If Your Wedding Gown Has Been Preserved....

You should be able to open the box, try on your dress or have someone else try it on. After all, that is why you preserved it, right?
When someone tells me they have had their wedding dress preserved, I always say, "That's great! How does it look?" They usually say,"I don't know. I have never opened the box." Most people believe that if they open the box, something bad will happen to the dress. So in other words, they spent the money to preserve their dress with the understanding that they can never take it out of the box. How crazy is that? What's even worse is that they probably have never seen their dress after it was "cleaned". How often do you as a consumer pay for a service but never check to see if you got what you paid for?
What preserves a gown? It is very basic really. The dress needs to be thoroughly cleaned according to the fabric and embellishments of the dress. Then packed in archival materials and stored in a climate controlled area.
I do not believe in taping, sealing or shrink wrapping a wedding gown box. First of all most fabrics need to breathe. Air will not damage a gown. However, long term exposure to what is in air can...UV rays, dust, moisture. This does not apply if you are just taking it out briefly to try on or show your kids. Second, it is actually good for a dress to be taken out of a box every once in a while. This allows the folds to relax and you can make sure it is still in good condition. Be sure to wear cotton gloves to keep the dirt and oils from your fingers off your dress.
Here are a few tips when caring for your gown:
~Never store your gown dirty. Dirt and stains can set over time and become permanent.
~Never store your gown in a plastic garment bag. These are for protecting the gown during transporting but not for storage. They will discolor the gown over time. If you cannot get your gown preserved, take it out of the plastic and wrap it in a cotton sheet.
~Never store your gown in a wood chest unless it has been wrapped with several layers of archival materials. Gases that are emitted from wood and wood products will damage a gown.
~Do your research. Don't search for "wedding gown preservation" Search for "texile preservation" and find out what museums do with fabric.
For more information go to www.sentimentalpreservation.com or contact me at simone@sentimentalpreservation.com.