Few people think of what they want to do with their dress until long after the wedding is over. Sometimes people will remember to clean it but if you wait too long, your beautiful dress will get yellow and dingy from perspiration stains, deodorant residue, and odors. Salts from the body can possibly change the color in the underarm area. And if you had an outdoor wedding or rain on your day, the bottom of your dress most likely picked up dirt from sweeping across the floor. Even if you don’t see any stains immediately after the wedding, over time sugar and oil from food and rink will oxidize or caramelize on your dress.

If you’ve ever kept a white shirt or white dress long enough in your closet, you know what I’m talking about. White doesn’t like to stay white. However, most gowns today will not yellow with age like our mothers’ gown because of the materials used today, with the exception of silk fabric which is a natural fiber. So if you think you have perspiration, food, dirt, etc. on your dress, it will definitely be a good idea to clean it. If you plan on keeping the dress for a long time, passing it on to someone else, or selling it sometime in the future, you may want to think about preserving (aka “boxing”) your wedding dress.

The box and materials is acid-free. Keeping it in a plastic sleeve in the box will keep it from getting wet in emergency situations. Source: Total Cleaners

I got my dress boxed at Michael’s III Cleaners at 719 N Saint Asaph St in Alexandria, VA. It was very no fuss and convenient. They have 2 other locations in Maryland, in Oxon Hill and Fort Washington. Total Cleaners is another dry cleaner that also specializes in wedding dress preservation for the DC area, and they deliver! They can pick up from your house or work, and deliver back to you when they’re done. I use their dry cleaning service regularly and it’s always great service so I referred them to friends for preservation who loved the convenience and quality of service.

Prices at any dry cleaners will depend on how intricate the dress is but you can expect to spend starting at $150-$200. Upcharges are determined by the length of the train, amount of beading, and other intricate designs. Because I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted to sell or to keep the dress, I figured preserving the dress would be smart to do to keep the dress’s color and structure intact. By the way, I still haven’t decided. :O)

Do you have  a vendor you trust for wedding dress preservation in your location? Share with us!