Every bride looks wonderful on her wedding day, but how can you store the gown after your wedding? There are multiple storage solutions and ways to store your dress. Here are a few ways to store your wedding dress, as well as tips:
Ways To Store Your Wedding Dress
A Garment Bag
A temporary solution for wedding storage is a storage bag for lightweight dresses, or gowns with minimum embellishments. Avoid plastic bags that can cause yellowing over time while you’re looking for a more permanent storage solution. Acid free tissue paper will also help protect the fabric and keep the dress clean. Even in a garment bag, don’t hang your dress as this can cause the dress to lose its shape. Lay the dress flat, and store in a dark cool place even temporarily.
A Wedding Dress Storage Box
A wedding dress storage box is the ideal solution for a wedding dress. Wedding storage boxes are made acid-free and lignin-free to ensure the fabric won’t stain. These boxes come in a variety of styles and sizes so you can ensure you can lay your dress flat. This is the best solution for heavy gowns, or gowns with embellishments that may need extra protection.
General Tips
# 1 – Get Gown Professionally Cleaned
You can bring your dress to a cleaner after the honeymoon or have a trusted family member take it for you. While the dress may look like it doesn’t need to be professionally cleaned, there could be dirt or bacteria which could cause yellowing over time.
A cleaner knows techniques to follow to make sure your dress stays pristine. After cleaning, and before storing your dress, wear gloves to keep the dress clean, and take note of any threads or embellishments that could be missing from your dress.
#2 – Avoid Light or Extreme Temperatures
When looking for a place to store your wedding dress, keep in mind the storage room and where it is in the room. Some things to avoid are direct heat sources, excessive moisture and excessive sunlight. Likewise, any temperature extremes may harm the dress. Also try and keep your dress away from any cooking or smoking odors as this can cause the fabric to absorb odors and potentially stain.
#3 – Inspect the Gown Periodically
Be careful not to check on your gown too much after you put it away, as this can cause damage to the packaging. Periodically check and make sure the gown isn’t wrinkled, or other damage from insects hasn’t occurred. Once a year, fully inspect your gown and repack it.
#4 – Keep Away From Pets
No matter what room you choose, make sure that your pet can’t go near the storage box. Your pets, even well-behaved pets, don’t know the value that your wedding gown has to you. Pet dander, tears from claws or teeth, and other pet damage could ruin the gown you wish to preserve.
#5 – Read the Tag for Care Instructions
Your dress should come with a tag or paper that outlines the care instructions for the dress. For example, some dresses can only be dry-cleaned, whereas some can be wet cleaned, or washed in water. Wedding dress care requires specialized supplies and equipment, so it’s best to leave the cleaning and preservation of your wedding dress to professionals.
Find the dress solution that works best for you and your budget. Check out our bridal collection if you’re in the market for a wedding dress.