With the wedding season well underway, I wanted to send a shout out to all of those brides who will be shopping around to get their wedding dress cleaned and preserved. Two days ago I received a call from a woman who found Foster-Stephens’ name and number on the bottom of her Keepsake Preservation Kit.  She was married in 1987, just like me, and had decided she wanted to recycle her wedding gown by having it cleaned and shortened as an evening gown.  She said she got her box out and she opened it, but the original cleaner had left the viewing window sealed over so that she could not see the wedding gown. The box was also taped and secured so she really had not laid eyes on the dress of her dreams since she dropped it off at the dry cleaners.  (Which at this point she thought might be Foster-Stephens’ which is why she called me). She went on to tell me that she tore open all of the packaging and removed her preserved dress of 27 years and that the dress was absolutely pristine and exquisite in its Foster-Stephens’ Keepsake box, but………….it was not her dress!  Oh my gosh, the utter disappointment I heard in her voice and knowing I was going to further let her down by telling her we do not clean dresses, we just specialize in making the right kind of archival products to do so.  The bride could not remember at all where she had dropped off the most important garment of her life!  

Brides, make sure when you pick up your preserved dress, that you keep the receipt with it for eternity just in case something comes up. But, before you get to that point, do your due diligence.  Find a reputable cleaner who does their own work on premise to help avoid a crucial mistake such as this and by all means, inspect the dress before it is packed in a Foster-Stephens Museum Style Preservation Kit.  Our boxes do not need to be taped, nor do you have to use a viewing window.  You are free to inspect your gown anytime, we just advise you wear cotton gloves to keep your hand oils from transferring to your dress.  Make sure the service you have paid for is for YOUR DRESS! And of course, if your cleaner cannot offer you an archival, acid-free box by Foster-Stephens’, you can always pack it yourself at home.  With a few precautions in place, you can easily have your dress preserved to last your lifetime.

 Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have and I would be happy to help!