Wedding gown preservation is two very important components. First is the cleaning of the gown. The gown needs to be cleaned thoroughly by a professional dry cleaner who has experience with fragile fabrics, beads, and trim. You want to make sure that your dry cleaner is a member of the International Fabricare Institute so they are well informed about the most current cleaning and spot removal techniques. It is also beneficial if your dry cleaner is a “Certified Environmental Dry Cleaner”, and has attended courses and seminars on wedding gown cleaning. The professionals at DeVono’s are certified in wedding gown cleaning. Secondly, the storage of the gown over the years is very important. There is a lot of talk about using acid-free tissue when storing your gown. At DeVono’s, we use acid neutral storage chambers and acid-free tissue for stuffing and layering the gown in the storage chamber. The storage chamber consists of an outer shipping carton which protects the box that the wedding gown is stored in and the chamber itself which has a non-yellowing window through which you can see the bust of your dress. We do not seal the storage chambers in any way. We want air filtering through the box. This is the way that museums protect textile items for storage. We do suggest that you open the box every five years to “check on the condition of the gown”. And we need you to store your gown in a cool dry place. Never store your gown in the attic or basement.