Getting a wedding dress dry-cleaned...

Ooh Sammyjay, can I crash this and hope for some answers too?

I'm going to hang my head in shame and say that I still haven't got my dress cleaned... I need to get it done and have it stored properly but no idea where to start - bit scared to just take it to Johnsons or the like, and the specialist online ones seem to charge hundreds.

This is mine.. It's not a huge dress as they go but it has lots of layers in the skirt... and fiddly beaded bits that make me too scared to try it in the machine!

My mum took mine to be dry cleaned... french silk taffeta + washing machine = no thank-you!

It was £130 (!) but is immaculate, the bottom of the dress was black and full of sand, the hoop was disgustingly dirty and you would never know it have even been worn!!!

Do you know where she took it Mrs C?

Not sure mine would even fit in the washing machine (from the girl who hates poofy dresses - ended up with a mahoosive skirt!). And bit wary of putting wild silk and french lace in it and it coming out ok!

Sammo - I think my Mum took mine to a place in MK. Wasn't cheap but they did a fab job. Will find out where she took it and let you know tout suite.

At the moment Tescos are doing a Clubcard Vouchers thing where you can turn £5 of Clubcard vouchers into £15 of vouchers to be used at Johnsons' Dry Cleaning. They are charging £85 IIRC to dry-clean my dress (big-ish skirt with a few layers, plenty of beading around the top) so my mum has used £25 Clubcard vouchers, received £75 in Johnsons vouchers and I will pay the £10 on top. Quite a good deal we thought, especially as she never remembers to use her Clubcard vouchers!

In Hertfordshire - JS Tailoring in Bushey - she was my seamstress and has links with a dry cleaning company called Shamma Dry Cleaners in Croxley Green, Watford.

Can anyone recommend anywhere in the south east?

I'm in the SE (well, Milton Keynes) and seen a place in Stony Stratford that advertise wedding dress dry cleaning "from £45", including free collection and delivery. Might give them a whirl...

Is this a place opposite an indian take away, under the walkway next to Budgens?

I'd eyed them up too - but my OH took his military uniform there to be tailored, and they did a real botch job on it, while I know the two tasks are very different, and they prbably had zero experience of tailoring that kind of weird kit before but will have lots more experience of wedding dress cleaning (i'd assume), somehow now I don't know if I trust them.

If you do have it done, and it's good, will you please report back as it's still v.local to OHs lot.

LM & Sammo - will ask Mummy S where she got mine done as it was in MK and they did an amezzin job. She's in French France ATM so may have to wait til the weekend.

Errr....dunno! I found them on t'interweb while I was "researching" (read: googling stuff and eating cake) this morning.

Cheers, Spangly-one ?

Depends what you mean by South East - mine is Hertfordshire

That would be great thanks Spangles