Everything You Need to Know about Dry Cleaning Your Wedding Dress After the Wedding

Dry Cleaning Your Wedding Dress after the Wedding

During your wedding, there is always a chance of having something spilled on your wedding dress. But should you dry clean your wedding dress after the wedding? And who should dry clean my wedding dress? Continue to read as we share everything you need to know about professionally dry cleaning your wedding dress.

To dry clean your wedding dress after the wedding, click here.

The champagne was poured, priceless photos taken and the dancing is now over so you can settle into a lovely, bliss-filled life with your new beau! Your designer wedding dress, one of the highlights of your special day, hangs in the closet close by or perhaps crumpled up on the floor...what do you do with it now? Time for professional wedding dress cleaning and perhaps even preservation. 

There are probably stains you can see, those obviously need to come out but what about those pesky stains lurking in the world of the invisible. Those do actually exist! Whether it is perspiration, white wine, champagne or skin oils, they stained your wedding dress, but simply can’t see them. Leave these stains to set and you are possibly asking for irreversible damage. The sugar or acids from those stains will start to set and actually turn into yellow and orange-colored stains. The process is only intensified by your wedding dress stewing inside of a garment bag. Normally, your favorite silk skirt or wool blouse goes to the local dry cleaner....this iis not the place for your designer wedding dress cleaning. The reason you cannot take your wedding dress to the local dry cleaner is twofold: they are not equipped with the appropriate solvents or machinery to carefully clean your gown. Dry cleaners often use a “same size fits all” practice and I’m sure you would agree that your delicate wedding dress should not be cleaned just like your wool work pants. The chemicals your local dry cleaner uses are often way too harsh for the delicate fabrics that make up your designer wedding dress. The stylists at The Bridal Finery have seen this damage, it really does happen and sometimes the damage is beyond repair. Your wedding gown needs to be thoroughly inspected by a wedding gown cleaning professional with high standards and then a prescribed treatment plan carried out. Once your gown has been processed with the correct stain lifting techniques, it can then be preserved. 

Certified wedding gown cleaners are equipped with the correct solvents and machinery to lift stains on wedding gowns without running the risk of damage. Designer wedding gowns are often made of very delicate fabrics and adorned with beading or appliques, so you want to make sure the next person touching your gown knows what they’re doing. Oftentimes, the bridal salon where you purchased your gown will offer wedding dress cleaning and/or preservation options or at the very least can give you recommendations on where to take your gown for cleaning in Orlando. At The Bridal Finery in Orlando, we offer cleaning packages and cleaning with preservation packages.

The quicker you get your gown cleaned the better, you do not want to let stains set, as they will be harder to remove. Whether you plan on selling your dress, keeping it for use later down the road or you are completely unsure, the best thing you can do is at least get it professionally cleaned. A professional cleaning will not only ensure that your gown has no staining, but it will also keep the integrity of the fabrics from being compromised so it stays looking beautiful. If your plan is to keep your gown for future use, then the process of preservation is key. Preserving your gown after it has been cleaned, means that special care is put in to coat the fabric which prevents yellowing or aging of the delicate fabrics. With preservation also comes the proper storage. If your gown is preserved, it will be placed with acid-free tissue within an acid-free box with breathability. This is important because the fabrics on your gown need to be able to breath in order to prevent the possibility of mold or fabric rot. In Orlando, we have lots of moisture in the air on a daily basis, this breathable chest is a must. Preservation also includes your gown being placed carefully on a shaping bust and laid flat so it is not hanging on anything causing the fabrics to misshapen over time. If you plan on keeping your gown for over one year then preservation is key to keeping it as close to its original glory as possible. 

If you are reading this article before your wedding, go ahead and assign someone to take your dress for the cleaning and/or preservation process the day after your wedding. At The Bridal Finery, we will inspect the wedding dress prior to shipping it out for cleaning so that we can note the stains and make sure they are gone when the dress comes back. Often brides choose a parent, sibling, best friend or maid of honor. Whoever you assign will be happy to help you with this and it relieves the burden from you so you can go on to enjoy this beautiful time with your new Honey Bun! Sending your gown off the day after your wedding means that stains have not had time to set for long and you can quickly check off one post-wedding to do. You can expect the cleaning process to take up to 10 weeks which is helpful if you are on a long honeymoon or in the middle of moving

Photo: Rudy and Marta
Floral: In Bloom Florist
Rentals: RW Style
Hair & Makeup for Models: Tiffany with Michelle Renee the Studio
Models: Premiere Model Management
Sweets: Baker’s Cottage Cakes
Fashion: The Bridal Finery