How To Store Your Wedding Dress Properly?

You need to plan ahead not only for the attire of the wedding party, but also for the care, preservation, and storage of the bridal gown itself. Cleaning a wedding dress is the first and most critical step before putting it away for storage. Therefore, the tailor or wedding dress store is the first stop as you get ready for storage. The dress's creators should be able to provide you with clear instructions and advice on how to clean the garment. Every dress needs to have a label with washing instructions and symbols on it.

Dresses worn on wedding days become treasured keepsakes once the ceremony is over. It's little wonder that brides treasure their gowns so much that they save them to pass down through the generations. The good news is that keeping a wedding dress is straightforward if you adhere to a few basic guidelines.

Advice on How to Preserve Your Wedding Gown

Check the Wedding Dress’ Care Label

Some things can be dry-cleaned while others can be wet-cleaned. Dresses made of polyester are usually safe for hand washing, but you should check a discreet spot to be sure. Dresses may have care labels that indicate which cleaning chemical is recommended. It is recommended that you ask the bridal shop to recommend a dry cleaner who specialises in wedding gowns and has access to the specific cleaning chemicals and equipment required for your dress.

Consult Cleaner Experts

While it's understandable to feel frazzled by the prospect of determining where to place all of your newlywed gifts, it's important to remember that preserving your wedding garment is just as important.

Some stains are invisible at first but will become visible over time. Clear liquid spills (such as alcohol or soda) dry clear but oxidise to a brown colour; likewise, perspiration on the lining of your dress can discolour the fabric and cause it to dry out and crack.

If there are any stains or dirt on the clothing, even if you can't see them, have it cleaned. If you perspire a lot, the fabric will soak it up and stick to you. Dresses that aren't cleaned before being stored might develop mildew or mould, which can cause unpleasant odours and discoloration. Wedding dresses require specific care, therefore it's best to take them to a dry cleaner who focuses on that type of garment. In addition, you should check the label to determine whether there are any particular detergents or other cleaning supplies that should not be used on the dressing gown.

Don't let just anyone clean your wedding dress; find a reputable cleaner. While a local dry cleaner might be able to get out stubborn stains from your favourite pair of jeans, they might not be equipped to handle your priceless heirloom gown, its fragile fabric, or its intricate embellishments. The following is what to expect if you decide to have a professional cleaner handle your wedding dress.

• Careful and thorough hand washing (some corporations exclusively employ organic solvents, free of all potentially dangerous chemicals and bleaches.)
• Removal of obvious stains by a treatment including particular chemicals
• Applying pressure (or steam, if necessary)

Advice for cleaning: Don't be shy about asking inquiries. Different methods, beads, sequins, and pearls will need to be employed, depending on the colour, age, and fabric of the dress. Inquire about their on-site cleaning services, their post-cleaning packaging methods, and any guarantees they may offer.

To keep your garment from turning yellow, developing wrinkles that won't go away, growing mildew or mould, getting oxidation spots, being damaged by light, or collecting dust, proper maintenance is essential.

Most brides want to have their dresses professionally maintained because of the high cost. If they don't have any daughters themselves, it's still possible that some parts of the dress could be preserved for posterity as heirlooms.

It’s Important to Keep Your Wedding Gown in a Safe Place

After you've wrapped your dress in protective material, put it away in a location that is free from direct sunlight, high temperatures, and humidity.

It is suggested to put your dress in a place where you can move about easily. Aim for a 50 percent relative humidity setting that is chilly, dark, and dry. Both the attic (where temperatures can exceed 140 degrees) and the basement (where humidity levels tend to be high and flooding is common) are unsuitable for human habitation.

Open The Wedding Dress Bag With Caution

Dresses should be handled with care at all times, whether you're checking on their condition (experts recommend checking on them every two to three years to refold them, avoiding the danger of permanent creases) or sharing memories with loved ones. Some things to keep in mind:

• Always wash your hands before touching anything because your body secretes oils.
• To prevent your lotions, perfumes, and nail polish from staining your clothes, avoid wearing them.
• A good pair of white cotton gloves is an investment (which some preservationists provide). Your dress will remain white and pristine if you use these.

As you experience these times, you may want to share them with loved ones; if so, be sure to urge them to do the same (especially with young children).

What Are The Do's And Don'ts Of Storing Your Wedding Dress?

