How to Preserve Your Wedding Gown

After you've walked down the aisle, danced the night away, and retired for the night - don't turn your back on your wedding gown now. Join the many other brides who simply cannot part with the significance of their wedding gown and want to make sure that it retains its color, texture, and form. For this task, you may seek professional assistance or do it yourself. If you want to keep the memory of your special day alive, you'll need to consider ways on how to preserve your wedding gown. A few things to ponder include:

Timing: Don't wait too long to preserve your wedding gown. One of the biggest mistakes that a newly married woman can do is hang her dress on a hanger and shove it to the back of the closet. If you want to preserve your wedding gown to last for many years to come - we suggest getting it in for a cleaning within the first six months after the wedding.

Proper Storage: Before you start the process of preserving your wedding gown, make sure to properly store your dress in a dark, dry place. Keep it flat or rolled. Don't make the mistake of hanging your wedding gown, as it can become stretched out and suffer damage that cannot be reversed.

No Plastic: Don't store your wedding gown in plastic, as it can emit gases that create a yellowing effect.

Seek the Help of a Preservation Expert: If you're really serious about preserving your wedding gown, look beyond your friendly local dry cleaners and seek the assistance of an expert who knows how to preserve wedding gowns. Unfortunately, many cleaners use bleach that can damage the delicate nature of wedding gown fabrics. An expert can also steer you in the right direction as to the sort of preservation method you'd like to select, which includes: dry-cleaning, wet-cleaning, and the use of petroleum-based solvents.

DIY Wedding Gown Preservation

Sometimes, you just want to preserve your wedding gown without the help of others. To make the process much easier, consider the following:

• When folding your dress, place acid-free tissue between the layers.
• Unbleached muslin allows a wedding gown to breathe during storage.
• Use a cedar chest or lined wooden drawer for the storage of your gown.
• On a yearly basis, air out the dress. Before putting it away, fold it in different places.
• Always store your wedding gown in a dark, dry location.