Yellow wedding gowns will never be in fashion

Horror story – A friend of mine stayed at a very large, prestigious Melbourne hotel on her wedding night. After the big day, back in her room she took off her dress and put it into a bag that looked peculiarly like a garbage bag. It’d been a long day – she wasn’t thinking straight. Of course, in the morning the cleaners took the bag and put it in the garbage, never to be seen again.

If this doesn’t happen to you – read on.

“The Wedding Day was over in a flash” is a common thought for brides. Why not make sure that the memories of your dress are forever by keeping it looking exactly as it did on the day.

Sounds sensible – but what to look for in a cleaner?

• Use someone who specialises in Cleaning and Preserving wedding gowns. Not simply the local dry cleaner.
• Make sure whoever you use does the work themselves and doesn’t simply send the gown out. You want to speak to the person who is cleaning your dress.
• Member of Association of Wedding Gown Specialists
• Use 100% acid free tissue and box; pH neutral is not good enough, it will still damage the dress in time.
• Avoid a dry cleaner that simply vacuum seals your dress after cleaning.

Q & A

Q. But why would I bother, there are no stains on my dress?

A. Many stains such as sweat, champagne, white wine and ginger ale are clear. Given time they will turn a horrible dark brown.

 

Q. Now that the big day’s over, what use do I have for my gown?

A. What about for your daughter or daughter-in-law to use for their big day? An older gown can look amazing – but not if it’s yellow.

 

Q. Once I’ve had it cleaned and preserved by a dry cleaner accredited with the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, where should I put it?

A. In a moderate temperature environment. Gowns like to be warm in winter and cool in summer. Preferably out of direct light.

 

Q. Once preserved and boxed, can I take my dress out to look at whenever I want?

A. Of course, but try to wear gloves as the natural oils in your skin will damage the fabric in time.

 

There’s every reason for you to have your wedding gown cleaned and preserved by an expert who uses museum care standards. Accreditation with the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists will give you peace of mind.