How to store a wedding dress before a wedding?

A deposit was placed on the perfect, white wedding gown after you fell in love with it. This stunning gown will soon be customised to fit you perfectly. It will remain hidden until the big day, when you can walk down the aisle in all your bridal glory. This seems like a lot of work for little reward.

There are a variety of ways in which white wedding gowns can be damaged due to their multiple layers of fabric and elaborate embellishments. There are a lot of ways in which it can lose its pristine appearance, such as spills, loose embroidery, and even fabric yellowing. It could be a terrible shame if you lost the one gown that will help you become a stunning bride.

Finding the dress of your dreams is cause for nothing but joy and elation. When you finally find the perfect dress, after months of searching and dozens of fittings at different bridal shops, it's like the heavens part and you can see it all clearly in the mirror. You may be counting down the days until your wedding day, but you still have a few months to go. Let's take a look at some ways you can preserve your wedding gown before the big day so that you don't have to worry about any unwelcome stains, tears, or creases.

Also, there's no way to guarantee it won't get broken beyond repair before, during, or after the ceremony. After the wedding, you have a few options for your wedding gown: you can either store it, wear it again, or pass it down to your children and grandchildren. Of course, this assumes that your dress still looks brand new after one wear. In light of this, it's even more crucial that we don't change the style of our clothing.

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Hang It Up

Dresses can be hung if they are made of a lightweight fabric like chiffon, organza, tulle, or even some laces. Choose a hanger that is both strong enough to hold your gown without bending or breaking and smooth enough to prevent snagging. Notches or hooks in the upper part of the hanger are required for using it with hanger loops.

Avoid worrying about showing shoulder blades by wearing a strapless dress. Easy, just hook it up to the wall with the loops. If your dress does not have straps, you should take the weight off the dress's shoulders, straps, and sleeves by wrapping the hanging loops around the hanger more than once to ensure they are shorter than the length of the bodice. The improper hanging of some fabrics and laces can cause them to stretch out of shape, ruining the original fit and potentially ruining the lace or beadwork as well.

The next step is to put your dress into a fabric garment bag or to improvise a bag out of a spare king-sized bed sheet. When using a flat sheet, turn it on its diagonal and fold the top corner down to make a triangle. Make a loop that goes around the hanger's top and overlaps in the front; pin or use a straight pin to keep it in place. Cover the gown by folding the sheet forwards so that the two ends overlap and pinning it in place all the way to the floor. When you've finished wrapping the gown, fold the sheet's foot end up and secure it with a pin.

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Additional Tips:

• Use a sturdy plant hanger to suspend it off the ground, away from the walls and the furniture.
• If your train is particularly long, you can drape it over the back of a sturdy chair. By taking these measures, wrinkles on the train can be reduced.
• Just a little dust or dirt will show up on that white dress, so be careful! Once you've hung your dress, you want to make sure it won't get snagged on anything.
• Laying your dress flat in a garment bag and storing it under or on top of a bed may be the best option if it is very heavy.
• Start airing out your crazy heavy dress at least 36 hours before the ceremony, but keep checking back to make sure it hasn't fallen.
• If you're going to hang up a wedding dress, make sure the room has no open windows.
• We also recommend posting a sign on the door to let guests know the bridal gown is inside! Do as little as possible in there until the big day.

Store in a Box

Satin, lace, mikado, and crepe are all examples of medium to heavy fabrics that can be used to make dresses that can be worn flat. The first step in maintaining the pristine condition of your dress is to take it down from the hanger and fasten any buttons, snaps, or zippers. Then, stuff several layers of acid-free tissue paper into a sturdy box that's big enough to hold your dress.

As soon as you have the box ready, carefully fold your gown to fit it, inserting layers of tissue paper at the folds. You should leave as much space as possible between folds and avoid creating any hard creases when folding. First, place the hem of the skirt in the box, and then fold the dress in half lengthwise, widthways, and depthwise, stuffing tissue paper in between each fold. When you get to the bodice, stuff some tissue paper inside it (and the sleeves, if they're included) and lay it flat in the box. Wrap a tissue around your dress and tuck the ends in at the side. Put the top back on, and if you need to use tape to make sure it stays on, do so.

When you order a brand-new wedding gown, the manufacturer will make it specifically for you and then ship it to the bridal shop. Staying within the same shop for all of your alterations is recommended to ensure that your dress is not handled more than necessary.

Your dress will be ready for you to take home after the alterations are made. From this point forwards, handle your gown with extreme care at all times. What you see before you right now is everything you need to know.

