Inspect Your Cleaned Wedding Gown

One week after Kayla got married, her mother-in-law kindly took her wedding gown to a local cleaner to have it cleaned, repaired, and preserved.  It was a big deal to her mother-in-law to have this done, and she took Kayla’s dress to the same cleaners she had used 30 years ago for her own wedding gown.

Kayla received word that her gown was ready, so she picked it up and took it home.  Because her gown needed a small repair, she decided to open the box to check out the work.  Thankfully she did because inside that box wasn’t a gown that was meticulously cleaned and preserved – no, while it was her gown, it was just as dirty as the day her mother-in-law had dropped it off.  She immediately took the gown back to the cleaners and asked that they refund her money.  The owner said it looked like it had been placed in the box completely untouched.  She said he apologized and offered to clean it, but she was too upset.  She took the dirty gown and started looking for another cleaners, but this time she ‘Googled’ ‘wedding gown cleaners’, and Shores popped up.  She immediately felt the difference when she walked through the doors of the Winston-Salem Shores location.

“I met with Brian, who explained the process Shores would use to clean the gown,” she shared.  “Then he suggested that I come back and look at the gown after it was cleaned but before it was preserved and boxed.”  “That’s something we offer all brides when they drop off their gown to be cleaned and preserved,” explained Brian Harrell, General Manager of Shores Cleaners.  “We want them to take a look at the gown to make sure they are happy with the results, and if they aren’t, we’ll address their concerns right then.”

Kayla shared her story with us because she doesn’t want other brides to go through what she went through.  Her parting words of advice are:

1. Don’t just look at the cost involved in having your gown cleaned.  Spend the extra money and take it to someone that specializes in cleaning wedding gowns as opposed to any dry cleaner.
2. Be sure to look in the box before they seal it.
3. Don’t be afraid to take it back if you’re not happy with the results

For more information about cleaning your wedding gown and all things to know about caring for your gown, download our free wedding gown care guide.