SWDS are here to handle all your gown care needs!
$350 starting price
Michael Erstad
OWNER
Seattle Wedding Dress Specialists, based in Seattle, WA, provides wedding gown preservation and cleaning services, so it is perfect for the big day.
Your wedding gown is a major investment, and we’re here to help you protect it. Our specialized cleaning processes and techniques will preserve your gown to look as lovely in the future as it does on your wedding day. We offer a full range of services for wedding gowns, including steaming, pressing, cleaning, preserving, restoring, altering, and repairing. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding any of our processes. Please get in touch with us if you would like to schedule your complimentary gown evaluation.
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Fashion Services
Alterations
Dry Cleaning & Preservation
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Meet the team
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- Michael ErstadOwnerMike owned and operated a couture dry cleaning and wedding gown care facility for over 25 years before deciding to focus specifically on wedding gown care and consulting. He has traveled throughout the US, helping qualified cleaners learn the unique needs required for wedding gown care. Mike is trained in archival museum quality care for gowns, including preservation, restoration of vintage gowns, and pre-wedding care of all types of unique wedding gowns. As an active member of the Green Business Bureau, Mike uses all environmentally safe and toxin-free processes.
- Mike ErstadCEOMike owned and operated a couture dry cleaning and wedding gown care facility for over 25 years when he decided to sell the dry cleaners and focus on wedding gown care and consulting. He has traveled throughout the US, helping qualified cleaners learn the unique needs required for wedding gown care. He is highly regarded in the garment care profession. Orange Restoration Labs of Connecticut trained MIke in archival museum quality care for gowns, including preservation, restoration of vintage gowns, and pre-wedding care of all types of unique wedding gowns. The methods Mike uses to preserve or restore gowns are those archivists use for museums. He believes in running a green business, is an active member of the Green Business Bureau, and uses all environmentally safe and toxin-free processes.
- Will ErstadOwnerWe started caring for wedding dresses before I can remember, and I’m proud to say I think we have evolved and learned and grown, and still are the most qualified people to handle any dress that comes in our door. That’s why I’m so excited to be continue this endeavor with my Mike & Holden, my dad and brother, doing what we do best and only that. Caring for wedding dresses, and being a business essential to the fabric of Seattle. After working countless jobs, I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be and I’m so excited to keep providing Seattle with a service that only a small business can give.
Reviews
3.3
out of 5.010 reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
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Rachel H
4.0
8/08/2023
I'm not sure if this page is for the shop I went to. The website is the same, but the location I went to is on Greenwood, not Elliott. At any rate, here's the review.
I bought my dress used, and was so glad to find a place that could both clean and alter it. It had delicate lace on the bodice and a lot of chiffon in the skirt, so I wasn't sure a regular dry cleaner could handle it. The cleaning was well done, but I will say that communication with Will (the guy who did the cleaning) was a little difficult. I had to text multiple times and ultimately go through Kathleen (the seamstress) before I got an answer about pricing.
The alterations went very well. Kathleen was pleasant to work with, and my dress turned out beautifully. We shortened the straps, took in the side seams, and shortened the skirt. Not super complicated, but with the lace and chiffon to deal with, I'm sure it wasn't something a novice like me could handle.
I'm very happy with how my dress turned out. It was ready in plenty of time, and the price quoted was much more reasonable than other seamstresses/ateliers I considered who wanted to charge at least half again as much. At the wedding, I was comfortable all night and didn't step on my skirt at all! I would definitely recommend this place, especially Kathleen. Just make sure you communicate clearly and reach out yourself if you don't hear from them.
A. S
1.0
5/23/2023
I am completely appalled by Seattle Wedding Dress Specialists and their lack of the quality customer service that I would have expected from the previous reviews. I dropped off my bespoke, couture wedding gown made with heirloom and imported fabrics to be preserved under Seattle Wedding Dress Specialists' care in March and was given an estimated 6-week turnaround. Understandably, this process may be time-consuming, and I wholly trusted their ability to deliver their promise after speaking with Will Erstead, one of the co-owners. The total cost for cleaning and preservation was $898.54. Half of the cost was to be paid upfront, and the second half was to be paid upon pickup.
