Your wedding dress is more than just a piece of clothing—it’s a symbol of one of the most important days of your life. Preserving and protecting it is essential if you want to maintain its beauty for years.
Here, we’ll discuss in detail the best methods to protect your wedding dress before, during, and after your wedding day. With the right care, you can keep your dress looking as stunning as the day you first wore it.
Let’s get straight to the point
To protect your wedding dress, follow these key steps: Before the wedding, store the dress in a cool, dry place in a breathable garment bag, and use a padded hanger to prevent creasing.
On the wedding day, handle the dress carefully, protect it from stains, and have a handheld steamer ready for wrinkles.
After the wedding, get it professionally cleaned ASAP by a specialist and choose a preservation method, such as acid-free box storage.
For long-term care, store in a cool, dark place, use acid-free materials, and avoid plastic bags to prevent yellowing and fabric deterioration.
1. Protecting Your Wedding Dress Before The Big Day
Store Your Dress In A Safe Environment
Before your wedding, it’s important to keep your dress in a cool, dry, and safe location. Avoid places that are exposed to direct sunlight or high humidity, like attics or basements. A closet in a temperature-controlled room is ideal.
- Avoid plastic garment bags: These can trap moisture and promote mildew growth.
- Use a breathable garment bag made from cloth to allow airflow and prevent moisture build-up.
- Keep it away from high-traffic areas where it might get knocked over, stained, or torn.
Use a Padded Hanger
Support your dress by hanging it on a padded hanger. Padded hangers help to maintain the shape of the dress, especially at the shoulders, and prevent fabric stretching or creasing.
- Ensure the hanger straps are used: Most wedding dresses have small hanger loops sewn inside. Use these to support the weight of the dress rather than just the straps or fabric.
- Keep the dress zipped or buttoned inside its garment bag to avoid dust.
Avoid Wrinkles
A few days before the wedding, remove your dress from its bag to allow any wrinkles to naturally fall out.
Do not iron the dress directly unless instructed on the care label. If needed, use a handheld steamer to carefully remove creases.
- Hang the dress high so that it hangs freely and doesn’t bunch at the bottom.
- Keep a travel steamer handy for the wedding day to address any last-minute wrinkles.
2. How To Protect Your Wedding Dress On Your Wedding Day
Handle The Dress With Care
Everyone will want to see your dress on your wedding day, but it’s critical to handle it carefully.
- Keep the dress hung up until you’re ready to wear it. Choose a location that’s far from food, drinks, or high foot traffic.
- Close any nearby windows to prevent dust or debris from getting inside.
Protect Against Stains
Unexpected spills and stains are a common worry during weddings. Here’s how to prevent them:
- Use white chalk to cover up small stains temporarily. It’s especially helpful for concealing marks on white fabrics.
- Have a stain-removal kit ready: Consider having baby wipes, a small brush, and mild detergent on hand for any accidents.
- Be cautious around makeup: When putting on your dress, wrap a scarf around your neck to prevent makeup from staining the neckline.
Minimise Wrinkles Throughout The Day
Wrinkles can ruin the look of your dress in photos, so it’s essential to stay prepared.
- Use a handheld steamer throughout the day to smooth out any creases.
- Avoid sitting in positions that may cause fabric bunching, particularly if your dress has a long train or intricate skirt.
3. How To Protect Your Wedding Dress After The Ceremony
After the celebration, it’s time to focus on preserving your dress for years to come.
Get Your Dress Cleaned Immediately
One of the most important steps in preserving your wedding dress is to get it professionally cleaned as soon as possible after your wedding.
Stains, whether they are from food, makeup, or dirt, will become harder to remove the longer they sit. Delaying cleaning can lead to permanent damage to the fabric.
- Assign the task: If you’re going on a honeymoon immediately, ask a trusted friend or family member to take the dress to the cleaners on your behalf.
- Avoid standard dry cleaning: Not all dry cleaners have the experience to handle wedding dresses. Choose a cleaner who specialises in wedding dress preservation.
Choose The Right Preservation Method
After cleaning, it’s critical to have the dress preserved properly. There are several methods available depending on your dress material and personal preference.
- Flat storage: This is ideal for preventing creases, though not always practical for larger dresses. If you choose this option, lay the dress flat and fold it minimally.
- Box storage: Wedding dress preservation boxes are made from acid-free materials and are ideal for long-term storage. Ensure that the dress is stored in a box with acid-free tissue paper to prevent yellowing and fabric degradation.
- Hanging storage: If space is an issue, hanging the dress in a breathable garment bag is another option. However, this is less ideal for long-term storage as the dress may develop permanent creases over time.
Rotate The Dress To Prevent Creasing
If your dress is folded in a box, it’s essential to re-fold it every two to three years. This helps prevent permanent creases from forming in the fabric.
