Wedding Gazette

From Wedding Gown to Heirloom

By Jennifer Baumann

According to experts Steve Boorstein known as the "The Clothing Doctor" and Catherine Stephenson, co-founder of The Professional Association of Custom Clothiers (PACC), a bride should begin making plans to preserve her wedding dress well before the big day. "After the wedding," says Boorstein, "she'll be on her honeymoon, and her mother will be too frazzled to take care of the gown." This is why Boorstein suggests that the bride designate a helper who will take the gown to the cleaner for her. And in order for it to be preserved properly, the gown must be cleaned, despite the fact that it has been worn only once and may look pristine. "This is because many stains - body oil, perspiration, even champagne spills - are invisible, but will turn the fabric yellow and render it weak over time if not removed," says Boorstein.

Once the gown has been cleaned, it is important that it be stored properly. Both Boorstein and Stephenson suggest that the bride choose a cleaner who specializes in bridal-wear preservation and who will be certain to use acid-free tissue paper and boxes to retard the aging process. They also suggest that the bride avoid storing her perfectly preserved gown in an attic, a basement, a trunk, a drawer, or the garage (and, yes, says Stephenson, brides have been known to do the latter). "The boxed gown needs to be stored in a 'living area' of the bride's home," she explains, "where there are fewer drastic changes in humidity and temperature."

But the dress can't stay boxed forever, though some cleaners will tell a bride that by opening the box she will void the preservation warranty. Boorstein suggests that a bride should inquire ahead, and if she is told to leave the dress boxed, then she should find another drycleaner. Says Stephenson, "I tell all of my brides to open the box every year on their anniversary, take out their gown, unfold it, refold it in different places, and box it back up, replacing the acid-free paper where necessary."

Heirloom Options

If a bride's intention is to hand down her gown to a daughter, she should keep in mind that most likely it will not fit, or she will want a different style. "But most gowns," says Stephenson, "can be updated with additional fabrics or trims or redesigned with new lines." Furthermore, according to Stephenson, other options exist for that glorious gown:

• Use the gown for the fabric for your children's christening or communion outfits.
• Cut the dress off, add color, trim, etc. and create a special event dress to last a lifetime.
• Use the gown for the fabric for a special quilt.