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How to Preserve a Wedding Gown Why a separate section on wedding gown preservation? Is there something different involved in preserving a wedding gown as opposed to other garments as discussed in Garment Storage Basics? Quite frankly, no. The reason for this separate section is that the bridal industry has grown very large. There are many people who want a piece of this pie. Over the years, some dubious methods of "preservation" have been developed which, in some cases, do more harm than good. This section discusses some of the more commonly used methods and their effectiveness in protecting (or otherwise) your gown. Preservation? What's that? Before getting into common methods of preservation, it might be a good idea to define what "preservation" means when used in conjunction with a wedding gown. Preservation of a garment in the proper sense simply means to prepare for long-term storage by making sure the item is free of dirt, stains and any other foreign matter that will discolor or otherwise damage the fabric over time, then store it in an environment that will minimize damage from light, temperature and humidity changes, mildew and mold, and insects.Through creative marketing however, "preservation" has, in some circles, come to mean a specific method or process designed specifically for wedding gowns. Be suspicious of any process with a special tradename. There are no secrets to preserving any type of garment. Any museum conservator will confirm this. (And we encourage you to ask.) And it is worth reiterating here that if you come across a process that insists your gown must remain sealed in its box or the guarantee is voided, run a mile! This can only protect the seller. They can never have any claims against their work!What's out there - and does it work? If you have looked into having your wedding gown preserved, you have probably already come across some of the methods of storage in common use. Plastic bags, vacuum-packing, acid-free boxes... Some of these methods have been around for many years - but do they work?One of the more popular storage methods is to have your gown sealed in a plastic bag and in turn store that inside a decorated display box. Although attractive in appearance, this method does introduce some technical problems of its own. First of all, plastic bags are one of the worst possible storage mediums - arguably worse than just leaving your gown in the open. Here's why:
On the plus side, the display box - like any cardboard box - does offer protection from light (see Garment Storage Basics), although you can expect to pay around $40 for the decoration! However, because of its other shortcomings, this method is now falling from favor. Copyright © 1996 - 2007 Sentinel Archiving, Inc. |