You’ve said your vows, danced your first dance and drank the champagne. It's now time to jet off on your honeymoon. You hand your wedding dress to your bridal party to take care of while you're gone. Before you leave, they ask you one simple question: "Which service would you prefer - wedding dress cleaning or wedding dress preservation?"

Good question. Your answer: "Isn't that the same thing?" We'll let you in on a little secret. It's not. They are very different processes. 

It's difficult to decide what you want for your wedding gown post-ceremony. Most brides assume that the only service they need is a simple wedding dress cleaning, but there's so much more you can do to increase the longevity of your wedding gown. 

Thankfully, My Tuesday Wedding has developed a comprehensive, no filler, an all-you-need-to-know guide on wedding dress preservation that will ensure that you are ready to make the best decision regarding your wedding gown now and for years to come. 

An all-you-need-to-know Guide on Wedding Dress Preservation

What is wedding dress preservation?

Wedding dress preservation refers to the dress packaging techniques that specialists use to ensure your gown retains its beauty and longevity. A professional wedding dress preservationist will inspect your gown and its embroidery for stains, tears or any imperfections. Afterwards, they will then formulate a specialized cleaning procedure. This is the most important step as it rids the wedding dress of invisible stains that will become more apparent over time if left alone. Once the wedding dress preservationist cleans your wedding dress, they wrap the dress in acid-free tissue paper and place it in a museum-quality archival box.

What's the difference between wedding dress preservation and wedding dress cleaning?

Wedding dress cleaning is a must due to the dirt, champagne, cake and other substances that have most likely made contact with your dress. These stains will yellow over time if left untreated. During this time, your wedding dress preservationist will use eco-friendly solvents to dissolve said stains. If a bride chooses to pay for wedding dress preservation, wedding dress cleaning is a necessary first step and requirement for any used wedding dress.

Which should I choose - wedding dress cleaning or wedding dress preservation?

Wedding dress preservation is solely up to the discretion of the bride. If they wish to save the dress for future anniversaries or even gift the dress to their daughter or granddaughter, wedding dress preservation is a great choice as it allows the wedding dress to retain all its glitz and glamour for years to come.

Where can I find a good wedding dress specialist to perform a wedding dress preservation? 

Before the wedding, take some time to gather some recommendations from friends and family. Call your local dry cleaners and inquire about their services. Remember to verify their process and determine if they clean the dress in-house or ship it to another location. 

Lastly, inquire about their success rate. How many wedding dresses do they preserve per year? How many have they done in their line of work? Once you've made a decision, ask a member of your bridal party to deliver the dress post-ceremony while you are on your honeymoon. 

How do I know that my wedding dress preservation specialist is the real deal?

First, use the Association of Wedding Dress Cleaners website to determine if your options are certified. Also, ask them where else they have received their training. More importantly, ask them a lot of questions about their experience and line of work. If they're experienced, then their answers will correlate with your research. Also, their answers will demonstrate the wealth of knowledge they've gathered over the years about the process of wedding dress preservation.

What will my gown look like after a wedding dress preservation?

After wedding dress preservation, your wedding gown should look as close to new as the day you first laid eyes on it. It should look fresh and pressed. You'll also be given an acid-free or pH-neutral box so that the gown can breathe and adjust to temperature changes. It will also have a viewing window and gloves for handling in case you want to remove it from the box. 

What do I do after a wedding dress preservation?

After a wedding dress preservation, remember to always wash your hands and wear the special gloves gifted to you by your wedding dress preservationist. Also, keep the box out of direct light which can yellow the fabric over time. Lastly, try to store your gown in places where there are minimal lighting and temperature fluctuations such as under the bed or in the closet.

How much does wedding dress preservation cost?

Cost is up to the discretion of your wedding dress specialist and should be provided only after a careful examination of your wedding dress. This is no two wedding dresses are the same; they have different fabrics, embroidery and embellishments. The cost will also depend on whether the dress needs repair due to minor tears. 

What do I need to do to prepare my gown for wedding dress preservation?

Although you can wait until after your honeymoon, it's best to receive wedding dress cleaning and preservation before the stains set in. The longer you delay the harder it is for those stains to be removed. This is why you must communicate with your mother, mother-in-law or bridal party on your post-ceremony preferences for your wedding dress. More importantly, don't ever try to clean the stains yourself. You risk causing further damage and potentially ruining the dress if you do so. 

What other accessory or item of clothing can I preserve from my wedding day?

Talk to your wedding dress preservationist about shoes, veils, gloves and other items from your wedding day. If any of those items contain fabric, chances are they may be able to clean and preserve those as well. Your wedding dress preservationist will also provide special instructions on how to store each of those items separate from your wedding dress.