Recalling the Past: Wedding Gown Restoration

We may be biased, but we think that when it comes to physical objects, a wedding gown is one of the most lovely keepsakes of a wedding. Its style tells the story of “when” and “where” by showing signs of trends and level of formality. Its tailoring tells the story of “who” as each stitch was carefully placed for the bride wearing the garment. Finally, its very existence tells the story of “why”, a couple wishing to commit to life together. Sure, we’re a little sentimental, but when you really stop to think about it, a wedding gown is truly special.

If you’ve ever seen a romantic comedy, you would expect that everyone has a mother’s or grandmother’s wedding gown tucked away in a closet somewhere, perfectly preserved for all eternity and ready to be worn down the aisle again. We hate to burst your bubble, but properly preserving a wedding gown takes some effort. Restoring a wedding gown takes even more!

One of the services we offer at Parkers Custom Clothing Care is wedding gown restoration. Our clients bring us precious pieces of their family’s history and we carefully restore them to their former glory.

Recently, we had two beautiful wedding gowns from the past come into our shop and we wanted to share them with you. The first is a gown from 1952 and has already been worn four times, so far! We wanted to make sure that the 100% cotton gown could continue to be aisle-worthy for any future brides in the family, so we hand washed the gown with a gentle cleansing agent to protect the colour. As always, with older gowns like this, we press by hand with an iron and then put them into a wedding gown preservation package with acid free paper and packaging. The second gown is over 100 years old and proves that classic styles pop up over and over again throughout fashion.

1950s Gown

Wedding gowns with a 1950s feel to them have been popular for the last few years and we love them. Some brides go all the way there by choosing adorable tea-length dresses like the one below, but will often add some sophistication with a tulle skirt.

1910s Gown

This incredible dress from the 1910s certainly doesn’t lack detail and has inspired many dresses after it – head to any wedding blog to see the evidence. This one below has a little bit of an Edwardian feel to it while still being completely 21st century.

Would you like to learn more about our wedding gown restoration and wedding gown preservation? Contact Parkers Custom Clothing Care!