A Beautiful Wedding Dress Gone Bad
Edelwisa had a beautiful wedding day in Hawaii. Unfortunately, the beautiful outdoor wedding resulted in chunks of mud gathered on the hem and a smell of algae. It was the first time that we had to open a shipping box outside on its arrival. Clearly, the dress had been well used on the most important day of Edelwisa’s life. We were excited to see what we could do to help.
Edelwisa’s gorgeous wedding dress was made by Veluz, a Filipino designer. The dress’s bodice is covered in beads and has a ribbon around the waste. The wedding gown also has multiple layers of tulle. The shawl was also made of tulle with organza appliques on the edges.
The Wedding Dress Preservation Process
We were able to clean the mud and stains off the hemline.
When we received the wedding dress, we started working on it right away. We brushed off the mud and hand cleaned the gown, using a wet process. We also hand cleaned and hand pressed the veil, garter and shawl.
Because the beads were glued on, we were unable to apply chemicals to the dress without risking the beads coming off. The few beads that did fall off during the cleaning process were sewn back onto the dress. We also repaired a ripped strap and wrapped Edelwisa’s jewelry in archival muslin and put it the back pocket of the cotton bag.
Edelwisa chose to have her dress preserved using the Heritage Couture method. She can now rest easy, knowing that her wedding dress is cleaned again and preserved for the rest of her life.