oh man.. :[ wwyd (vintage wedding gown)

[lauren grier]

Have any of you .. salvaged.. a poor maltreated vintage wedding gown?

My grandmother passed away in 2008, my grandfather in 2012. We're just now going through the house. One of the old hope chests was brought to my house today- it was filled with mostly random stuff, sheets.. blankets.. a bag of yarn and knitting supplies.... and at the very bottom.. pretty much just bunched up and thrown in there, was my grandmothers wedding dress.

It's in rough shape. The lace is all completely yellowed/tan/browned.. it's on a metal hanger which is starting to rust (cringe) and was only half covered in plastic like from a dry cleaner(the train of the dress/ bottom was literally just bunched up and hanging out with the random things in the cedar chest.

I've tried googling and all I'm finding is how important it is to preserve the wedding gown immediately lol (I do suck at googling though ) The dress is 60+ years old.. Should I bother at this point getting a dress box and doing it right? Is it really going to get any worse? It's been in the chest at least and not just dangling around in a closet all this time.. but laying directly on the cedar chest floor has def contributed majorly to the damage.

here are some pretty terrible pictures.. I wasn't photographing it to show off it's beauty.. lol..

this one you can sort of see the difference in colour btwn the main part of the dress and the lace

closer-up-ish

I didn't take a picture of the bottom because it upset me to see it so just bunched up and trashed :[ but I'm sure you can imagine that

 

[carrie1977]

Oh man...I have no idea...that really stinks that it wasn't cared for....maybe you can apply to be on Something Borrowed on TLC.

 

[catgoddess]

I would take it to a reputable dry cleaner to see if it is beyond repair. They're used to preserving wedding gowns and I'm sure if they've been in business awhile, they've seen just about everything.

You're usually able to clean old lace using baking soda in cool to lukewarm water (don't use hot). I'm not sure handwashing a wedding dress is what I would advise, though. Some jobs are better left to professionals.

I hope you're able to save it!

 

[SeattleSheri]

I agree with Jenn, I'd probably take it to a professional cleaner or call one for advice. I hope you're able to get it restored without much expense!

 

[nun69]

I say take it to a professional as well and if it is salvagable would totally be worth it

 

[joelsgirl]

What a treasure! How long were they married? I have no advice for you, but I hope you can salvage it.

 

[MommaTrish]

I would call a good wedding/formal dress store and ask them who they recommend for cleaning and repairs as I'd think that a wedding gown would require more work and care than any regular dry cleaner would be able to do.

 

[scrap2day]

I would recommend asking for wedding gown restoration. Here is an example.

What a beautiful find. I hope you can find someone who can restore it for you.

 

[lorryfach]

I would call a good wedding/formal dress store and ask them who they recommend for cleaning and repairs as I'd think that a wedding gown would require more work and care than any regular dry cleaner would be able to do.

Yup, I used to work at a dry cleaner and we would have had no clue what to tell you other than how much it would be to do what we normally do. I'd at least call before you drag it in.

 

[d2vasquez]

what a beautiful gown - I would follow the suggestions of the others above and hope they can help you. I have mine all stored up and every time my mom asks if we can get rid of it - I say no hoping one day it will mean something to my girls too.. Good luck - let us know what you find out.