Wedding Dress Preservation

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I’ve been married for a year now, and I finally got around to preserving my wedding dress a few months back. Before I even bought my dress, I was planning on selling it after the wedding. I thought it would be a perfect way to make some money back, since I spent way more than I wanted to on it in the first place. It was “the one”, so there was no way I wasn’t going to pay, and it was 100% worth it! I just didn’t think I would actually get attached to the dress. I did, and after the wedding I decided I was going to have it preserved. The thought of selling it literally made me cry. Plus, it’s been altered to fit me and I’m short, so I kept telling myself no one will buy it!
I researched the different companies that do gown preservation and checked pricing with everyone local. I’ve had a few friends use the preservation kit from David’s Bridal and though I was super apprehensive, I decided to check it out.
I don’t remember exactly what I paid because I waited for a sale, but I think it was around $100. That’s honestly pretty cheap considering all the pricing I collected from local places around me.
It took me about five months to actually send it in because I was so scared!
It was easy to pack up and the instructions in the kit were really thorough. They have an option for you to upgrade your insurance, and I opted for that one right away just because I was so nervous about sending my dress off. I didn’t have my veil preserved because I had purchased it off Amazon and it would have cost me more to preserve than it did to buy. I did add my stole because I absolutely love the look of it and know I won’t be wearing it or using it for anything else.
When you buy the kit, it has everything you need to pack up your dress and accessories. It even has free shipping! I was really happy about that one! You can add extra insurance and upgrade the box to make it personalized if you want. I only upgraded my insurance because a plain box is fine with me. I’m not planning on putting my dress on display, only storing it in a closet most likely.
It took about two weeks from when I sent it in to get it back, which was quick in my opinion! I expected a month or so! They e-mailed me when they received it, which really helped with my anxiety about the whole thing. They also gave me another chance to upgrade before they started working on my dress. I thought that was nice, since we all change our minds sometimes!
When I received my dress back it was packed perfectly! There is even plastic wrap over the box it’s in to protect it that much more! I’m not planning on taking it out of the packaging until years from now, so it will stay as is.
I would highly recommend preserving your gown through David’s Bridal. Check for coupon codes and wait for a sale though, because I did and saved at least $50! I’m really happy with the way it looks and I love that the packing is so secure. I didn’t opt to have them fix anything like the bustles or loose beading because I didn’t have any tares or missing beads from what I could tell before I sent it off. I didn’t upgrade either, which is $50 more. I probably should have, but I opted out and don’t really regret my decision.

My advice to anyone looking to preserve their wedding dress is to look around and do your research. Make sure you know what type of material your dress is and make sure that a preservation kit like the one from David’s Bridal will work on your particular dress. You might want a fancy display case or an upgraded service, so keep that in mind when looking for a service.