Your wedding was great! You may have danced all night, eaten cake, and downed flutes of champagne, but all that fun might have been hard on your dress. If you’re wondering what to do about a grimy train, perspiration marks, or even wine stains, wedding dress dry cleaning may be in your future.
Many brides, however, are reluctant to send their dress for cleaning because of two concerns: safety to the gown, and the cost. Let’s look at both of those questions and try to set your mind at ease.
Keeping Your Investment Safe
A wedding gown is typically the most expensive item of clothing that woman will ever own, so it’s understandable to worry over whether the cleaning process will hurt the garment. However, choosing an expert dry-cleaner can help to make sure that this fear is laid to rest. Ask your dry cleaner whether they’ve handled wedding dresses in the past. Your best choice will often be a dry cleaner who also specializes in wedding dress preservation (we do), as this means that they’ve got extensive experience dealing with the intricate decoration and delicate fabrics favored by wedding dress designers.
Avoiding Overspending
It’s important to maintain a good perspective when considering the cost of cleaning and/or preserving your gown. First of all, ask your dry cleaner for a quote before you send your dress in–most are happy to provide this information. They may want to see the gown before giving you a firm quote, since the amount of decoration (such as beading, ruffles, etc.) and the type of fabric make a difference (with luxury fabrics like silk typically costing more to clean than simple, manmade polyester). Next, consider the regular rate for dry cleaning. Odds are, if you’re a professional, that you regularly have your work clothes dry-cleaned. Finally, compare the cost of dry cleaning your gown to the cost of its purchase price. If you were willing to buy the gown, isn’t it worth a bit more money to make sure it’s preserved for your future?
Should You DIY?
Maybe money is tight, and you’re wondering whether you can’t clean your dress yourself. Here’s a few ways to determine whether the DIY route is safe to attempt:
- Is your dress made of delicate fabric like silk or taffeta? Home cleaning can be disastrous for these fabrics.
- Do you have a strong emotional attachment to the gown–for example, is it an heirloom? Again, home cleaning is notorious for causing stains, fabric damage, and even holes. If the dress is irreplaceable, don’t try to clean it at home.
- Is there intricate decoration such as beading, tucks, or ruffles? These can be damaged during home cleaning.
Ideally, DIY cleaning should only be attempted on simple, polyester or cotton gowns, and only if you’re certain that you wouldn’t be heartbroken if the garment was to be ruined.
Choosing Quality
If we’ve convinced you to have professionals clean your dress, you may be wondering how you can find a dry cleaner you can trust. We’re here for you! We’ve been in the business for a long time, and have extensive experience cleaning and preserving delicate wedding gowns. We even pick up and deliver! Give us a call today and let us help you keep your memories safe–for a lifetime.
Sources:
Preserve Your Wedding Dress – www.theknot.com
From DIy To Professional – www.weddinggownpreservationkit.com