Months of preparations have come to an end and that special day you thought would never come has come and gone. So what can you do to preserve not only the memory of your wedding day but the gown that you treasure and that holds so much sentimental value?
There are several ways of preserving your wedding gown that will make it last as long as your memories. All you need to do is follow a few important steps:
1. Have it cleaned as soon after the wedding as possible. Even if you’re careful, there will probably be some stains on your gown or spots from footprints on the tail of your dress. A high quality cleaner that specializes in cleaning wedding gowns can make your gown look new again.
2. Take it to a wedding gown preservation service. You might want to ask your bridal shop for a referral to a wedding gown preservation service. The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists recommends the following when using a preservation service:
Always ask what precautions the specialist takes to protect delicate trims and decorations on your wedding gown and how the cleaner guards against latent stains on your wedding gown.
Always choose a specialist who will personally process your bridal gown, never one who sends your bridal gown away to be cleaned.
Always ask to inspect your wedding gown personally before it is put into the container, which should be a completely acid-free museum quality archival wedding chest lined with fabric or acid-free tissue.
3. If you don’t want to go with a professional preservation service, you can wrap your gown in an unbleached white muslin sheet and then put it in a sturdy acid-free box on your own. Be sure to store it in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Never store your gown in plastic as it may retain moisture and mildew.
4. Display it in a shadow box. A few years after my wedding I took my gown to a local photo frame shop to be preserved in a glass shadow box. The charge for this service was a bit out of my price range so I bought a shadow box just large enough to fit the gown, pinned it in the back, and put the gown along with a framed wedding invitation inside. Several years have gone by (more than ten) and viewing it through the glass it still looks perfect.
Go Green
There is more than one way your wedding gown can make a statement after your special day. By recycling your gown you can make an impact on the environment or help to make another bride’s dream come true.
1. Pass it on. A friend or relative just might appreciate the beauty of your gown as much as you did when you purchased it; why not pass it on.
2. Make a lasting memory. You can preserve the memory of the occasion by using a piece of the fabric, the lace or a part of the silk, in a quilt or another dress.
3. Make a fashion statement. A talented seamstress can turn your wedding dress into a short formal suitable for a night on the town.
4. Make a charitable donation. Making Memories is an organization where you can donate your gown to a bride who has cancer and make her dreams come true. Their website is makingmemories.org.
By being savvy, creative, and doing a little research, you can make your wedding dress last as long as your wedding memories.
References: Makingmemories.org
Weddinggownspecialists.com
