Gown Preservation
The International Fabricare Institute, the worldwide association of professional dry cleaners and launderers, recommend cleaning your gown before storage.
We carefully handclean your wedding gown with gentle cleaning agents that dissolve the different kinds of stains. Plus we take extra steps to be certain all stains, both seen and unseen, are removed because wedding day spills such as soda, wine and cake (many times caused by a guest and unnoticed by you) can dry without leaving a visible mark. Otherwise, over time, these sugary stains, which are not dissolved during ordinary dry cleaning, will caramelize into ugly brown stains. Once all stains are dissolved, your wedding gown is rinsed in pure solvent until all cleaning agents are removed and your gown is completely clean.
Your Personal Inspection
Upon bringing the gown to us, we will go over all stains and address any repairs needed before cleaning. Then, when your gown is clean, you personally inspect your gown and watch while we layer your wedding gown with acid-free tissue and fold it into an acid-free, archival quality wedding gown chest that protects it from exposure to light and air. No cleaning agents are added. Turn the memory of your special day into an heirloom, and preserve your wedding gown with the wedding gown preservation service you can trust, guaranteed.
International Guarantee
Return your gown when it is to be worn again to any participating Certified Wedding Gown Specialist™ who will inspect and press the gown at no charge. A blind test of four nationally-known bridal gown preservation services conducted by National Bridal Service proved our MuseumCare™ gown preservation was cleanest, provided the safest museum quality packaging environment, and offered the most comprehensive guarantee.
Gown Restoration
Bridal & Debutante Gown Cleaning and Restoration
No need to wear a soiled sample or stained pre-owned wedding or debutante gown because we clean gowns according to standard museum practices and take every precaution to protect delicate beads, trims and lace during the cleaning process. Tip: always have your gown cleaned before having it altered.
And if your vintage wedding gown has yellowed, we can restore it to the true color. Our restoration process removes stains and discoloration that ordinary dry cleaning cannot.
Bridal Gown Pressing and Packing for Travel
We press your wedding gown with meticulous care, and when we prepare your wedding gown for your wedding day or for carrying with you to your destination wedding, we insert a bodice form and tissue to prevent wrinkles. Ask about free pressing. We can also pack your gown in our destination wedding kit so you can carry your gown with you through airline security and store it in the overhead on board the plane.
International Guarantee
Return your gown when it is to be worn again to any participating Certified Wedding Gown Specialist™ who will inspect and press the gown at no charge. A blind test of four nationally-known bridal gown preservation services conducted by National Bridal Service proved our MuseumCare™ gown preservation was cleanest, provided the safest museum quality packaging environment, and offered the most comprehensive guarantee.
Tuxedos and Uniforms
Careful cleaning is essential to prolonging the life of fabric because gritty soil can actually cut fibers, and food stains attract insects that eat away at fibers. Many uniforms and tuxedos are wool, which is very sturdy, but all fabrics will last longer if treated properly. Whether your heirloom is a nurse’s cap, military uniform, athletic uniform, tuxedo, or marching band uniform, we know how to give it the care it deserves.
Hand Cleaning: Our Anti-Sugar Stain Treatment
We carefully hand clean your uniform with gentle cleaning agents that dissolve the different kinds of stains. Plus we take extra steps to be sure all stains, both seen and unseen, are removed because spills such as soda, wine and cake can dry without leaving a visible mark. Otherwise, over time, these sugary stains, which are not dissolved during ordinary dry cleaning, will caramelize into ugly brown stains. Once all stains are dissolved, your uniform is rinsed in pure solvent until it is completely clean.
Uniforms and Tuxedos Preservation
Keep your uniform in the family the right way with the uniform and tuxedo preservation service you can trust. Your completely clean uniform or tuxedo will be carefully layered with acid-free tissue and folded into an acid-free, archival-quality wedding gown chest that protects it from exposure to light and air. No cleaning agents are added. When it is to be used again, return your uniform or tuxedo preservation to any Certified Wedding Gown Specialist™ in more than 500 cities around the world, and your uniform or tuxedo will be inspected and pressed at no charge.