- Wear gloves: Always handle your dress with clean, white cotton gloves or powder-free nitrile gloves to avoid transferring oils and dirt from your hands.
- Change the folds: Each time you re-fold the dress, ensure the fabric is folded along different lines.
4. Proper Long-Term Storage Techniques
Store In A Dark, Cool Place
The environment in which you store your wedding dress is critical for long-term preservation.
- Avoid light exposure: Light, particularly UV light, can cause fabric to fade or yellow. Keep your dress stored in a dark, dry place, such as a closet or wardrobe.
- Maintain a stable temperature: Avoid storing your dress in places where temperature and humidity fluctuate, such as attics or basements. Consistent, cool temperatures are best for fabric preservation.
Use Acid-Free Materials
When preserving your wedding dress, always use acid-free tissue paper and storage boxes. This prevents the fabric from degrading and discolouring over time.
- Wrap the dress in acid-free tissue paper, particularly between folds, to prevent creases.
- Store in a large box: Choose a box large enough to minimise the number of folds, reducing the risk of permanent creasing.
Avoid Hanging For Long-Term Storage
While hanging the dress is ideal for short-term storage, it’s not recommended for long-term preservation.
Over time, the weight of the fabric can cause stretching and distortion, especially for dresses with heavy beading or long trains.
- If hanging is necessary, ensure that the dress is supported by its hanger straps and not just by the fabric. Use a padded hanger and keep the dress in a breathable garment bag.
5. Preventing Yellowing And Fabric Deterioration
One of the most common concerns with long-term dress storage is yellowing. This can occur when fabrics, particularly white or pastel shades, oxidise over time. Taking the right steps can help you prevent this.
Regularly Inspect The Dress
Regular inspections of your wedding dress are key to catching any early signs of damage.
- Check for yellowing or stains: Every year or two, inspect the fabric for any signs of yellowing or staining. If you notice any issues, consider re-cleaning the dress before it worsens.
- Rotate the folds: If your dress is stored folded, re-fold it along different lines to prevent creasing and yellowing.
Avoid Plastic Bags
Plastic garment bags can trap moisture, leading to mould and yellowing of the fabric. Instead, use cloth bags or store your dress in a specialised preservation box.
- Do not vacuum-seal: Vacuum-sealed plastic bags may seem like a good idea, but they can compress the fabric, causing irreversible creasing and promoting the build-up of moisture.
6. How To Handle Special Fabric Types
If your wedding dress is made from delicate fabrics like silk, lace, or satin, it requires extra care during cleaning and preservation.
Special Care for Silk Dresses
Silk is a delicate material that can be easily damaged by improper cleaning and storage. Be sure to:
- Use a professional cleaner experienced with silk garments.
- Store in breathable, acid-free materials to prevent discolouration and fabric degradation.
Handling Lace And Beaded Dresses
Lace and beading are particularly delicate. Take extra care to:
- Avoid folding over lace and beaded areas, as this can cause fabric or thread to break.
- Store flat if possible, or hang the dress with proper support for the beads to avoid stress on the seams.
Conclusion
Your wedding dress is a cherished keepsake, embodying the memories and emotions of your special day.
By taking the proper steps to protect, clean, and preserve it, you ensure that it remains as beautiful as the day you wore it.
From carefully storing it before the wedding, handling it gently on the big day, and using professional cleaning and preservation techniques afterward, every detail matters.
Whether you plan to pass it down, wear it again, or simply keep it as a treasured memento, following these guidelines will help your wedding dress stand the test of time.
With thoughtful care, your dress will continue to hold its magic for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it ever too late to preserve my wedding dress?
If you have an older gown, or a gown that you haven’t gotten into the cleaners even weeks or months after your wedding, don’t fret.
While ideally, sooner is always better than later, the truth is that it is never too late to have a wedding dress cleaned and preserved.
Do I have to preserve my wedding dress?
The simple answer to this frequently asked question is it is never too late to have your wedding dress preserved.
However, having your wedding dress professionally cleaned and maintained soon after your wedding allows for much less stress on the delicate fabrics of your wedding gown.
What is the best way to store a wedding dress?
If possible, gowns should be stored in breathable cloth bags, such as the bags we give to them when they pick up the dress–and not in plastic bags.
The best way to store a wedding dress, if it’s in a closet, is to use the hanger straps to keep everything in tip-top shape.
Why do wedding dresses turn yellow?
Yellowing occurs when the original fibres of the fabric undergo chemical degradation due to quality problems with the textile.
The white and pastel fabrics eventually start decaying, giving the typical wedding dress a light-to-medium yellow colour.
Do dry cleaners steam wedding dresses?
Steaming is also a valuable process after the wedding is over. Take the dress back to your dry cleaning specialist so that they can now preserve it for posterity. First, they will inspect it for stains and remove them by hand. The dress will be dry cleaned and steamed.
