Lessons Learned From Dry-cleaning

Months and months my wedding, tired of fighting with my wedding dress every time I wanted to get something out of my closet, I took it to a reputable local dry-cleaner to have it cleaned and boxed.  Here are a few lessons I learned:

1.) Get a quote in writing before you leave the store. Have it written on both copies of the receipt. My price went up to almost 3 times what the person at the counter told me. I was quoted for the box, and not the entire service. That was an unpleasant shock when I tried to pick it up.

2.) Inspect your dress at the cleaners. Open the box, make sure it is your dress! Take a close look at it and make sure it has been cleaned properly. My dress had a mark on it -- one that came from the cleaners, not from wearing it on the day.

3.) Many dresses today do not require dry-cleaning. If you are not concerned about having it boxed up, don't bother getting it cleaned at a dry-cleaner.  More about purchasing a dress later, but my dress was bought on the spot, not ordered, so it needed to be cleaned. They just threw it in the washer. Depending on the fabric of your dress, you might want to just wash and box it yourself.