Let's discuss these methods and debunk some of the misinformation, misunderstanding and out right lies being published on the internet about wedding gown preservation methods.
First, understand that the companies who use each of these methods try and get you to believe that their method is best. But let's look at the logical and scientific facts.
Boxed vs. Bagging. The Boxed methods provide a convenient sized preservation box that can easily be stored under a bed or in the bottom of a closet. Bagging, depending on the size of your wedding gown can be very bulky and take up a considerable amount of closet space, especially if your gown was fuller or had a train. Consider where you would store your preserved wedding gown and how much storage space you have.
The Bagging method is also referred to as "Museum" storage or "Museum Quality" storage. The pitch behind this is that museums store their dresses in bags and not boxes. That is partially true. Even their own information explains that these museums also store dresses folded in drawers.
Museums do store most of their dresses in bags. Most of their dresses are thin A-lines and regular women's wear dresses throughout the ages. These can easily be hung, take up very little "closet" space and will only need light touch-up and preparation for display.
It is different with bulky dresses, dresses with trains and wedding dresses. As mentioned before, if they are bagged and hung they take up a considerable amount of closet space. Also if they are hung the weight of the dress can cause the fabric the stretch. Have you felt the weight of some of the wedding dresses?
The dress manufacturer sews a ribbon loop into the seam of the dress and recommends hanging it from those loops. Yes, the loops can be reinforced but still the entire weight of the dress is suspended from the seams and it will cause the fabric to stretch. If the dress is a light weight "destination style" dress then this won't matter.
If the dress has sleeves and it is hung from the sleeves the stretching can be worse. The shape of the sleeve can be deformed. The hanger can leave permanent marks in the top of the sleeves.
Other advantages this method purports to have is inspection of the dress and no folding of the fabric. When the wedding gown preservation is done with the Bagging method you can open the bag and easily examine the dress. If the dress is short with no train, then it shouldn't have any folds. If it has a train then the train will be hung by a ribbon loop in its seam and will be folded about half way up the train, this will cause a double fold back for the last 12"-24" of the train, from the hanging loop to the hem of the train. Remember how the train on your wedding dress was hung in the bag when you took it to your wedding. It will be hung the same way for this method. So dresses with trains will always have at least two folds in them using the Bagging method. (If they really don't hang the train by the hanging loops then the entire train will be a wrinkled mess piled in the bottom of the bag - there is no place else for it to go).
Lastly, the cloth storage bag that is used in the Bagging method should be addressed. There are two areas of concern in regards to insect infestation when using a cloth bag for storage. Insects can get into the tiniest places and through the smallest cracks and openings. We have all experienced spiders, earwigs, pill bugs and other insects in some pretty unusual locations. The closure area, in many bags it's a zipper in the Bagging method it is usually tied shut. This can provide an opportunity of insects entering at the ties or in between them. Second is the hole in the top of the bag where the hanger goes through. Insects can enter at this opening and get in a ruin your dress.
Cloth bags do let air pass through but that also means moisture can also pass through to the dress. As the humidity rises there's more moisture in the air and therefore in the fabric of your dress. It really doesn't mater much unless the humidity gets too high and that can promote mildew growth on the fabric.
Something else that can happen with the cloth bags. Cats, dogs and mice especially like to "mark" their territory. It has happened where an animal has urinated on the bag to mark their territory. Obviously it can soak through the cloth bag and onto the wedding dress. The dress would then have to be re-cleaned.
OK, now lets discuss the Boxed method. Two types of boxes can be used, one with a windowed display area in the top and the other just plain cardboard box. This is really a personal preference for each individual to decide.
With this method of wedding gown preservation the dress is cleaned first. It is then steamed and pressed. Then it is placed on a shaped bust form to fill out the top of the dress and makes it display better. The bust form is attached to the box so that the dress doesn't slide around in the box and end up in a heap at the bottom of the box.
As the dress is placed in the box it is folded and layered with acid free tissue paper. This layering is to protect and soften the folds. If it is a plain cardboard box then a final layer of tissue paper is placed on top of the dress. If the box is a windowed display box then this layer is not used so you can see your dress through the display window.
The box can then be stored under a bed or in the bottom of a closet.
The Sealed Box method goes through the same process with the added step of sealing the entire box.