I expected a general update at the 6-8 week mark, but after hearing radio silence, I attempted to call multiple times (goes straight to voicemail, with different messages); left voicemails that were never returned; sent emails that were never returned; sent messages via Instagram (since their post comments are disabled); and had my partner drive by to check on the status. I was filled with dread and anxiety, thinking the worst when I never heard back -- was my dress damaged? Was it stolen? Why wasn't anyone answering my inquiries?
The website instructs customers to schedule an appointment to pick up their dress, charging $50 even if their dress is not ready. I showed up without an appointment on the one day that I saw someone in the storefront. I waited for an appointment to finish up and expressed my concern that I hadn't received any communication from the business. Hearing my dismay, the customer in front of me was concerned about the timeline and asked Will about timeline expectations. Will placed the blame on their storage box vendor and did not address the business's lack of communication and failure to meet customer expectations.
I asked to see my dress before it was boxed up, and Will hurriedly and covertly boxed it up in the back. I repeatedly asked to see the dress and once again addressed my concern about the business's poor communication, and not once did I receive an apology. Will unboxed my dress, only for me to see that there were stains on the hem of my dress, a broken silk button from the back of my gown, and pleats from my silk chiffon train flattened out. The gown did not look like it had undergone any professional cleaning, and I cannot be completely assured that it had undergone any preservation. It felt like Will had hoped I wouldn't see the damage.
SWDS would benefit from improving communication, setting realistic expectations, sharing updates on progress or challenges to build customer trust, and taking full ownership of their mistakes. If there had been any challenges or roadblocks that kept them from delivering on their expectations, I would have understood entirely had it been communicated. Instead, I was left to wonder, agonize, and expect the worst. When I was reunited with my dress, I was aghast by the condition of my gown.
For many of their customers, a wedding gown is a timeless, priceless treasure that has been entrusted under Seattle Wedding Dress Specialists' care. They have done a great disservice to me, and while I was offered a refund for their failure to meet expectations, I cannot recommend their service to anyone. I implore you to consider finding an alternative business if you wish to have your wedding dress cleaned or preserved. This review does not apply to their alterations service, which I did not receive.
Vendor response 01/30/2024
I am sorry for the experience you have had with our processes. We have tried reaching out ...
to see if we can refund or try to resolve any issues. I encourage you to follow up and see if we can make you satisfied and, even better, happy with us again. Not all stains or even fabrics can be 100% brought back to new, but we do the best possible care without damaging the dress.
Any questions?
Claire M
5.0
12/28/2021
I loved working with Pauline. She knew just what alterations I needed, and the hemming and gown adjustments were done beautifully and very quickly. She even taught me how to walk and descend stairs in a long gown. She was also able to alter my gown afterwards to make it wearable for other occasions, and getting my gown cleaned there was an added bonus.
Jean Marie D
1.0
10/19/2018
By far, the worst customer service experience I have ever had. I dropped my dress off in the first week of August 2018 and was given a "promised for" date of a month later. Fast forward a month, I show up in person and am told it will take at least an additional two weeks, and they haven't even started cleaning it yet!!! I should add, there were no phone calls or email updates to let me know what was going on. I was also told that their "system" puts a promised for date on the receipt but that the process can actually take up to two months. Why bother putting a date on there in the first place if it's incorrect?! I come in two weeks later to view the dress before it's boxed (the first lady at the register failed to mention that there would be an additional $75 charge if I took the dress out to look at it once it had been boxed), only to be told that they couldn't find me in the system, then when they do find me, that my order has been voided, and that there is no note of what's gone on. I had received a call about a stain on the dress that was unable to be removed, but was given no additional information as to why, or what to expect going forward. Fast forward almost a month after my third in person visit, and they still have my name wrong in the system, had lost my email address, and were initially unsure where my dress was. The lady behind the register this time told me she didn't want to correct my name in the system lest it lead to my dress getting lost, and to hold on to my original receipt, putting the entire onus on me, the customer!!! Luckily, she was able to locate my dress and complete the charge. This place is overpriced, terrible at administrative organization, and has almost nonexistent customer service, with the exception of the last lady I worked with, Leah, who was helpful, knowledgeable and honest. I'm just glad I was able to get my dress back, and that it appears *knock on wood* to have no major issues once I looked at it in the box. Cannot warn people enough: STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!!!! I'm mad at myself for not demanding at least a partial refund.
