Wedding it''s how much to clean/box my dress?

[janinegirly]

my dress is very delicate and suffered some tears after our wedding (nothing major). so i took it back to the seamstress who''s going to tidy it up. this place is known for couture cleaning,etc...which basically just means it''s overpriced (plus it''s in nyc). well i asked how much it would be to clean and box the dress. they told me $800. maybe it''s just me, but give me a break!! i''m not going to wear it again and i wore it once! kind of relieved to be done with ''wedding'' price gouging

 

[labbielove]

WHAT?!
That is definitely nuts- good for you for not going for it,
after all, the little tears are part of the memories,right

Is it possible to get it cleaned only (if you wanted?)
or won''t they do it if it''s damaged?

 

[janinegirly]

actually it''s the opposite, they''ll do the repairs at no cost (fix the tears) but not the cleaning (which is what cost close to $800).
i''m ok with that..i mean i think it''ll just sit in the closet so does it have to be so clean? plus there could be other cleaners, so i can shop around..i''m in no rush..just had to share the exorbitant prices!

 

[blushingbride]

I live in NYC too and was quoted around $500. I took my Vera Wang to my parent''s tailor/dry cleaner and they did it for around $200. (They live in PA BTW) They did a beautiful job...although I''m not a huge fan of the ginormous box it came in.

 

[gtn]

I friend send it back to the store she bought her dress from and they cleaned a repaired it... I don''t know how much it cost, but that might be a cheaper option.

 

[neatfreak]

Holy crap! That is INSANE. I just picked my dress up from being cleaned (AND they got allll the mud stains out from the bottom) for a grand total of $28.41. Now granted they didn''t box it, but STILL.

 

[Harleigh]

WOWSERS!

My ebay gem has a few areas of dirt on the bottom, so I did consider having it cleaned, but not at those prices!!! (That would defeat the purpose of my $51 dress, now, wouldn''t it?)

Anyone have any hints on how to clean a few spots of the lace without ruining it OR breaking the bank???

 

[sumbride]

is that for cleaning it or for cleaning and preserving? I know that dress preservatioin can be really expensive beyond cleaning.

I''m not sure what to do with my dress. It''s filthy. We had an outdoor wedding and it was dragged everywhere, plus I think I got some chocolate icing on the front from the groom''s cake! But I''m not going to wear it again and I can''t see myself agreeing to loan it out, so I took it, stains and all, to my mom''s house and left it there. I don''t know what she''ll do with it now.

 

[crystalheart1]

I just bought a gorgeous pre owned dress from ebay and it was cleaned at a cleaners.
It looked great.

I would just go to a regular cleaner and they would probably do it in the 30 - 50 dollar range.

 

[brgirl]

Date: 10/31/2007 2:07:11 AM
Author: Harleigh
WOWSERS!

My ebay gem has a few areas of dirt on the bottom, so I did consider having it cleaned, but not at those prices!!! (That would defeat the purpose of my $51 dress, now, wouldn''t it?)

Anyone have any hints on how to clean a few spots of the lace without ruining it OR breaking the bank???

You can try cleaning it with Dr Bronner''s Baby Mild soap. That is what I cleaned my $51 silk dress with!! A very mild soap that did the trick. I also cleaned some alencon lace with it, and it seemed to do the trick!

 

[risingsun]

I had my dress and veil cleaned and preserved. That's a whole different process than bringing a garment to the cleaners. They charge a lot to do it--I can't remember the cost--but it will always look fresh and new. It's a beautiful keepsake and that's why I went to the expense of having it done

[I had the flowers from my bridal bouquet preserved, as well...they're hanging in a victorian frame in our bedroom, looking as if they had just been carried!!]

 

[Harleigh]

Date: 10/31/2007 11:58:37 AM
Author: brgirl

Date: 10/31/2007 2:07:11 AM
Author: Harleigh
WOWSERS!

My ebay gem has a few areas of dirt on the bottom, so I did consider having it cleaned, but not at those prices!!! (That would defeat the purpose of my $51 dress, now, wouldn''t it?)

Anyone have any hints on how to clean a few spots of the lace without ruining it OR breaking the bank???

You can try cleaning it with Dr Bronner''s Baby Mild soap. That is what I cleaned my $51 silk dress with!! A very mild soap that did the trick. I also cleaned some alencon lace with it, and it seemed to do the trick!

Thanks, brgirl! I''ll have to find that and give it a try. My dress is all alcenon lace, so that''s why I was worried about touching it. I appreciate the help!

 

[San Diego Bride]

i had my alcenon lace wedding dress cleaned and preserved for ~$150. i have mixed feelings about the process. my dress was a slim a line with a short train. i took took it to the cleaners in a small bag and it came back in a really big box. the woman at the cleaners assured me it was the "small" version, but it''s huge. the dress is laid out as if it''s on a dress form which freaks me out. it almost looks like a dress in a coffin or something. since it''s preserved, i can''t open the box to see if they cleaned it well. it''s not a big deal if it still has stains (we had an outdoor wedding and then took pictures on the beach), but i sort of want to make sure it didn''t get damaged in the process. i can''t open it though since it''s sealed/preserved. i also don''t like that they put a little ribbon with the company''s name on it under the bust line. that''s where they dress has a row of pearls (all sewn individually by my mother), but they covered it. you also can''t see any of the train which has this beautiful scalloped edging with hand-sewn pearls. in the end though, i would hate to have my dress yellow since it was made by my mother and has a lot of sentimental value. i just wish i would have researched the process a little more.

 

[largirl]

I just did a "Trash The Dress" photo session with a friend two years after her wedding, and getting ready for the shoot was the first time she''d pulled her dress out since the wedding. It turned out it was completely covered in dirt and grease from when her husband lovingly shoved the dress into the trunk of their car when they were packing up to leave the cabin where they honeymooned. She used OxyClean on it and it got all the stains out and left it good as new! Two years after it got stained! I was impressed.

That being said, I don''t think it''s recommend to store your dress anywhere without at LEAST cleaning it first, because some stains, especially organic stains like food, can mold and start to smell and ruin your dress beyond repair.