THE DO'S

• Get your clothing clean before putting it away safely. You can have your maid of honour or a relative send it to the dry cleaners the day after the wedding, or you can do it yourself soon after returning from your honeymoon. It is recommended that you have your wedding dress cleaned by a professional agency that specialises in wedding gowns so that it is in pristine condition for the big day.
• The wedding dress should be stored somewhere cool and dry, away from any sources of heat or moisture. Store it in a spot that is free of dust, dirt, mould, and insects.
• Verify that the person who will be cleaning your dress at the dry cleaner has previous experience with bridal gowns. To get the finest cleaning results, look for a product that uses just pure solvent. A gown that has been washed using an unclean solvent will have a dry cleaning odour, even though it hasn't been.
• It's important to keep your gown in a PH-neutral environment, such a strong box, and to wrap it in acid-free tissue.
• If you want to keep the dress in pristine condition, you can send it to a company that specialises in conserving wedding dresses to be packaged. They will probably utilise a wedding box that has been specially designed to prevent the breakdown of acidic materials, rather than relying on a just acid-free covering. They need to use acid-free tissue for the folds and bodice. Tissue with a buffer is preferable for synthetic fabrics like rayon or polyester, whereas unbuffered tissue is best for natural fabrics like silk. Don't get the box with the dress sealed if you plan on shipping it.
• Plastic bridal dress boxes are not recommended. The dress must be able to breathe while being protected from dust and grime in the box. Rather than risk damaging your dress with a cheaper box that won't last, spend the extra money on a high-quality one. It's a common misconception that storing bridal gowns in plastic bags will keep them in pristine condition for years to come.
• Do it with a clothes bag. In addition to trapping moisture and encouraging the growth of mould and mildew, plastic's off-gassing can cause your gown's colour to fade if you store it in a plastic bag. Keep the bridal gown out of direct sunlight by storing it in the garment bag it came with. While it's true that enclosing your dress in a plastic bag will shield it from stains and grime, there are some hidden problems with doing so. Plastic bags give off gases that can stain your gown yellow.
• Safely store your dress, but if they can't, lay it flat. Hang your dress up by the loops inside (never the shoulder straps) to keep it from stretching out of shape. The proper care and storage of your wedding dress is something you should discuss with the experts at the shop where you purchased it.
• Trust the professionals with the cleaning. It's not a simple procedure. The stain could become permanent if the wrong action is taken. Keep in mind that there are occasions when getting out of there is the best option, at least until professional help can be provided.
• After putting away your dress, you should check on it every few months to be sure nothing has happened to it in the meanwhile. To keep the garment from getting permanently creased, you may want to repack it once a year.
• Think about the future plans you have for your clothing. "46% of brides save their wedding gown for future generations. Don't just throw away your wedding gown after the big day; think forwards to how you might be able to reuse it in the years to come. Is it anything you'd be interested in wearing to our 10-year anniversary photo shoot? Is it your intention to use it as a cushion or other keepsake for your offspring in the future? Alternately, you might take good care of it so that your daughter can wear it on her wedding day. A professional preservation service should be arranged if you intend to keep the dress for any length of time.
• Pick an expert who can alter your wedding dress right there in the store. It's preferable to choose a local preservationist to handle your wedding dress. The doctors and nurses who will be handling your gown personally can be consulted directly if you do this. This is especially useful if your dress or any particular stains on it are giving you pause, or if you just have general inquiries about the process. We use mild cleaning products and take great care to remove any and all stains from your gown.

THE DON'TS 

• If you want to keep your wedding dress in pristine condition for future generations, you should avoid storing it in a plastic dress cover and instead invest in a quality wedding dress box. Plastic dress coverings don't work because they let in too much moisture and don't block enough light. As a result, they shouldn't be kept around indefinitely.
• If you want to keep your wedding dress in pristine condition for your big day, you shouldn't store it in a fabric bag or a cardboard box.
• Wedding dresses shouldn't be stored adjacent to suitcase linings, closet wood, open drawers, or other items.
• You shouldn't use coloured tissue paper to package your wedding dress. Tissue paper should be white and acid-free.
• Putting stress on the seams of your wedding dress by hanging it is not a good idea. It's possible that your dress will lose its shape as a result.
• Your wedding dress is not something to be kept in an unfinished space like a loft or attic. The dress may be damaged by exposure to moisture, a leak, insects, rats, or variations in humidity if kept in such locations without suitable protection.
• Don't store your robe anywhere that becomes too hot or too cold. Though it may be inconvenient, you should store your clothing somewhere safe. Don't go near any places where the temperature/humidity changes drastically. That includes mildew, which can ruin your garment.

Because of the high stakes involved in cleaning a wedding dress, it's best to leave the task to the professionals. Properly storing your clothing will protect it from damage for years to come. Never wash a dress without first consulting a professional, and use only the detergents they recommend. If you're still not sure, a professional laundry service is the safest bet for protecting the dress's fabric and all the intricate embellishments.

As an alternative, you might make the substantial expenditure in a bridal gown preservation box. The container doesn't let any air in or out, but instead is pumped full of nitrogen. Since oxidation is often what shortens a material's shelf life, this expensive preservation technology guarantees a significantly longer storage duration provided the box is not opened. However, if you do that, you'll have to go through the preservation procedure again.