Wedding Gown Cleaning & Preservation

Shores will gladly provide you a free consultation and estimate for the care of any fabric, new or vintage.

A certified Gown Specialist will hand treat and clean each family gown individually – never in combination with any other dresses or gowns.

Spills containing sugar, salt, and acid often dry clear and cannot be seen. These latent stains do not dissolve during ordinary dry cleaning and turn an ugly brown over time. Our unique treatment, featured in Modern Bride and Bride’s, ensures that all sugar, salt, and acid is removed.

You may arrange to inspect your gown before the final preservation is completed.

Your gown will be layered with acid-free tissue and wrapped in freshly laundered muslin, then carefully folded into an acid free, museum-quality, archival wedding chest, and finally sealed with a pest-proof tape that does not prevent the fabric from breathing.

Written lifetime guarantee against yellowing or caramelized sugar stains on the gown, honored by Wedding Gown Specialists Association members represented in more than 500 cities around the world.

Shores Fine Dry Cleaning is proud to be the only facility in the Triad offering this warrantee.

How do you clean my gown?
Our Certified Wedding Gown Specialists TM carefully handclean every gown with gentle chemicals and premium detergents.  Then your gown is rinsed in pure solvent, the one best for your gown, until it is completely clean.

What is preservation?
Your completely clean gown is carefully packed with acid-free tissue in a museum-quality wedding chest that protects your gown from the air and light that cause unprotected gowns to yellow. 

Why is your process different from others?
Spills such as soda, wine and cake (many times caused by a guest and unnoticed by the bride) contain sugar and often dry without leaving a visible mark.  Sugar is not dissolved during ordinary drycleaning and caramelizes over time into ugly brown stains.  We take an extra step to be sure all stains, both seen and unseen, are removed.

Is your wedding chest different from others?
Our trademarked MuseumCare TM wedding chest is completely acid-free, not just pH neutral.  Boxes that are only pH-neutral are not as safe for your gown, and ordinary boxes and tissue are heavy in acid, which damages fabric.  Ordinary boxes and tissue cause yellowing and “burn” gowns leaving dark brown streaks wherever the fabric touches the box.

Can I see my gown when it is in the wedding chest?
You can see your gown through an oval window made of polypropylene, an inert plastic that will not yellow or damage your gown.  Although the gown will be wrapped in muslin, you can fold it back to view your gown.

What else can I preserve with my gown?
Such things as a headpiece and veil, petticoat, gloves, garter, and handkerchief may be stored with your gown.  There may be an additional charge.  You may also choose to store your things in more than one chest.  Shoes should not be stored with the gown because fumes from the leather and glue may cause damage. We can also preserve other special garments such as christening gowns, communion dresses, quinceaneros gowns, military uniforms, etc.

Will you make repairs to my gown?
We can make any needed repairs.  For some repairs there may be an additional charge.

What is the guarantee?
100% international guarantee against caramelized sugar stains or yellowing of your gown backed by  Certified Wedding Gown Specialists TM in more than 500 cities around the world.  Return gown to any participating Specialist who will inspect the gown and press it at no charge.

What if I open my gown?
The guarantee is not voided, but improper handling of the gown may cause damage, and it should be resealed.  If your gown is handled excessively or soiled it should be cleaned and preserved again.

The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists asked Carbonfund.org, the leading nonprofit provider of carbon offsets and climate solutions, to help them calculate the carbon footprint of the process of cleaning your wedding gown and preserving your wedding gown. They included everything that goes into the process of cleaning and preserving your wedding gown from your trip to and from Shores Fine Dry Cleaning to the wedding chest's manufacture. 

And now you can account for the carbon footprint with your donation to Carbonfund.org. 100% of your donation will go to support global renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects that reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Ask your wedding gown specialist for a ZeroCarbon™ wedding gown cleaning or a ZeroCarbon™ wedding gown cleaning and preservation. (ZeroCarbon™ is a trademark of Carbonfund.org.)

Make a donation, through Shores, of $3.00 for cleaning your wedding gown or $9.00 for cleaning and preserving your gown, whichever you prefer. (Additional preservation chests $3.00 each.)

All the advantages for you of our MuseumCare™ process, including our written international guarantee honored by Association members represented in more than 500 cities around the world. PLUS proof of your tax-deductible donation to Carbonfund.org and information about Carbonfund.org's carbon-offset program.