Protecting Your Wedding Dress Investment
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1. If you plan on storing your wedding dress after the wedding, especially if you plan on selling it in the future – get it dry- cleaned straight away. Nothing damages a dress more than grass stains, mud, dirt, gravel, water etc. The longer you leave it uncleaned, the less chance you have of returning it to pristine condition. Do not be tempted to take it to a regular dry cleaners – a specialist cleaner will be familiar with delicate materials, beadwork and other practices and will offer you the best advice. They will read the care labels and treat your bridal gown according to the instructions – so please do the research or contact us for recommendations.
2. Once you have dry-cleaned your wedding dress remove the plastic garment cover to allow the dry-cleaning fluids to evaporate. Lay the dress flat with multiple layers of tissue paper on top and fold it into three sections – starting from the hemline – place several layers of tissue paper each you fold.
THE GUIDE TO FOLDING AND STORING YOUR WEDDING DRESS AWAY
3. Chose a sensible wedding dress storage box from a reputable company and not one that will collapse unto the dress. To protect your dress for future generations to admire, the box should be pH neutral, undyed and constructed of heavy board. The SLIMLINE BRIDAL GOWN BOX this box will provide adequate protection. If your gown has several layers of petticoat you may need a larger box EXTRA LARGE ACID FREE BRIDAL BOX
4. If storing your box in the attic space, check every six months for signs of insects and evidence of damp.
5. If the upper bodice contains internal corsetry then pack the bodice area with tissue paper, prior to wrapping the dress in multiple layers of tissue paper before placing into a breathable wedding dress garment bag and into a box.
A few Extra Tips To keep Your Dress Looking Its Best
Do not store your uncleaned wedding dress long term in plastic dress covers as they do not allow for changes in humidity and can cause bacteria, condensation and mold to grow.
Store you dress away from other clothing and surfaces that contains dyes that can affect the fabric resulting in staining of the dress fabric. If you have no alternatives, then protect the dress by wrapping it with acid free tissue paper first.
Avoid using coloured tissue paper and recycled tissue paper as the dyes contained will affect the fabric of the dress leaving stains that cannot be removed
Do not stuff your dress into a normal cardboard box without adequately protecting the dress from coming into contact with the box.. Preferably use boxes constructed from special pH neutral board, all boxes contain acid that passes into the dress fabric causing dis-colouration / yellowing.
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For further advice regarding delicate wedding dresses that contain beadwork or embroidery, CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE Featured on Rock My Wedding
