Your wedding dress - it’s might be the most expensive and/or the most precious dress of your life! The dress will always hold a special place in your heart, as in it, lie the stories of your happiness and your new beginning! But, have you decided on what you'll do with it after your wedding day? While some women choose to donate their bridal dress, others choose to trash it, and then some sell their wedding dress (which we can help with!). If you have thought about preserving your dress, then this might be a good read for you!
Whether you want to preserve your bridal dress for your daughter (or granddaughter!) or just as a keepsake for you to adore from time to time, several things must be kept in mind. A bridal dress is a precious piece of clothing, which might have a lot of intricate details, netting, beads, sequins, lace, and is usually made from a delicate fabric. The preservation, thus, requires a lot of care and attention. You might not know how to or where you can preserve your wedding dress. Let’s take a look at some of the DOs and DON’Ts of preserving your bridal dress after your wedding day.
1. Never self-clean a stain with a chemical or bleach.
Okay, so first things first. Wonderwoman, this is the one thing that you should definitely avoid doing yourself! Because of the delicate nature of the dress, you can never be sure of how the fabric would react to the lace or the net or the pearls. Even if you are unable to resist the temptation to control the Monica Gellar inside you, opt for water.
2. Read the dress label thoroughly.
That label on your dress carries very important information when it comes to its cleaning and safekeeping. In fact, the information comes handy while getting the dress dry-cleaned as well as you can confirm with your dry cleaner if they have the necessary tools and methods of cleaning such dresses.
3. Timing is the key!
Before you take off for your honeymoon, make sure the dress reaches the dry cleaner! The sooner the better, and we’ll tell you why. After a whole day of celebrations, you are bound to get some latent stains which soon become brownish if not treated early on. Some sugar-based stains simply caramelize and become dark in color. The body oils and sweat are other factors that leave mild to naked stains on the dress, only to become dark over time. Therefore, it's advised that you get that dress to a dry cleaner as soon as you are done wearing it!
4. Let the dry-cleaner do their job.
If you wish to preserve your dress, take it to a dry cleaner only. They are professionals and know how to treat it right! On a serious note, you would need to find a dry cleaner that uses virgin solvent instead of a recycled one. The latter mostly contains impurities that can give your dress a weird odor and further spoil it for storage.
5. Always handle your dress with care.
Whether its the first time you are getting it home after dry cleaning or taking it out of the storage to adore it time and again, have your hands clean and preferably covered in white cotton gloves.
6. Look for the right storage box for your gown.
The storage box for your dress should be an acid-free and Ph-neutral box. The box should also be airtight, with some pouches of silica gel placed inside it. An added advantage would be choosing a box with a viewing window so that you don’t open the box every time you wish to admire the dress or even in cases where you forget what you put in that box!
7. Wrap your gown properly.
When you decide to store that dress in an apt box, wrapping is going to be next! The use of plastic is a complete no-no! The dress should only be wrapped in an acid-free paper as plastic can hold moisture and lead to the growth of mold. Also, colored wrapping paper should be avoided as it can lead to discoloration of the dress.
8. Store your wedding dress in a safe place.
One place where the dress should never be stored is under direct sunlight as it can lead to fading. Also, places like the attic, garage, and basement should be completely avoided as they usually witness extreme temperatures.
9. Hang your wedding dress only on padded hangers.
Okay, so hanging a wedding dress is not a great idea as it can lead to unnecessary stretching and misshaping. If you have to, always go for a padded hanger to decrease the chances of its distortion.
10. Checkout online services for wedding dress preservation.
Yeah, there are online wedding dress preservation services that are offered by some professionals that clean, iron and keep the dress in an acid-free storage box after wrapping it in acid-free tissue and preserve it for you, or even deliver it to you. It’s done in a zero-error zone and assures great preservation for generations! Prestige Preservation Program is one such firm that provides this service. You can visit Prestige Preservation for more information.
It’s not easy to part ways with your wedding dress, so we understand that some brides want to preserve it for life. Keep these wedding dress preservation basics in mind so your bridal gown stays perfect for you, or the next wearer!
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