Vintage Pieces
If the gown of your dreams is a family bridal gown that time has yellowed and stained, call us! We specialize in restoring antique gowns and vintage bridal gowns to the true color without damage to delicate fabrics or dyes. We remove stains and discoloration that ordinary dry cleaners cannot, and our restorations have been featured on television and in publications around the world.
Enjoy the Wonderful Feeling of Wearing a Family Heirloom
Whether it is a family wedding gown or vintage veil or one of those special gowns you or someone in your family wore as a child, we can renew it for your special day. You can trust us to give your vintage wedding gown or family gown the care and attention it deserves.
Vintage Bridal Veil Restoration
When restored, vintage Brussels lace veils and vintage veils trimmed with Chantilly, Alençon, and other types of lace are lovely with today’s bridal gowns. Most vintage lace is made from sturdy cotton that can be safely returned to the true color. Point de Gaze (also called Rosepoint) and Duchesse, for example, nearly always restore beautifully. So does Princesse lace. Newer veils from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s usually have borders of Alencon lace, and they, too, can restored and restyled for today’s brides.
Silk Illusion
Some vintage lace is appliquéd onto silk illusion, which is often too fragile for restoration, but the lace can be restored and then sewn onto nylon or polyester net.
Vintage Bridal Tiaras
Not all brides choose to wear the original bridal tiara that is attached to the veil. You may prefer to remove the tiara from the veil and attach the restored veil to a comb. Or you may ask us to remove the lace from the tiara, restore it, and create a new ornament from the restored lace.
Heirloom Restoration and Preservation of Vintage Bridal Veils
If you would like to honor a family member by including a treasured wedding accessory in your wedding, let us remove the ugly brown stains and yellowing from your vintage veil, ring pillow, or wedding pouch. Although not every vintage bridal veil, ring pillow, or wedding pouch can be restored, we can usually predict whether the project will be successful, and there is never a charge for evaluation.
International Guarantee
Return your gown when it is to be worn again to any participating Certified Wedding Gown Specialist™ who will inspect and press the gown at no charge. A blind test of four nationally-known bridal gown preservation services conducted by National Bridal Service proved our MuseumCare™ gown preservation was cleanest, provided the safest museum quality packaging environment, and offered the most comprehensive guarantee. You can trust us to give your special wedding or family gown the individual care and attention it deserves. And, with every pre-paid wedding gown preservation, Lowcountry Wedding Gown Specialists will press your gown free of charge before the wedding!
Tips
Always . . . hang your wedding gown by the loops inside your wedding dress (which are connected to the sturdy side seams). If there are no loops, make some from ribbon and sew them onto the side seams of your wedding gown.
Always . . . avoid storing your wedding gown in a plastic bag (even a clean sheet is better than a plastic bag) or in a vacuum-sealed, plastic-wrapped container because plastic bags emit fumes that can yellow your bridal gown. Shrink-wrapped containers also trap moisture that can mildew your wedding gown. Today most shops offer tyvek or “breathable” bags, but you can also buy them online.
Always . . . ask what precautions the Specialist takes to protect delicate trims and decorations on your wedding gown and how the cleaner guards against latent stains on your wedding gown. Latent stains are very, very common and many cleaners do not know how to find and remove them.
Always . . . choose a Specialist who will process your bridal gown in the Specialist’s own facility, never one who sends your bridal gown away to be cleaned. You should discuss the stains on your gown with the Specialist to be sure they will be removed properly and completely.
Always . . . ask to inspect your wedding gown personally before it is put into the container, which should be a completely acid-free, archival-quality wedding chest lined with fabric or acid-free tissue. pH-neutral wedding chests are just not safe enough for your wedding gown.
Always . . . avoid storing your bridal gown in the attic or basement where there are extreme changes in temperature or humidity. Avoid resting your wedding chest against outside walls, too, because dampness can migrate through the wall and penetrate the wedding chest.