WEDDING DRESS RESTORATION
What is wedding gown restoration?
When a wedding dress has been incorrectly stored, it yellows. This usually happens after a bride decides to keep her wedding dress but asks for the wedding dress to be cleaned without having it preserved. Wedding dress restoration therefore attempts to return the dress to its former glory so that it can be re-worn or repackaged.
What does wedding gown restoration involve?
Similar to all our other services, wedding dress restoration first requires inspection to determine the integrity of the fabric. How fragile is it? In so doing, it will need to be determined the history of the dress and it’s original colour, and then calculate all the procedures needed to restore the dress. Afterwards, we discuss our thoughts and recommendations with the client.
Once there is an agreement, we hand clean the dress in a bath using a specialty cleaning solution. This is the most important part of the restoration. The bath will be changed 4 to 7 times during the restoration process whereby the dress will be rinsed each time.
The dress is then hung up to dry on a body-form in order to preserve the shape of it and then re-inspected to determine if further restoration is required. If so, the dress is re-immersed in the cleaning solution and hung to dry on the body form a second time. Lastly, the dress is steamed and inspected for open seams and missing buttons. Any and all repairs are performed at this stage.
Will my dress look like it did when I first bought it?
Although wedding dress restoration cannot completely restore your gown, the finished result will depend on any long term damage. The process of wedding dress restoration can however return much of its missing shine and lustre, making it as close to the original version as possible.
Is wedding dress restoration even worth it?
If you have a sentimental attachment to the dress and desire to wear it again for another occasion, then we will discuss with you all the possible results the restoration process will bring so that you can adjust your expectations and make an informed decision.
Who is qualified to perform wedding dress restoration?
Wedding gown restoration should only be performed by a professional wedding gown specialist.
A wedding dress specialist is someone who has received training and certification from a renowned and respected organization. You want someone who knows what she is doing, pays attention to detail and is well versed in wedding gown fabric and construction.
Lesa Diehl, manager of My Tuesday Wedding, has received her training from the Association of Wedding Dress Specialists in Boston and the A.L. Wilson & Company seminars on cleaning and restoration of wedding gown in Chicago.
l Iive outside British Columbia. How do I find a wedding dress specialist in my area?
Check the Association of Wedding Dress Specialists’ website for professional preservationists in your hometown. Also, try asking bridal stores or expert wedding planners in your community. Lastly, check google reviews and ask recently married couples for recommendations.