How to Choose a Wedding Gown Preservation Company

Preserving your wedding gown will let you admire it for years to come.

You've spent months searching for the perfect dress and fallen head over heels in love with one -- but if you don't preserve it properly, your only memories of that gorgeous gown will come from photographs. With wedding gown preservation, you can look at your dress whenever you like and even give it to your own daughter or niece for her wedding day. However, choosing the wrong preservationist can be as bad as not preserving your gown at all; improper cleaning and poor preservation materials can lead to staining, mildew and corrosion of your treasured keepsake.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Ask around for recommendations. Your friends, family and wedding planner are obvious sources of ideas, but you can also talk to the shop that sold you your gown, your florist and other wedding vendors. Wedding database websites like The Knot (theknot.com) and Brides (brides.com) also recommend vendors.

2. Give preference to wedding gown preservation specialists. Although your local dry cleaning business may claim to preserve wedding gowns, it won't have as much experience as a business that specializes in wedding dresses. If a dry cleaner seems like your best or most economical option, ask how many dresses it preserves in an average year. If the answer is more than 100, it's a relatively safe bet.

3. Interview the preservation companies you're considering. Ask what packaging materials are used. Acid-free tissue paper and unbleached muslin are safe, while plastic, ordinary tissue paper and colored tissue paper can damage your gown. An acid-free box with a non-plastic viewing window provides additional protection.

4. Examine the warranty carefully. Never sign a warranty that says the service provider is not responsible for damages to your gown or that the warranty is void if you take the gown out of the box. Insist that the business refund you for the full price of the dress if it's damaged during preservation, rather than simply reimbursing you for cleaning costs.

5. Make sure the preservationist personally examines your gown. This will give her an exact idea of any stains on or damage to your gown so you can get an accurate price quote. It will also allow her to check whether the preservation method she uses is appropriate for your gown. Wet cleaning can harm vintage gowns and dry-cleaning fluid can break down certain types of sequins or beads.

6. Take your gown to several different preservationists for price estimates; different companies will charge different rates. A more expensive treatment process is not necessarily better.

Tips & Warnings

• Store your gown in a cool, dry place. Keep it out of direct sunlight, particularly if the box has a viewing window. A closet is an ideal storage location.

• Choose the company that meets these standards and then has the lowest price. If they are members of the Better Business Bureau and have a contact phone number where you can talk to a real person then that's even better.

References

• The Knot; Wedding Keepsakes -- How to Preserve Your Gown; Julie Komorn; March 2009
• The Knot: DIY Wedding Dress Details: How to Preserve Your Wedding Dress
• Westchester Weddings; How to Choose and What to Expect of the Wedding Gown Preservation Professional; Nily Glaser; 2003
• Minnesota Historical Society; Cleaning and Storing a Wedding Dress; Ann Frisina