The Family Jewels Archival Preservation Co

At the time of your wedding, when everything is fresh, new and exciting, it is hard to imagine that your beautiful gown will not always look the same as on the your wedding day. As with most things, an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure; by familiarizing yourself with a few basic preservation guidelines, you can help keep your gown longer and in the best condition. Most importantly, by treating the preservation of your gown as part of the wedding planning process and not as an afterthought or "damage control" (in the case of gowns left in cupboards uncleaned and mistreated) you will certainly save youself money and heartache since a deteriorated gown is more costly to clean and sometimes impossible to restore.

The object of preservation of a wedding gown, or any textile, must be to protect it from exposure to ultra-violet light, polluted air, fluctuating temperature and humidity, the presence of adhesives and glues, the possibility of contamination and consumption by insects and vermin (more common than you would imagine!), physical stress on the fibres caused by hanging and sharp folding, and contact with chemically-active plastics as well as from tissue (especially blue and green tissue) and cardboard which are not acid and lignin-free. When exposed to any or all of these factors, the end results range from yellowing and staining to tearing, and sagging. The most common culprit, in fact the one most brides want to avoid completely, is discolouration which occurs from a build-up of acetic acid in the gown's fibres. Discolouration can also occur when debris left on the gown oxidizes into sometimes unremovable brown streaks and marks. Acid build-up is a naturally-occurring phenomenon in all textiles but it is exacerbated the adverse conditions mentioned above.

These negative effects can be avoided by following a few simple steps:

Have your gown cleaned within six to eight months after the wedding. Don't leave it in a plastic bag hanging in your cupboard, as this will yellow your gown and cause it to lose its shape.

To seal or not to seal? Many brides we encounter are under the impression that inorder to save their gown, they must have it "sealed" in a box, with or without plastic. "Sealing" can range from a gown being placed in a cardboard box which is taped shut with masking or other adhesive tape to the other extreme where the gown is vaccum sealed inside a plastic bag and then inside a taped-together box..

In the former case, it is not really "sealing" that is going on; merely a measure to prevent the bride fromng the box. Cardboard is porous, so oxygen will still circulate in and out of the box. Categorically, this is a good thing, but two factors of this method of "sealing" are a problem: first, the tape and usually acidic cardboard (which can abosorb moisture and cause damage to the dress) can cause chemical reactions that turn the gown within yellow, and second, since the box is taped shut with instructions not toit, the bride is robbed of the opportunity to remove the lid and examine her gown for signs of aging. This is exactly the situation which caused the yellowing of my gown after only 7 years inside a box which was not acid free and which was taped shut with a type of masking tape.

In the case of the gown that is vaccum-packed in a plastic bag, there is also the potential for trouble. Textile fibres need to be in an environment where there is air circulation. Commerically-available vaccum sealing was likely introduced as a reaction to the real potential damage that can occur from moisture condensation and the oxidation of stains, but in fact, a bit of prevention and diligance can prevent these occurrences without sealing! To prevent moisture and humidity-induced problems, keep gowns in a water-resistant archival container (not commercial plastic which can cause chemical reactions) and keep in a cool and dry place … more on this below. To prevent brown spots occurring from oxidization of stains, have the gown thoroughly cleaned and inspect it every few years by removing it from its archival box, gently moving it, and repacking it with acid-free tissue to change the fold lines. If there are stains which were originally treated but which left then-undetectable residue which has become evident, take your gown to a drylceaner, and inquire about spot cleaning.

Sealing your gown inside a cardboard box with plastic can also trap moisture in the box as a well as encourage a host of other serious problems, such as mold growth. When a gown is originally folded and placed in a sealed box it never moves again and the fold lines can become weak as the fibres of the fabric are stressed over the years. If you can't check on your gown and refold it from tome to time, you can't prevent this from happening. One more reason not to have a gown sealed was made evident to me when a clientd her box after twenty years to find that her gown wasn't even in the box after all! Finally,the rush of oxygen into a sealed bridal gown bag can also cause more trouble down the line, making all the pains taken to preserve the gown in the first place irrelevant. Quite often, a gown can look perfectly fine, until it is cleaned or worn, whereupon it may disintegrate on the seam lines or, depending on how long it has been sealed, along fold lines.

Do not allow your gown to be packed with blue or green tissue. Although those colours will certainly make your gown appear brighter, there are chemicals and dyes in coloured tissue which are not safe for long-term preservation. Interleaving the layers of your gown with unbuffered, acid-free tissue is one of the most important steps in preserving your gown. This is more than a simple wrapping of the outside of your gown. The acid-free tissue has three jobs: to suck naturally forming acetic acid away from your gown into the tissue (which can be replaced, although your gown cannot), to prevent surfaces of the gown from touching other surfaces thereby prevently migration of any yellowing acid from one surface to another and finally, to provide a gentle cushion for the gown. When you interleave your gown and gently "rold" it (a combination roll and fold) you are preventing sharp creases, which in delicate fabrics, can cause weakening of the fibres.

Moisture is one of the biggest enemies of textiles, causing clasps and other metal fixtures to rust and stain light colours and increasing acid production in the fibres of your gown. Your gown should optimally be preserved in a water-resistant box. If you choose to have your gown preserved in any kind of carboard box, ensure that it has not been assembled with glue and that it is acid and lignin-free. Be cautioned, though, that even acid-free boxes can "re-acidify" over time and cause your gown to yellow, especially if it is not packed with the right kind of tissue. Cardboard also offers little protection against moisture and humidity fluctuations, which are damaging to wedding gowns.

Regardless of how your gown is preserved, store it in an environment which is optimally cool, dry and dark such as the top of a clothes closet or under a bed (unless your have in-floor heating). I always tell clients that since none of us live in museums with cool filtered air, your gown will want to be in the same kind of conditions as you! Favour the living areas of your home, never unheated basements, attics or garages.

A gown will be preserved only as well as it was initially cleaned and stored; given the most controlled environments, all textiles will naturally exude acids over time. It is important to give the gown a little airing and check the tissue every four or so years to ensure that the tissue is not saturated with acid. If this tissue looks yellow or if an acid-testing pen shows a pH lower than 7, then the tissue has done its job of drawing acid away from the gown and needs to be replaced. This is a small matter which takes all of twenty minutes, but which will promote the longevity of the gown.

Why do you want to preserve your gown? Regardless of whether you are going to save it for sentimental reasons, as "good housekeeping," or to re-sell it at a future date, the simple enjoyment of your gown - to be able to look at it and take it out of its box - will recall special memories and reaffirm fact that your gown is the first "family heirloom" in a new tradition begun by you and your husband on your wedding day.