Wedding Gowns,
Cleaning and Preservation.
The wedding dress, commonly known as the “dream dress”, the one we have fantasised about since we were young girls, is likely the most expensive item of clothing most women will ever buy. It is also one of the most important articles of clothing one may own.
While you could put some of your wedding cake in the fridge to conserve it, it can go bad or get finished before you realise it. One of the few physical keepsakes from the memorable day is the bridal gown. Even though photos are an excellent method to help keep the memories of the event alive, they can’t compare to a well-preserved wedding gown.
Despite their high cost, wedding dresses are very significant. You might only wear it once, but it will never lose its value to you. The perfect dress deserves to be preserved properly after the big day because a significant amount of money and countless hours were invested in finding it.
Proper preservation may keep your garment free from stains, dust, light, mildew, wrinkles, and mould to protect that investment. Whether it’s the memories it evokes or the possibility of your daughter wearing it to her wedding, even if you don’t have daughters or your girls don’t plan to wear the gown again, you may integrate specific items into memorabilia that will be passed down to future generations, creating your very own family heirloom.
You could even discover that it increases in value over time, just like some expensive clothes do. Classic styles are timeless, and because their value appreciates over time and may be sold at any moment you decide. Preservation will ensure that it stays in excellent shape whether you examine it today or after 20 years.
Wedding dresses are delicate and intricately designed, so they cannot be laundered like other types of clothing. The first step is to have your wedding dress cleaned and conserved by a professional cleaner to allow it to stay in flawless condition and keep its colour, fabric, and structure. And the sooner you can get the wedding dress to the experts, the better. Fortunately, Trenor Coats and Gowns Limited provide pick-up services, allowing you to arrange a pick-up from the convenience of your home with only a phone call.
What goes into preserving a wedding gown?
Preservation is the process of having your wedding dress cleaned and maintained by a professional using high-quality cleaning products and techniques that guarantee your gown won’t discolour or pick up stains in the future. Special packing and cleaning methods are employed so that your gown keeps its elegance over time.
Cleaning the dress to treat and get rid of any stains, both visible and invisible, is usually the first step in wedding dress preservation. After the party, your dress certainly has at least one stain, but many of them are hidden from sight, such as those caused by perspiration, perfume, white wine, cake icing, champagne, sugar, deodorant, and body oils. Although they might not be visible right away, all stains, especially those that are invisible will eventually turn brown and must be removed. Once your gown is professionally cleaned and treated, it will then be steamed or hand pressed, and carefully placed in a breathable garment bag to ensure the fabric stays as good as new for many years to come.
Every wedding gown is different, which is why each gown must be carefully examined. You want to make sure that the person taking care of your gown pays attention to detail and is familiar with fabrics, as well as how gowns are constructed. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t entrust the washing of your wedding dress to just anybody. While many laundry services may be excellent at taking stains out of your jeans and creating flawless shirts, you need to do a lot of research to ensure that they have the knowledge and tools necessary to clean wedding gowns.
What to expect from us at Trenor
Wedding gowns are generally composed of many sensitive fabrics and embellishments such as kente, satin, organdy, lace, sequins, beads, rhinestones, pearls, and a combination of different fabrics. Problems can develop with any or all of these fabrics if a slight laundry mistake is made. Given your dress’ fabric and other details, Trenor crafts a customised treatment plan for you. The style of gown, age of gown, the construction of the garment, the embellishments, the colour, and the intensity of staining over the entire dress, all impact this specialist’s evaluation.
Wedding dress trends and designs are always evolving. Each year, new fabrics are also developed and used. To understand these new materials and how they may be cleaned and treated safely, we invest a lot in researching and testing brand-new environmentally friendly cleaning and preserving techniques to remove stains and repair damage that might occur during washing and steaming. Then, we train our staff in these methods.
