So, my mom was a synchronized swimmer when she was in college, meaning she was TINY ~106 lbs, she tells me). I've always, ALWAYS been bigger than she was, from the time I was 13 years old. Ugh. I've never thought about wearing her dress. HOWEVER, in my quest to qualify for the Boston Marathon (woot, I did), I've lost about 30 lbs, and we started wondering if I could fit into her dress (she'd gained some weight by the time she got married, ~20lbs). It's pretty perfect now. Except her veil, which was totally horrific.
It was a homemade dress, for about $100 at the time. The fabric is thick but cheap, like those weird 70s shirts that don't breathe, but it's sturdily made. To spend $300-$600 to have it professionally cleaned seems... excessive. Mom and I are wondering how one goes about cleaning such a thing at home. A woolite soak? Has anyone done this?