In This Issue

Protect your Wedding Gown with a
 100% Cotton
Garment Bag

$44.99

FREE Shipping

Let Heritage Garment Preservation  Restore Your Heirloom Gown

       Testimonials

Dear Heritage Gown,

Thank you so much for the wonderful job cleaning and preserving my gown. After almost nine years hanging in a closet I feared it was ruined. But, to my very pleasant surprise, the yellowing and stains are gone. It looks as pristine as the day I first brought it home. You have exceeded my expectations and at a fair price. Great customer service, as well. I would recommend your services wholeheartedly.

Laura Tindall

Wearing Your Grandmother’s Wedding Gown

When you were a girl didn’t you love to look at your mother and grandmother’s wedding gown? And when she let you, wasn’t it wonderful to try it on? You may have decided right then to wear her dress for your wedding day.

Whether it is your mother’s, your Grandmother’s, another relative's or a good friend's bridal gown, you decided that your “Something Borrowed” would be your wedding gown.


Making It Fit
You won’t be alone if you discovered that by the time you turned fourteen that your mother’s dress was too small! Perhaps it is the vitamins in our diet or the junk food, but whatever the reason, people were just a bit smaller a few decades ago. But don’t despair if your mother’s gown is just a bit snug. Many vintage gowns can be altered by a competent seamstress. There are several way to do this:

• Letting out seams and darts – Many of the older vintage gowns are cut with pinking shears and the seams are not finished.  This makes it fairly easy to let out the seams a bit.  Some darts can be removed or made smaller also.
  
• Side pieces added in bodice and sleeves - Wide skirts or long trains can be trimmed to add a side piece to the bodice and the sleeves. 
  
• A corset back – Remove the zipper, and make a corset back with ties.  Utilize the skirt or train to obtain the fabric necessary for this alteration.

Restoring Your Gown

If your heirloom gown was stored in an acid free environment, it may be in excellent condition.  However, many gowns are not stored in an ideal location and your mother’s gown may have yellowed significantly and/or acquired discoloration spots. Many brides prefer the ivory patina of an heirloom gown.  But if your gown has too much discoloration, you may choose to have it cleaned and restored.  For best results, send it to a company that restores wedding gowns.  Heritage Garment Preservation offers professional restoration services for heirloom wedding gowns. 

Do-it-yourself

If you choose to clean your cherished gown yourself, be aware of some of the challenges this entails.  Gown restoration entails cleaning with water.  Many vintage gowns are made from rayon, acetate and silk.  These fabrics can be challenging to clean with water and difficult to press afterwards.  But for those bold souls who want to give it a try, we offer some Basic Instructions that you can do at home using household products that you probably have on hand.

Vintage Wedding

For a truly unique wedding, consider styling your whole wedding after the era of your gown. You can learn more about weddings in days gone by from the monthly Newsletter at Cherished Online Vintage Bridal.  This online bridal store offers vintage weddings gowns and accessories.  And you just may find the perfect jewelry and veil to match your grandmother’s dress from their authentic collection. 

Before you plan a whole period wedding, be sure your dress will be able to be restored and made to fit you properly.  Get a FREE Estimate for your Wedding Gown Restoration on our website.