate trims and decorations on your gown and how the cleaner guards against latent stains.
• Inspect your gown personally before it is put into the preservation container.  The container should be a completely acid-free, museum-quality, archival wedding chest lined with fabric or acid-free tissue paper.
• Don’t store your gown in an attic or basement where there are extreme changes in temperature and humidity.