Your Wedding Gown
Your wedding gown is one of your most precious possessions. It is a symbol of an important event in your life and as such should be treated with special care. Whether you are borrowing it from a relative or buying it new, your gown deserves to be given special attention, before and after your wedding.

A Big Responsibility
In order to specialise in the Preservation and Restoration of Wedding Gowns a drycleaner needs to make a substantial investment in the areas of equipment, time, staff training and the selection of personnel. The drycleaner must also have a knowledge of fashions fabrics and the latest trends. Should the cleaner incorrectly conclude characteristics in the construction of the gown this will result in permanent damage to the garment.

After the Wedding
Most brides want to preserve their dress as a keepsake, perhaps for their own daughter to wear on her wedding day. Cleaning industry experts recommend that you have the dress cleaned by an expert before storage.

The dress may have invisible stains from food, beverages and body oil. If these stains are not properly cleaned they may become permanent. Therefore, it is important to point out any stains or spills to your drycleaner before cleaning.

Most wedding gowns have some sort of decorative trim. It is important to inspect these trims with your cleaner prior to cleaning since many trims are not made to withstand the drycleaning process. For example many beads, glitter, sequins and laces are attached to gowns with adhesives that dissolve during drycleaning. Some beads and glitter are made of plastics or covered with surface coatings that are not solvent-resistant. In many of these cases the trim becomes separated from the dress or altered in some way.

In some cases decorative trims yellow as their finishes oxidize. An ivory or ecru trim may lose its colour and no longer match the gown if a dye component is lost in cleaning. Colour failures of this type are due to poor colourfastness of the dye, not to improper cleaning.

Store your gown in a cool, dry place. Do not store it in a basement or attic. Basement dampness could cause mildew; attic heat could promote yellowing of the fabric.

If you are storing a long gown on a hanger, sew straps to the waistline of the dress to relieve pressure on the shoulders from the weight of the garment. Wrap the gown in a protective white sheet or muslin covering.

Whether the gown is hung or boxed, the bodice should be stuffed with white tissue paper to prevent wrinkles. Fabric-covered buttons, pins, sponge padding and perspiration shields should be removed and stored separately to avoid damage to the fabric.

Do not store headpieces, veils, shoes or other accessories with your gown.

Inspect your gown from time to time during storage. Stains not initially apparent may appear later and should be tended to immediately.

Its an established fact that many brides do not get around to having their gown cleaned after their special day.

Consequently many years later, their treasured possession is stored in a cupboard looking worse for wear.

In most all cases ATLAS will be able to restore this gown so that it looks like new again.

Preserving Your Treasured Memories and Dreams
Remember the tender loving care you gave to selecting the gown for your special day. At Atlas we believe that selecting the right drycleaner to complete the preservation process to your gown deserves the same degree of care.

Over the past thirty five years Atlas Dry Cleaners have tended to the "heirlooming" of a bride's most precious garment. Using the same processes the finest museums, employ, we gently remove soil and hidden stains, giving experienced attention to delicate fabrics and trims.

Atlas' personalised handling of your gown provides you with additional assurance that your gown will remain as beautiful as your memories.