Wedding Dress Preservation Vs. Wedding Dress Cleaning

Yes, the holidays are barely over and it’s the depth of winter. But, if you have a wedding planned this year (and, because of the pandemic, who doesn’t?!) you have other things on your mind. A lot of other things.

Of all the items on your list of wedding planning things to do, perhaps none has a lasting effect on your wedding dress. Yes, you’ll have videos, pictures, gifts, maybe even some cake, to remind you of the special day. But none of them, or anything else, will bring back the full memory and meaning of the day more than your wedding dress.

So, with that in mind, have you thought about wedding dress preservation or wedding dress cleaning yet?

Wedding Dress Preservation vs Wedding Dress Cleaning

First, preserving your wedding dress starts with a professional cleaning. So it isn’t about choosing preservation or cleaning. Instead, the real question is: should you only have your dress cleaned? To answer that, let’s take a quick look at the preservation process. It includes the cleaning process too.

Step 1 – Cleaning the Dress

Of course, cleaning your wedding dress isn’t like cleaning your regular wardrobe. First, everything that falls onto your dress, including dust from the floor, a bit of champagne, cake icing, and more, can cause permanent damage and/or staining. So you should make arrangements for the dress to be professionally cleaned even before your honeymoon is over.

Parkers Cleaners trained and qualified wedding dress cleaning team are experienced and equipped to preserve the delicate fabrics and intricate needlework, lace and beading.

Step 2 – Acid-Free Preservation

Acids are the enemy of your dress. Exposure to acids in materials and skin oils can discolor and damage your dress. After cleaning, your dress is prepared using acid-free body forms, wrapped in protective acid-free tissue paper and carefully packed in acid-free preservation boxes.

Step 3 – Your wedding Chest

Your wedding dress, in its preservation box, is also placed inside your personal Wedding Chest. The Chest is an added layer of protection for your dress. It’s resealable, so you can open it any time to see your dress. The Chest even comes with its own pair of white gloves so you can safely handle your dress too.

Why Would You Only Clean Your Dress?

With the preservation process offering to keep your dress looking like new for decades, why would you only clean it? The pandemic has meant many compromises for brides and grooms, including having many smaller gatherings to celebrate their union. While you should clean your dress after each occasion, you would preserve it only once, after all the celebrations are complete. Also, donating wedding dresses, or selling them, are increasingly popular options, and cleaning your dress would keep its value in both cases.

One last word. Parkers Cleaners is a proud member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists. We are trained and licensed to use the safest, most effective preservation and restoration methods on your wedding dress and other heirloom fabrics.

If you enjoyed this post, check out our recent article “The Benefits of Tailored Clothing“.