ALL ABOUT WEDDING GOWNS
Your wedding gown - you'll never own anything more beautiful, more special, or more symbolic of the most precious day of your life.
Perhaps it's the gown your mother wore, and you want to make your lifetime commitment in that same special dress. Or maybe you'll choose a dress designed especially for a bride of today . . . fresh, modern, luxurious. Whatever gown you choose; remember to protect it after your wedding day with expert dry cleaning and careful storage. Your gown will always remind you of one of the most important events in your life.
Some gowns have decorative lace and embroidered trim that may be dyed with dyes that are not colourfast to cleaning. Some lace trims will turn snow white in cleaning while the base fabric of the gown will retain its ivory or off-white colour.
Dry cleaners find that some trim is glued on rather than sewn on. The adhesive used may not withstand the dry cleaning process causing the trim to be loosened or completed removed from the garment. Sometimes beads and other decorative trim are made of plastics that dissolve in dry cleaning solvents. Make every attempt to ensure your dress is dry cleanable so that you can preserve your investment for many years. If in doubt about any of the cleaning characteristics of your gown, discuss it with your dry cleaner. Your dry cleaner may have processed a similar garment and could give you valuable advice on your expected purchase of the gown.
Caring for Your Gown after the Wedding
Most brides want to preserve their dress as a keepsake, perhaps for their own daughter to wear on another special day. Experts at the International Fabricare Institute, the worldwide association of professional dry cleaners and launderers, recommend cleaning your dress before storage.
The dress may contain invisible stains caused by various foods and beverages, as well as perspiration and body oils. These will later appear as permanent yellow stains if not properly cared for in cleaning. On a full length gown the hemline will likely be soiled. If the article was worn in inclement weather, removal of the soil from the hem could be very difficult.
Insects are attracted to food, beverage and perspiration stains. Insects will actually feed on a stained garment and, while feeding on the stain, eat part of the fabric. During a later cleaning, these weakened yearns could actually fall out causing a hole. Point out any stains or spills to your dry cleaner. They will expertly remove these stains if at all possible and clean and refreshen the entire gown.
Some dry cleaners will pack your wedding gown for you in a special box that will aid in storage. This is a convenient way for the consumer to not only store the garment but it offers some protection from dust, dirt, insects and other contaminants in the air. These boxes are made up of an inner paper box into which the gown is packed and carefully stuffed with tissue paper. (White acid-free tissue paper is preferred.) This lightweight paper box is then inserted in a loose plastic bag. The garment is then placed in a sturdy cardboard container providing compact garment storage. Ask your professional dry cleaner if he has these services. Unfortunately, no process or storage method yet known can absolutely guarantee against possible yellowing or deterioration of textile fibres during extended storage.
Even after your gown is carefully stored, inspect it again from time to time. Stains that didn't show up at the time of cleaning could appear later, and should be attended to at once. An occasional inspection will assure you that your gown is not becoming damp or suffering from heat exposure.
Your wedding gown is worth the attention you give to its selection and care, both before and after the wedding.
