Gown Theft During Preservation?

[carolinalady67]

I was talking to a friend the other day about what I was planning on doing with my dress after the wedding. When I mentioned I wasn't crazy about preserving it and just having it sit on a shelf in a box forever never to be seen again. She said she had seen a news segment a while back on gowns not actually being in the box. She couldn't remember who did the piece, she thought Debra Norvel or someone like that. During the piece she had brought in her box she was given that should have had her preserved gown in. They opened it on air and it wasn't in there.

Now again, I didn't see this. But was just wondering if anyone did, or if you have ever heard about it happening? It would be so easy to do, you can't open the box to check.

[Mrs.H]

Wow, I'd never heard about that. How awful would that be, to open the box years later to discover your dress was stolen. I got mine preserved, but the box has a "window" where they displayed my veil, dress, and a program, so at least I know it's all in there. So maybe if you're going to get your dress preserved, ask if there's something similar with their boxes? :dunno:

[*alissa*]

It was on the Leeza show with Leeza Gibbons:


What Happened on The Leeza Show?
Taped in August and first aired in September of 1995 (and several times subsequently), Leeza Gibbons had a show on NBC-TV which featured seven women who had been victims of various bridal scams. Four of these women had been victimized by gown companies. One, Shelley Brown of New Hampshire, had been featured in a story in The Boston Globe before appearing on Leeza. Brown had her gown cleaned and preserved by Nationwide Gown Cleaners (See: “What is Zurcion”, above). Brown told viewers that when she opened her gown preservation box after four years, she found it covered with yellow stains, blood and ink. She had the gown with her on stage. When she contacted Nationwide with her “Lifetime Guarantee”, they informed her that her guarantee was voided due to her having opened the box. Steven Saidman, president of Imperial, then gave viewers the questions that must be asked before selecting a gown preservation company. Leeza then asked Saidman to assist her in unpacking her own bridal gown, which had been sealed for several years. To the shock of Leeza and the entire audience, she found that the box contained only her veil and petticoat. Her “sealed and protected” gown box had no gown in it!


However:
It would be so easy to do, you can't open the box to check

Any reputable preservation company WILL allow you to open your box with out voiding any warranty. Most companies now offer boxes with a see through window.
Also, any reputable co. will also tell you they RECOMMEND you remove your dress every six months and allow it to hang freely to air it out. Your dress should never be vaccum sealed!

[carolinalady67]

Thanks Alissa, I haven't even looked in to preservation yet and I don't think it is the route I'm going anyway. But if I do decide to I'll have to do a lot of research.

[*alissa*]

No problem. I did alot of research on it before I decided to do it. I ultimately went with the Wedding Gown Preservation Co.'s kit, which was $99 from toinvite.com.
I checked the warranty thouroghly to ensure that I could open the chest. It also had a see through window. They also send you the plastic gloves and resealing squares so you can take the dress out to inspect it and then reseal it. I was very satisfied with them. My dress looks great.

[Raychel]

Wow that is just horrible!

I have always heard the thing to...to never go with a place that tells you that you can never open the box or whatever.

I don't really have anything to add since I am not doing anything special to preserve my dress.

[jillian]

I was in a store when a bride picked up her preserved gown. They had her check inside the box so she knew the dress was in there.

[carolinalady67]

I guess I never understood that you could open the box. And I didn't know it was possable to have a box with a window opening to see into it. Like I said I haven't gotten to the point of researching my options yet. But at least now if I do decide to preserve it what to look for in a company.

I may be donating it to the Brides Against Breast Cancer program though. And then I would just need to get it cleaned after the wedding.

[Winter_Bride]

My box has two parts to it. The outer part was a regular carboard box, but then there was an inner box which was the vaccuum-sealed, no touchie box. That box however had a BIG window in it so I could easily see my dress. I can open the outer box at any time without ruining the preservation. The outer box is just to keep out UV rays, so as long as I return the inner part to the outer, there's no concern.

But scary story!! I didn't even THINK of that happening to my dress!!