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Medlin Davis Website

North Carolina’s Premiere

Gown Cleaning Service

A HISTORY OF QUALITY & TRUST

Since 1948, MDC Gowns has been cleaning, preserving and restoring wedding, christening and debutante gowns for brides and families so they can cherish their keepsake for generations to come. No matter the type of fabric, it’s age or embellishments, we have the experience to safely clean your gown and provide for its proper preservation. We take to heart that your gown was carefully chosen and represents a significant moment in your life.

OUR PROCESS

Cleaning gowns and preparing them for the future is a craft that takes skill and experience.

1

Each gown is inspected inside and out looking for spots, stains and any damage that may have occurred during the big day or has happened over time. Stains can be visible and invisible. The most common invisible stains are perspiration, champagne, white wine, wedding cake and clear soda. If left untreated, they will oxidize and leave brown caramelized stains on your gown. We identify these stains through sight, feel and use of black light

2

An individualized cleaning plan is created taking into consideration what we have found during our initial inspection, your gown’s construction (fabric, design, embellishments) and age. This involves pre-spotting the gown and choosing the right cleaning method based on what we have found during our inspection and your gown’s care label. It could be dry cleaned, wet cleaned, hand cleaned or a combination of these cleaning methods.

3

 

 

MDC Gowns applies our knowledge, experience and industry leading cleaning technology to provide your gown with the safest and most comprehensive cleaning available.

4

 

 

After cleaning, your gown is thoroughly inspected to make sure we have not overlooked any stains or minor repairs that are needed.

STORAGE OPTIONS

Once the gown is ready for its preservation, MDC Gowns will provide you the opportunity to view it for your personal inspection, help you choose the best preservation method for your needs and can prepare your gown while you wait. We recommend two forms of preservation:

THE STORAGE CHEST

The storage chest is made of museum grade acid free materials and is designed to keep out light, moisture and insects. We use archival materials including acid free tissue paper and bust form to maintain the shape of the dress, to minimize folding creases and to keep it secure and stable. The chest has a viewing window and is not sealed allowing access to your gown. It is then inserted into a sturdy cardboard box with a handle that is ideal for storage.

THE MUSLIN GARMENT BAG

The garment bag is made of 100% muslin with ties up the front. It is designed for those dresses that will be stored on a hanger. The dress will be on a padded hanger with the train supported and the bodice protected by loops attached to the hanger. Using the muslin garment bag minimizes the wrinkles or creases that could be caused by the storage chest.

PRO TIP

No matter what preservation method you use, you should always store your dress in a temperature controlled environment, away from an outer wall and out of natural or artificial light. If you would like to handle your gown in the future, we include cotton gloves in order to avoid leaving oils or debris on your gown.

ACCESSORIES

Accessories can include your veil, headpiece, gloves, garter, moneybag, handkerchief, slip, and are welcomed to be stored with your gown at an additional cost. We are happy to clean your shoes, but would preserve them separately due to the negative impact of the aging leather and glue could have on your gown.

PRESSING

Whether it is fittings, photos or transportation, your gown will most likely show some wrinkles or creases prior to your wedding day. Bring your gown to MDC Gowns where we will hand steam your gown to pristine condition. You can then either pick it up from us or we will be glad to deliver it to your home, hotel or wedding venue on the day of your choosing. If you decide to have us clean and preserve your gown after the wedding, we will credit back the cost of the pre-wedding pressing.

DESTINATION WEDDING KIT

If you are planning a destination wedding and are nervous about taking your dress with you, we have the perfect solution. Our destination wedding kit, like our preservation chests, is acid free and meets most size requirements for carry on luggage. Its dimensions are 20 ½”x17”x7 ½”. Don’t worry about checking your gown, as the Destination Wedding Kit goes through security, has a handle for easy carrying and protects your dress while you travel. You can also use it for your preservation chest after the wedding. It comes fully assembled with:

  • 1 protective shipping carton with handle
  • 24 sheets of acid free tissue
  • 1 muslin wrap I pair of white cotton gloves
  • 1 dessicant packet (to keep the box’s interior moisture free)
  • Re-sealing tape

PRO TIP

WEDDING REGISTRY

Don’t forget to include your gown cleaning and preservation as a part of your wedding registry. We have gift certificates available for purchase by clicking here.