When taking the gown outside, be sure to properly pack it in a box or wrap it in plastic. Instead of stuffing it into the trunk, we recommend folding the gown and laying it flat at the backseat. The fewer wrinkles it develops depends on how much room you have to lay it out. If the dress gets wrinkled in transit, you will have to press it again to get it looking as good as new.

To ensure that your wedding gown remains in pristine condition until the wedding day, it should be stored in a quiet, out-of-the-way area where it won't be disturbed. If you don't need it right away, put it back in the bag. If it's packaged in plastic, though, you might want to transfer it to a cloth bag. Plastic inhibits fabric from breathing and leaves behind lasting stains. Avoid doing this if your wedding gown is going to arrive early.

Your wedding gown is delicate and will be ruined if exposed to heat or moisture. Moreover, the fabric will easily pick up stains and mould if kept in a moist setting. Make sure there are no temperature swings in the storage. There also shouldn't be any moisture present. If you aren't sure whether or not the room tends to get damp, a dehumidifier should be used.

Avoid touching it too much; checking on the status of your gown or displaying it for visitors too frequently could damage it. Leave it where it is so that the clean, crisp appearance can last. Remember that you run the danger of damaging or staining your dress any time you pull it out of the closet. It needs to be stored carefully so that nothing happens to it while it's there. All that is required is the occasional direct observation to ensure everything is in order.

When having a wedding at a remote location, it is essential that the bride bring her wedding dress with her on the trip. If so, don't check it; instead, bring it along in your carry-on. If you want to keep it out of harm's way during your flight, talk to the airline about stowing it. The alternative is to transport it inside a box to reduce the amount of handling it undergoes during transport. When packing a dress for travel, it is best to select a wrinkle-resistant fabric and avoid anything too delicate.

Most of the folds will fall out of your dress once you steam and iron it if you hang it up high. If you want to use it when the shower is still hot and steamy, there's no reason not to. This will undoubtedly smooth out any last creases. However, you should be careful that the dress is not damaged. Get your garments professionally dry cleaned if wrinkles are still present. Doing this on your own is not a good idea. Look for a company that may do it carefully, so your wedding gown stays in pristine condition.

Check out our post on Ultimate Guide to Plus Size Wedding Dress Shopping.

Resist the Temptation to Touch

It's important to avoid opening, touching, trying on, etc. your wedding gown after you've put it away. Stains can be transferred from your hands' natural oils as well as from any cosmetics or deodorants you may be wearing. It's possible that the stains won't come out at all if you wait to treat them until after the wedding. If you have to try on your dress (for alterations, for example), wash your hands and put on fresh makeup or deodorant before doing so.

Removing Wrinkles

Wrinkles in your wedding gown can form for a variety of different reasons. Your wedding gown will likely need a little touch up before the big day if you've had to transport it long distances by plane or car, or if it got lightly creased when hanging in its cloth garment bag.

Hang your wedding gown high on a padded silk hanger a few days before the big day to give the creases time to relax. When you still can't get rid of the wrinkles in your wedding gown it's time to visit the dry cleaner or bridal boutique (depending on which is best suited for your dress).

Luckily, there are a few things you can do at home to refresh your wedding gown without damaging the fabric. If you want to get the creases out of your dress without ironing it, you can hang it in the shower while you take a hot shower. If you want to avoid getting your dress wet, take extra care. The other option is to press your dress using an iron and a white flat sheet as a pressing cloth. Your dress's material dictates the optimal ironing temperature. Don't risk burning yourself; iron on low heat if you're not sure.

After your Wedding Day

Taking your wedding gown to a dry cleaner immediately following the ceremony is the most important thing you can do to preserve its beauty. If you don't want to take time away from your honeymoon to do this, ask a member of your bridal party or a close friend to help you out. It's best to have your wedding gown cleaned as soon as possible so that stains don't have time to set in. Believe us when we say that your dress will now be covered in everything from grass and mud to sweat and makeup. If you’re planning on keeping and storing your wedding gown, then it is worth requesting a preservation service for your wedding gown too.

Accidents, both expected and unanticipated, can ruin a bride's wedding dress despite her best efforts to protect it. You should take extra care with your dress whenever you're not putting it away for safekeeping, such as when you're trying it on for the last time, showing it to your loved ones, or getting ready for the big day.

If you want to avoid spills, keep your drinks and snacks far away from your dress. Before putting on your wedding gown, make sure you have all of your makeup and hair products in place to avoid any spills. Only wear the dress outside for photos and the ceremony itself to avoid getting any permanent dirt or grass stains on it.