What are the advantages and disadvantages to each. The Boxed method says you can open the box see the dress to make sure it's yours and to examine it. If it's a windowed display box, you don't need to open it to make sure it's your dress - you can see it through the window.
However, there are problems if you think you can just open the box and examine the dress. First, you should never touch a cleaned and preserved wedding gown unless you have white cloth gloves on. You may or may not have clean hands, but your hands will have body oils on them and so you need gloves.
If you have white cloth gloves then when you open the box you'll discover the bust form is attached to the box, so you'll need to unattached it. Next you'll need to unfold the dress, layer by layer to examine the train which will be the bottom layer in the box. Once you are satisfied you'll need to refold the dress as it was before and reattach the bust form. This sounds considerably easier than it is.
If you actually take the dress out of the box, you'll find it even more difficult getting everything back in the box properly.
Something else to absolutely make sure of before you open the box and try to examine your dress is the wedding gown preservation company's guarantee. It may or may not say you can open the box and examine your dress. It may say you can open the box to examine your dress but doesn't specifically say whether you can take the dress out of the box. If it isn't specific then you should ask specific questions to make sure of what you can or can't do that would void their guarantee.
Wedding gown preservation companies must protect themselves from the situation where a bride can take her dress out of the box, wear it, get something on it, put it back in the box and claim that the stain or dirt or whatever was never gotten out in the original cleaning and preservation process and demand it be reprocessed for free.
Don't assume that just because the box is not sealed that you can open it, examine the dress and or take it out and not void the guarantee... you need to check first.
Boxes that are not sealed are susceptible to insect infestation. Insects love to get into small thin opening and into the fabric to build their nests. Just because the box is closed doesn't mean insects can't get in.
The same warning applies to Boxes as to the Bags when it comes to animals marking their territory. Cardboard protects better than a cloth bag but still can be ruined by an animal urinating on it.
Moisture and humidity can also vary in an unsealed box - same warnings apply.
What about the Sealed Box method then? It provides all of the benefits of the Boxed method with much more protection. You don't have to worry about animals or insects.
What about examining the dress and the question of moisture and mildew in a sealed box? A number of the wedding gown preservation companies site these two reasons as a warning to not use the Sealed Box method.
Let's address them one at a time.
Here's the actual science on mold and mildew growth from a publication by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science. Optimal conditions for mildew to grow is 70%-98% relative humidity and 77-88 degrees Fahrenheit. When relative humidity is less than 62% mildew growth ceases completely.
So if your wedding gown is either boxed or bagged but not sealed you run the risk of mildew if you have high humidity and warm temperatures. If you live in an area of the country where the humidity level can be higher than 70% your unsealed exposed wedding gown can run the risk of mildew growing on it. You could also run the same risk of mildew if your box is sealed and you have sealed in that high moisture content in the box and dress.
So for optimal wedding gown preservation you want to have the Sealed Boxed method with little or no moisture sealed in the box. That would mean you need to make sure that your wedding gown preservation company dries your dress and controls the humidity prior to sealing the box.
Another objection some companies have about the Sealed Boxed method is that the fabric should be allowed to breathe. That's almost comical when you think about it. Fabric doesn't have any lungs - it doesn't and in fact shouldn't breathe. Having the fabric breathe means that air is allowed to flow through the fabric.
The problem with air flowing through the fabric is that the air carries dust, dirt, pollen, mold pores and bacteria. The fabric acts as a natural filter. So if the air is allowed to circulate through the dress then more and more of the contaminants can build up on the fabric. A sealed box does not allow the air to circulate and eliminates this problem. So what some companies pitch as a determent actually turns out in reality to be a benefit for sealing the box.
When it comes to wedding gown inspection with the Sealed Boxed method you simply can't thoroughly examine the dress. You will want to choose a company that has a windowed display box so can see and verify it's your gown. You will void their guarantee if you open the box to take your dress out and examine it.
That means you will have to "trust" the wedding gown preservation company that you use to do the cleaning and preservation right.
Check out the company. What type of reputation do they have? Read their testimonials. Are they members of the Better Business Bureau and with what kind of rating. How long have they been in business? Do they specialize in just wedding gowns, or do they do every kind of dry-cleaning? Can you call and get your questions answered personally?
