1800’s Scottish Heirloom Christening Gown
The Story of a Heritage Piece by Barbara B. This christening gown was brought to America from Paisley, Scotland by my great-great grandmother, Janet Hume. She was born in 1839. I can only assume that my great grandmother, Nettie Fitkin Bennett, also wore the gown. My grandmother, Myrtle Coates, would later wear the family heirloom gown in 1882. Our Christening Gown Keepsake Box The box that was used by my mother and possibly my grandmother to store the gown. My Aunt Alice Aldrich Wearing the Gown in 1914 I wore the gown in 1955. Our new grandbaby will wear...
Read MoreA Carol Hannah Collaboration Creates An Unforgettable Gown
A Wedding Dress Story By Hannah H I came across Carol Hannah’s two-piece Anthorium skirt set on Pinterest years before I had any intention of getting married but I saved it to my secret wedding board, just in case. When my (now) husband and I got engaged, we were living in New York City which conveniently is where Carol Hannah’s studio is. I reached out to schedule an appointment and told them what I was interested in. They sent back the preliminary pricing on the Anthorium skirt and my heart sank. I went into wedding planning with a modest dress budget and the Anthorium...
Read MoreHow To Remove Ink Stains
We get a lot of phone calls from friends and family asking how to care for specific garments and fabrics as well as how to remove difficult stains. Our main experience is wedding dress cleaning, but the knowledge we have in removing wedding gown stains can be applied elsewhere. We are always happy to share our knowledge and always thrilled to learn something new. One common questions is how to remove ink stains. We all get them. From ball-point pens, ink toner, sharpie markers, etc. Our world is inundated with ink! So we are bound to slip up now and then and find ink on a favorite garment....
Read MoreVera Wang Transformation: Before and After
This beautiful silk and lace Vera Wang Luxe is the perfect wedding dress for the beautiful and dainty bride. Unfortunately, after a long wedding day and a dry cleaning attempt gone wrong (oh no!!), this beautiful dress was looking a little worse for wear. The delicate gown suffered from makeup stains, sweat stains, and a severely dirty hemline (with who knows what on it!) when it arrived at Heritage Garment Preservation. But it was no match for our hand-cleaning treatment! BEFORE AFTER The delicate fabrics that made up the Vera Wang wedding dress were in good hands at...
Read MoreEmbellished Wedding Gown Restoration
It’s so rewarding to see already-beautiful gowns transform during our cleaning and preservation products. These gowns obviously have special memories to go with them if the owners are taking the time to clean and preserve them for future generations to keep or wear again. Before Wedding Dress Restoration This white satin wedding dress with lace and pearl embellishments was in surprisingly good condition considering its age– however the mildly dirty hemline and yellow spots on the front kept it from truly shining the way it used to. Upon closer inspection to the hem of the dress...
Read MoreVintage or just old? Before and after
When this bride slipped on her sparkling, ornamented gown, we’re sure she knew her wedding day would be one to remember. What she might not have known is that her wedding dress, white, shining, and perfect as it was on the day of her wedding, would not be the same after the festivities or years later. When her dress arrived at HGP, it was wrinkled, yellowed, stained, and just felt old. While vintage is all the rage, no one wants their dress to have a vintage smell! 🙂 The intricate beading was barely holding on, half of the dress was yellowed, and the stains were hard to...
Read MoreBefore and After – Our Process
This “before-and-after” gives you a behind-the-scenes perspective into our wedding dress cleaning process. Follow along with the steps we take and watch this dress become beautiful again! Our wedding dress cleaning and preservation process Your wedding gown will be carefully inspected and an individualized treatment plan will be determined based on your wedding gown fabric, trims and style. Our goal is to return your gown to perfect condition. Our wedding gown care experts will determine the best method of cleaning for your gown to protect it from damage while still getting the...
Read MoreBefore and After: From Pumpkin to…
If you need to be convinced to restore your wedding gown, look no further than our amazing before and after dress transformations. Some of the dresses seriously go from rags, to, well, this: This dress transformation is certainly no exception! Pre-Transformation, everything about this dress is sort of “ho-hum.” There’s nothing that stands out despite the dress obviously being a very old, vintage piece that needs to be preserved. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll– but is it too late? After Heritage Garment Preservation was able to work its...
Read MoreSurprise! – Wedding Gown Before and After
Most of the gowns featured in our “Before and After” blog series have something obviously wrong– it’s completely yellow, or there are noticeable tears in the fabric, or the bottom few inches all around the dress are covered in dirt; this dress, however, was more of a surprise. And not the kind a person likes, either. This beautiful Allure Romance champagne lace-on-tulle gown features a taffeta sash with a crystal appliqué and novelty beadwork all the way down the back. It was really quite dreamy– until we got a closer look… …What is that...
Read MoreMuddy Mess Turned Dazzling Dress
This stunning number from Allure Bridals certainly had seen better days when it arrived at Heritage Garment Preservation. The hemline was extremely dirty and had tracked in mud, grease, and who knows what else along the way. The inside of the beautiful, embroidered tulle bodice showed stains from makeup, perspiration, and self-tanner (hey– a bride’s gotta do what a bride’s gotta do). Fortunately the delicate dress was able to be hand-cleaned, as part of the Heritage Select cleaning package, completely erasing the visible effects of wear and tear. Using Museum...
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Wedding Gown Care, Heirloom Garments & Newlywed Tips
Customer Reviews
It's Worth It
By Desirae
After much research and even more hesitation, I boxed up my wedding gown and shipped it off to Heritage Garment Preservation. .. I just received my dress back in the mail a few days ago. Lovely, just lovely. My dress looks amazing. Believe me when I say you should put your trust in this company, they know what they're doing when it comes to your most prized (garment) possession.