Kelley W
3.0
10/04/2017
I used National Dry Cleaners to press my gown prior to my wedding, as I had traveled with it from out of state. Overall the staff was friendly and my dress looked great on the day of, but two things are keeping this review at three stars:
1) When I first dropped off my dress, their wedding specialists weren't in, so I was told that I would receive a call with a price quote first thing the next day, and that no work would start until I received that quote. I didn't hear from them, so I called late in the afternoon and again was told I'd be contacted the next day. Same thing happened again--no call, and no quote. The next day I happened to be running errands nearby so stepped in and they were finally able to help me in person. Everyone was friendly, but I shouldn't have had to chase them down for this.
2) When I went to pick up my gown, I noticed that a lace bolero jacket that I had specifically called out when dropping the dress off was not with my other items. Apparently whoever checked me in did not include the jacket on the invoice, so it was missed on the packing checklist. A 15 minute frantic search ensued, and thank goodness the jacket was found at the bottom of the garment bag that I had used to drop off the dress.
All in all, everything turned out fine, but I will definitely not be using National Dry Cleaners to clean and preserve my dress.
Knottie1425801547
5.0
10/21/2015
I took in my wedding dress to get cleaned and preserved. National Cleaners did an amazing job and the staff was very friendly. My wedding dress means a lot to me and I definitely paid more to have my dress professionally preserved. It is recommended to make an appointment when dropping off the dress for a short consultation, inspection and going over the options. The cleaning/preservation was also ready quite a bit earlier than the planned finishing date.
Becca P
5.0
9/28/2011
Loved the staff here and the service they offered was top notch. I was very pleased with how my dress turned out!!!
Renee C
1.0
8/08/2011
I bought a used dress, that had a few small stains, and some yellowing from water (it was used in a beach ceremony). I told them this when i dropped it off. a simple strappless silk gown with no embelishments. and one separate sash. they first quoted me at 250. the manager wasn't there. but i said that was far too much. they held onto the dress and the manager called after the weekend to offer a better price. 125. still high for cleaning one dress. i asked them how much it costs to clean a simple silk gown that isn't a "wedding dress". they said 48!!! so a scam basically, because it's for a wedding and you want your day to be perfect. i went to pick it up and while waiting to pay my premium 125., i noticed that the watermarks were now more visible (even through the blue plastic bag!). i mentioned this to the staff checking me out. they claimed they didn't notice the stains. i mean it was too different colors! i noticed it while standing 6 feet away and under blue plastic!!! i was calm, and asked them to work on it a little more. they said they would try. and they did, which is why they are getting one star. but remeber they did try to pass it off to me at the register dirty. hoping what? that i would take it home before noticing? be wary brides. know what you are getting for your money. No one at this cleaners was ever able to tell me why they generally tack on a 200. upcharge for a wedding dress. I'm tired of this industry standard that when the word "wedding" is in the title of the item it's automatically going to be priced way higher.
Vendor response 01/30/2024
Wedding gowns are not the same as a simple silk gown. When we price a gown, we have to kee...
p in mind so many other factors. How many layers, what is the soil level, how is it constructed, are there sequined or beads, and so on? It is also noted that wedding gown construction can be far more challenging than off-the-rack silk gowns. The bridal business can be more expensive than day-to-day business. There are more couples and brides competing for similar services, and the expectation is that everything will be perfect for that special day. This is true with gown cleaning as well. Much more time and special effort is needed to make things as perfect for our brides as possible.
Kristina C
4.0
7/12/2011
Overall these guys were great and my dress came out beautifully. i had a pre-photo shoot, so i got my dress cleaned before the wedding. I had to ask for more steaming, but every spec of dirt was gone, and it was flawless after that. The girl at the front desk was a little scatter brained, originally she tried to make my p/u date after my wedding (after we already discussed when i woudl pick it up) and then when i was picking it up, she dropped it on the floor. Not in a bag or anything. But it was fine, and I think she was just a bit flustered.
Chelsi H
4.0
1/28/2011
good
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Michael Erstad
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