Real Weddings by Perfect Planning Events | Procopio Photography

The sun is shining.  The birds are chirping, and floral blooms are blossoming!  It’s spring cleaning time and that should include your wedding gown.  I waited more than 20 years to get my gown cleaned and preserved.  I don’t recommend that!  It was stained and yellowed, and I felt a strong sense of remorse for the neglected my treasured dress had endured.  I decided at that moment to clean and preserve it because I wanted my daughters to see it in all its glory and not its pitiful, neglected state.  That’s the reason why most brides preserve their gowns – to show their daughters and granddaughters with a glimmer of hope that they might want to wear it.  That only happens about 5% of the time.  So, here are some good reasons why you should clean and preserve yours.

  1. You will get a higher sales price if you are not sentimental and want to sell your gown. Which one would you buy?

Designer Wedding Gown for Sale – Lightly used wedding dress with dirt stains around the hem and loose beading around the bust line.  Slight yellowing around the underarms from sweat.  With a little bit of work this gown will look great for your wedding day.

 Or…

Designer Wedding Gown for Sale – Beautiful wedding gown perfectly cleaned and preserved to make you look radiant on you wedding day.  Dress comes pre-pressed, wrinkle-free, and ready-to-wear in its own presentation box with an anti-staining treatment so you can enjoy your wedding day worry free!

           (from the Preservation Nation Blog)

Real Weddings by Perfect Planning Events | Joshua Dwain Photography

  1. You should protect your investment, especially if you keep it.  There are so many ways you can re-purpose it.  I plan to use mine for christening gowns now that it’s clear my daughters are in the 95% club.
  1. You can have it re-designed for a major anniversary celebration. No reputable seamstress will work on a dirty dress. Additionally, fibers in your gown might start to weaken.

Real Weddings by Perfect Planning Events | Susie & Becky Photography

As the Wedding Gown Preservation Company explains:  

Your wedding gown is made of organic fibers such as silk, cotton, and chiffon that are just as susceptible as other organic materials to break-down over time.  Add in the destructive properties of oils, dirt, sugar, and sweat and what is a small blemish today becomes an unsightly stain in the future. 

While there are wedding gown restoration services, preservation experts say it is much more cost-effective and safer to have your dress sent in for a professional cleaning and preservation shortly after your wedding.  I know it’s hard to let go, but the dress is returned to you in a sealed, acid-free preservation box with a viewing window so you can look at it as much as you like.

So, dust it off and head over to Soliloquy Bridal Couture, an elite dealer of the Wedding Gown Preservation Company!

(Guest Blogger:  Miriam Liggett, Owner & Chief Consultant, Soliloquy Bridal Couture)