Gown Restoration

No matter the purpose of the gown, it has been kept in the family as a sentimental and physical reminder of your family’s history and heritage. It is a garment that has been carefully passed down as a keepsake to maybe wear again, to reminisce about a loved one or reflect on a special occasion.

MDC Gowns has a team specifically dedicated to restoring your heirloom gown. We first determine what we are working with in terms of the gown’s composition, its current condition and type and level of staining. We then employ our experience and sophisticated cleaning techniques to remove stains that have occurred over time and restore your gown to its original color while maintaining its dyes and the strength of its delicate fabric.

We are local and would love to consult with you at no charge about your special heirloom garment. This is our passion! In addition to cleaning, we can advise you on how you can redesign your heirloom gown for today’s bride or perhaps repurpose it as a christening gown. We will also leave you with recommendations on how best to store your gown once our work has been completed.

PRICING

Gowns can vary widely in their construction (fabric, design and embellishments) and condition. While some are simple others can be quite complex. As a result, our pricing is tailored to the style of gown. Once we view and inspect your gown, we will give you a firm price and due date at that time. Our price ranges are as follows:

ClassicOrnate
Non-SilkSilkNon-SilkSilk
Press Only$147$189$195$235
Clean & Press$220$273$295$345
Clean & Preserve$294$341$368$395
Classic
Non-SilkSilk
Press Only$147$189
Clean & Press$220$273
Clean & Preserve$294$341
Ornate
Non-SilkSilk
Press Only$195$235
Clean & Press$295$345
Clean & Preserve$368$395

WHY LOCAL. WHY MDC

There are many wedding gown cleaning companies that clean and preserve gowns in bulk with mail order transactions. We are proud to be a family owned and operated, local company which brings many benefits to you.

PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT

We take pride in the results we achieve for you while using only environmentally friendly methods. The majority of our gowns are either hand cleaned or wet cleaned using the Electrolux Lagoon system and water as our solvent. For dry cleaning, we use Greenearth dry cleaning technology which is a truly effective cleaning method, is gentle on your gown and completely harmless to the environment. It is silicone based and breaks down into carbon dioxide, sand and water at the end of its useful life. To find out more about it, please visit greenearthcleaning.com.

TRUST IN THE NAME.

TRUST IN THE PROCESS

If you are not happy with your gown, for any reason, we will be glad to re-clean and preserve it at no additional cost. Additionally, we provide you with a 50 year guarantee against your gown developing any caramelized stains or yellowing.

We truly hope that you trust MDC Gowns to take care of one of your most cherished possessions. We are passionate about gowns and our ability to protect them into the future and to bring your vintage gowns back to life for generations to come. You have chosen the right gown for you….now choose the right care for your gown, mdc gowns.

MAKING CLEANING EASIER

We want to  offer you convenience and savings! Select an option below to receive a $25 Gift certificate.
If you are too far away from our locations to drop off your gown, select the option below to print a free mailing label to ship your gown to our store.

Print a Free Mailing Label

Use the form below to receive a free label to ship your gown to an MDC location.

Name(Required)
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Address
What type of gown?(Required)
What Services Would You Like?(Required)
*The handling of any gown one generation old (25 years) will be considered a restoration.
If you are preserving your gown, which preservation method would you prefer?(Required)
If you are preserving your gown in the storage chamber, what else are you sending to include?
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

CONTACT US

OR VISIT ONE OF OUR LOCATIONS:

VILLAGE DISTRICT

2021 Smallwood Drive
Raleigh, NC, 27605

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BENT TREE PLAZA

7909 Falls of Neuse Road
Raleigh, NC, 27616

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WAKEFIELD COMMONS

14300 Falls of Neuse Road
Raleigh, NC, 27614

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HEMLOCK PLAZA

2990 Kildaire Farm Road
Cary, NC, 27518

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PRESTON CORNERS

994 High House Road
Cary, NC, 27513

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SHOPPES OF KILDAIRE

173 SE Cary Parkway
Cary, NC, 27511

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PUBLIX POINTE

1563 Kelly Road
Apex, NC, 27502

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SUNSET LAKE COMMONS

5299 Sunset Lake Road
Holly Springs, NC, 27540

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COMMON QUESTIONS

This is an important decision, and we expect you will have many great questions when it comes to the handling and preservation of your gown. Below are some of the more common questions we receive.