I still remember digging through my mothers cedar chest and seeing her beautiful wedding dress for the first time. It has been kept safe and sound and looks just like it did in 1977.

Preservation? What’s that?  “Preservation” means when used in conjunction with a wedding gown means to prepare for long-term storage by making sure the item is free of dirt, stains and any other foreign matter that will discolor or otherwise damage the fabric over time, then store it in an environment that will minimize damage from light, temperature and humidity changes, mildew and mold, and insects.

A friend of mine said to me, why don’t you blog about preserving wedding gowns. When I was getting married, I knew nothing about this. I love it when I get feed back from family, friends and readers. I want to share the things I know, things that inspire me and if I don’t know about it, I promise to research it so I do know and can share it with you.

If you aren’t going to donate your dress to a wonderful foundation like Brides Against Breast Cancer and decide you want to keep it as sentimental piece of your most important day, like I did, you should know what to do to keep this gorgeous gown in great condition.

Through creative marketing however, “preservation” has, in some circles, come to mean a specific method or process designed specifically for wedding gowns. Be suspicious of any process with a special trade-name. There are no secrets to preserving any type of garment. Any museum conservator will confirm this. ( And I encourage you to ask.) What’s out there – and does it work?  If you have looked into having your wedding gown preserved, you have probably already come across some of the methods of storage in common use.  Plastic bags, vacuum-packing, acid-free boxes…. Some of these methods have been around for many years  – but do they work? One of the more popular storage methods is to have your gown sealed in a plastic bag and in turn store that inside a decorated display box.  Although attractive in appearance, this method does introduce some technical problems of its own.  First of all, plastic bags are one of the worst possible storage mediums – arguably worse than just leaving our gown in the open.  Here’s why:

• Plastic bags give off fumes in the form of  “plasticizers” (chemicals that stop the bags going brittle). These fumes discolor fabrics over time.  Remember, your gown is sealed in this chemical-laden air, accelerating the discoloration process!

• Plastic bags are very good at sealing in moisture. This can accelerate chemical destabilization of dyes and is an ideal environment for the growth of mildew and mold. Either condition will ruin a garment.

Tip-Top Cleaners is Portland’s first east-side environmentally friendly cleaners. They utilize the GreenEarth cleaning system and specialize in wedding gown preservation. Mickey the owner of Tip-Top cleaners is so sweet, I just love her. Mention her website and receive a 20% discount on your first service.  Her wedding gown preservation service starts at $250.  Some professional places will charge $1000 just to look at a dress.  Mickey does it herself and doesn’t ship the gown off to Seattle or California like most cleaners do. She was telling me that the other day a woman brought in her 105 year old wedding gown her mother wore in 1905  and the woman wore it to her wedding in 1955 for her wedding, it went in gray-brown came out white and brought tears to her eyes.

Then of course there is the infamous  Wedding Gown Specialists. This company does everything from preservation to restorations and provide a museum quality packaging environment. You can contact the customer service department to find a certified wedding gown specialist near you.

Most local Bridal gown shops will sell Wedding gown preservation bridal dress cleaning kits. They can run from $149 and up.  When you choose the kit, your gown will be cleaned and preserved and stored in a preservation chest with a convenient carrying handle, then placed in a crush-proof shipping container. (you send it off  to be cleaned) You will receive a 20-year certificate of guarantee on this $500 declared value; up to three additional accessories can also be processed for free.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. Take special care in preserving your wedding gown. Maybe your daughter or your daughters daughter will want to wear your wedding dress someday.