To have a deeper appreciation of how garments are constructed and embellished, we also interact with fashion designers. Because there are many tiny, delicate threads and glue that are used to hold the ornamental components like beads, sequins, crystals, buttons, and pearls in place, with time or even while washing, these stitches can become loosened and frayed, and the glue can easily peel away. If that happens, the decorative elements will come off the gown, and it won’t resemble the beautiful dress you wore. We need to know what method was used in fixing embellishments so we can make necessary repairs and choose the best cleaning method.
Some of the top wedding service providers in the nation prefer to process their newly created gowns with us before delivering them to the bride for her special day due to our reputation for providing superior wedding gown cleaning services.
Your wedding dress preservation technique is a delicate one. However, the advantages remain worthwhile. Allowing us to assist you with preservation not only cleans the dress of any stains and spills you may have encountered on your wedding day but also prevents any future damage from occurring.
Your wedding dress might suffer long-term harm if you decide not to preserve it. Over time, the fibres in the dress will break down, and the dress will begin to turn yellow. Invisible stains, especially the ones that contain sugar, caramelise with time and will end up becoming very visible brown and black stains, which will slowly begin to break down the fibres of the fabric. Bad ventilation and humidity will make way for mould and mildew growth. The fabric will also stretch out from improper hanging and develop permanent creasing, some embellishments can also fall out.
STORAGE
The only way to guarantee that your gown will keep its colour and form after being washed and preserved is to make sure it is stored correctly. Unfortunately, many brides keep their wedding dresses in plastic bags. Plastic is not at all kind to textiles, and over time, chemicals from the plastic can seep into the fabric of your gown while also holding onto moisture that promotes the formation of mould. The best way to store a dress is in a fabric bag made of breathable fabric. This will help to release moisture and prevent your dress from being rubbed against anything, which will fray the seams. Visit our blog post https://bit.ly/3PwSwSp on plastic garment bags to learn why they are not suitable for long-term storage. You should sometimes take your wedding dress out of storage and hang it outside. The gown will be able to breathe as a result, making mildew growth less likely. Wash your hands first, and avoid applying anything to your skin that might cause stains, such as makeup, nail polish, or lotions.
It is Never Too Late to Send in Your Wedding Dress for Cleaning & Preservation
Our team of professionals can restore your wedding dress to its previous splendour and grace, whether it has been hanging in your wardrobe for a few weeks or a few decades. It could take longer to recover a garment if it has already been severely yellowed or has mould problems. Even though we can’t guarantee that all stains will disappear, we can generally salvage your beloved wedding gown more than you’d expect.
Although it is never too late to have your wedding dress maintained, getting it done as soon as possible after the ceremony means that the delicate textiles will be put under far less stress. Your bridal gown will last much longer thanks to this. Sooner would be better. Ideally, the day following the wedding, but definitely within a month. You may decide to wait a while before getting your wedding dress professionally cleaned but we don’t recommend doing so for more than six months.
You don’t need to stress too much about keeping your wedding dress clean on your wedding day; just enjoy it. Don’t worry if it gets a few stains. You know you have your favourite laundry service to pick up your dress shortly and clean it thoroughly before preparing it for storage. Your hopes of preserving your wedding dress are intact because you have Trenor Coats and Gowns Limited on your side. Call us now on 0553655059.
Written by :
Loveryn Dodu
Research and Training Supervisor
Trenor Coats and Gowns Ltd
REFERENCES
Bibbentuckers. (2012). Don’t Be the Bride With Stained Memories. Retrieved from https://www.bibbentuckers.com/dont-be-the-bride-with-stained-memories/
Dress box Australia. (2020). Why do wedding dresses turn yellow? How to Avoid & Restore it. Retrieved from https://mydressbox.com.au/blogs/wedding-dress-cleaning-news/why-do-wedding-dresses-turn-yellow-how-to-avoid-restore-it
SEO AB Alchemy. (2022). 8 reasons to preserve your wedding gown. Retrieved from https://greenercleaner.net/8-reasons-to-preserve-your-wedding-dress/
