Wedding Gown Cleaning and Preservation Report

Part 2: A Wedding Dress Preservation Case Study
When I was married in the early 80's, the most common preservation method for bridal gowns was to vacuum pack it in a box. This was to protect the dress from oxygen, the supposed enemy of the gown. It was an expensive process, and my husband and I were starving students on a shoe string budget, so my dress hung in my closet, without even a plastic cover for it. Being a skilled seamstress, I had sewn my own wedding gown and so I did not have the garment bag that bridal shops provide you with the purchase of a gown.

Each time I saw my dress hanging in the closet I felt a twinge of guilt. I believed I was putting the gown at risk, not having it vacuum packed. And yet, over time, I forgot about my dress, and it remained in its spot in the closet.

In 1994 I was approached by a friend who asked that I assist her with a new type of bridal gown preservation. Designed by textile preservation experts, Museum Method bridal gown preservation technique was different than other preservation techniques. It allowed you to easily inspect and admire your bridal gown any time you like.

My friend explained to me that the vacuum packing that had been the rage in the 80's was the worst thing that could be done to a gown! When the gown was vacuum packed, and all the oxygen was sucked out of the box, it left the gown shriveled up. Later, when the box was opened, the gown was a mess! Each place that the gown had been creased was now permanently creased. Sometimes the dress came out in shreds.

When I took my wedding dress out of its spot in the closet to preserve it, I found that it didn't look bad. I discovered that oxygen hadn't yellowed it after all! It was a little dusty and it did have some oxidation spots because I had never had it cleaned.

I then cleaned and preserved my gown with Museum Method™ bridal gown preservation. I was thrilled with the results. My gown looked beautiful!

My bridal gown still looks fabulous today. I know because I can easily check it, and often do. As it turned out, oxygen was not the enemy that everyone supposed it was.

Since the 1980's, bridal gown preservation has improved tremendously. Vacuum packing is no longer commonly done. There are now several options available for bridal gown preservation. However, there are quite a few variations of these options, all claiming to be the best. It can be very confusing. How do you determine which method will truly keep your gown in the best condition?