Monday to Friday 8:00am to 5:30pm
Saturday 9:00am to 4:30pm
Closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays
Wedding Dresses
You cherish your wedding dress.
You shined in it on your big day and now, before packing it away, you will need to get it cleaned.
Cleaning it is a good idea as we're talking about removing not just any stains that you can see, but also those that you can't and that may not show until later - like perspiration, perfume and champagne! If you don't treat stains they will soon become 'set' into the fabric, and some that may be invisible now, such as drink spills containing sugar, will progressively darken and oxidize with time, becoming very difficult (if not impossible) to remove later.
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At Playhouse we are specialists in caring for your dress and have years of experience in processing the delicate fabrics and beadings used in most wedding dresses.
As each dress is individual we will need to examine it in the shop so we can discuss with you how it may react to the cleaning process, how successful we might be at removing marks and how much it will cost. We can't give you a price without an examination; the cost depends on the size of the dress, the design, whether it has beading or embellishments, the material it is made from and so on. But as a rough guide, cleaning starts from around £95 for the most simple of designs rising to around £200 for something more complicated. No need to make an appointment - just come on in to the shop.
Once cleaned, we can return your dress on a hanger for economy; we use a padded satin-styled hanger for ultimate beauty and protection from snagging or catching. If you still have your original cover we can return it in that. But if you plan on keeping and storing your dress rather than selling it it is not advisable to hang a dress for a long period of time as it is often heavy and this places stress on the seams and shape of the dress. Plastic dress covers are also adequate for a short time, but they let in light which can fade the fabric, and they do not allow the dress to breathe; changes in humidity in extreme cases could cause condensation and mould.
A specially created wedding dress box will protect your dress from light and dust. We have beautiful strong and durable pH-neutral boxes and will pack your dress properly in acid free tissue paper to provide excellent protection against any untoward accident, and unlike a plastic cover, a wedding dress box allows the fabrics of the dress to breathe.
Boxes can cost an extra £65 to £80 on top of the cleaning cost, depending on the box required. We are also happy to package other items with the dress like your veil or tiara.
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If you had your dress cleaned and hung after your wedding but now want it boxed, we can help. It might currently be taking up too much room in your wardrobe; you might be moving house and want it properly packaged for transportation. With our Wedding Dress Boxing Service just purchase one of our boxes and we will pack and present your dress in it for you for FREE. Just ask in store for details.
(Please note: it is NOT recommended that you pack your dress for storage if it has been worn but not cleaned.)
A Note About Smoke Bombs!
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There is a current trend to have smoke bombs used during wedding photography, which may look fantastic in the pictures but are a disaster if the paint used in them to create colour hits your dress or the groom's suit. We are rarely able to remove all the paint, and if there are blobs of paint deposited anywhere we live in fear that it will actually spread rather than get removed. We will obviously do what we can to get it all out but do not expect a miracle as the paint is effectively a dye!
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And finally, some pointers for the long-term storage of your wedding dress:
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Store your dress away from light, heat, dust and damp. Try to avoid storing your dress in the loft - where all sorts of disasters can befall it! Extremes of temperature, a leaking roof, general damp, mustiness and insects can all affect a dress in the attic, even if it is well protected. Likewise avoid the garage, shed or other areas of high humidity and extremes of temperature.
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Once packed away, check on your dress every six months or so to ensure nothing untoward has happened to it. Unpacking the dress and repacking it every year can help prevent any creases becoming too permanent.
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