How To Keep Your Wedding Dress In Excellent Condition

Fashion & Jewellery, Planning & Advice

This is going to be one of the most precious pieces of clothing you’ll ever own, so you’re probably wondering how to keep your wedding dress in excellent condition. Whether you are looking to sell your gown or you want to keep it for years to come, it’s absolutely crucial that you know how to store your dress. The key is to understand the steps from day one, the moment you bring your wedding dress home.

For the inside scoop, take a look at our written run down of episode 85 of the Wedding Wednesdays podcast (listen here).

 

Before the wedding: storing the dress at home

  1. Hoover your room
  2. Close your curtains/blinds to keep the sunlight from fading your gown
  3. Place a clean, white sheet on the floor under your gown
  4. Use white gloves to avoid staining
  5. Take your gown out of the bridal store bag if it’s plastic and non-breathable
  6. Hang the gown on a strong wooden hanger
  7. Cover with a white duvet sheet, with an opening to the end, allowing the train to hang
  8. If your dress is vintage or too delicate to hang, place it flat on a bed covered under and over by a white sheet

 

Things to consider when storing your dress

Temperature – Make sure you store your wedding dress in an area that is cool and mildew-free.

Longevity – Protect your dress by keeping it away from other clothing and away from coloured tissue paper or tissue paper with acid.

Lighting – Light can turn your white dress yellow, so keep it in a dimly lit or dark space.

Humidity – An air conditioned home, or one with a humidifier, is a good place to store your wedding dress.

 

Right before the wedding

To keep it in a dry room, in a breathable dress bag,

Avoid trying on the dress a lot as oils and (any dirt or make-up) that are on your hands can transfer and cause staining after time.

The week before the wedding the gown should be taken out of the hanging bag or preservation box and hung to let any creases fall out of it. Make sure to hoover the room before taking out the gown, as any floor dust may leave marks on the gown. Place a white sheet on the floor under where the gown will be hanging and place a white duvet cover over the gown to keep it from prying eyes.

 

Here’s how to hang your dress

Anna O says:

 

“If I can give you guys a helpful tip that you might like to include would be when the bride is hanging their dress to make sure they use the satin loops that are near the armhole of the dress. Most brides don’t use these or cut them off! They are the most important things to use when hanging the dress.

They help ensure there is no pressure being put on the fabric at the shoulders or neckline. A lot of brides come to me that have not used these satin loops and the dress shoulder and bustline have stretched and warped over the time they have been hanging, so a super important tip!”

 

Get help from the experts

Wedding Dress Cleaning: Bridal Gown Cleaning, Impress Dry Cleaning, and Cleaning Angel

Gown Preservation: Bridal Gown Cleaning, Impress Dry Cleaning, and Cleaning Angel

Wedding Dress Alterations: Anna O Bridal Alterations, Love White Bridal By Zana, Millicent Bride, and Wilde By Design