You have finally found the right man and the engagement ring is on your finger. You decide to wear your Grandmother’s wedding gown. The same as your Mother did.

You grab the box it is stored in, pick up the gown and discover that the once brightly shining white is now yellow.

Determined to wear it you take the dress to the dry cleaner and ask him to restore it.

The Wedding Gown Restoration Process

There are a series of 5 steps that the dry cleaner will use in an attempt to restore your vintage wedding gown.

1. The gown is first thoroughly inspected for spots and stains. Every inch of the wedding gown is gone over so as not to miss any staining. Any beads that may be on the dress will be tested to see if they will come off. In an inconspicuous area a patch test will be done to make sure the cleaning mixture best determined for your garment will not harm the material.

2. From the inspection the best method of cleaning is determined. If there are any flowers or hoops that may be on the dress they will have to be removed for the cleaning process. There are several methods available and in some cases buttons must be covered in order to clean your dress.

3. Pre-spotting comes next. This is the most time consuming portion of the restoration. All of the dirty areas and spots are completely treated prior to the total cleaning. To accomplish this, an intimate knowledge of both material and cleaning solutions is required. The technician will spend an inordinate amount of time on this process. Not every spot and stain may come out, however, no expense will be spared in trying to do so.

4. The cleaning stage is next. This is done by using a series of baths to clean the article. The bath solution is generally made of an oxygen based cleaner. This process is done several times to ensure removal of the yellowing in the gown. This method will remove any spot cleaner that may still be in the dress and is not done with any other garments.

5. The final step is steaming and pressing. This will bring your gown back to its original shape.

There is absolutely no guarantee that all stains will be removed during these processes. The chance of complete removal is very high based on the technician’s knowledge.

Once your big day is over, preserve your gown for the next person. Again have it dry cleaned with spot removal done. The gown will be wrapped in an acid free paper and sealed in an oxygen free box. This will keep your dress yellow free and prepared for the next bride to walk down the aisle.

Speak to your local dry cleaner and be sure that they do specialize in wedding gown restorations. Not all dry cleaners do so.

Now that your dress is ready to go, enjoy your new life.