What not to do with your wedding dress to ensure its beauty lasts a lifetime, or at least until you determine what to do with it.
You probably spent quite a bit of time and energy deliberating over and purchasing the perfect wedding gown.
You obviously don't want it to age and get yellow, and you also don't want the fabric to rot. Best method to avoid that happening? Preserving the wedding gown is a priority.
Washing the dress and placing it into a special box designed to slow the effects of time are the first steps in the process of preserving a wedding gown.
If you plan on using this post-nuptial service, you shouldn't do anything that might compromise its efficacy.
If you want to keep your wedding dress in pristine condition, you should avoid making these blunders.
Mistake no. 1: Delaying the Cleaning Process
The wedding dress is an important piece of history for many different reasons. The majority of the brides we dress intend to preserve their wedding dress as a family treasure.
There has been a recent uptick in the practise of reusing dresses for purposes other than their intended ones, such as creating veils, baby blankets, baptism dresses, and other garments.
Keep your choices open by preserving your gown even if you haven't decided what to do with it yet.
Keep in mind that any stain, even one you can't immediately spot, can develop over time, increasing the likelihood that the dress will become permanently discoloured if you wait too long to have it cleaned and maintained.
The best time span is 3 to 4 weeks following the wedding.
In fact, some brides make arrangements to have their wedding dresses preserved before the big day, so all they need to do is mail or deliver the garment after the honeymoon.
Mistake no. 2: Choosing not to invest in a good dry cleaner
Having the dress professionally cleaned is the first step in wedding dress preservation, but this is not a job for just any dry cleaner.
The cleaner should have extensive experience with and a focus on cleaning wedding garments.
A qualified expert will have access to a variety of cleaning procedures for bridal gown materials and embellishments, and will be able to select the one that will work best for your garment.
Before making a final decision, it's a good idea to get referrals from others and read evaluations written by previous clients.
When purchasing a wedding dress, several shops offer preservation kits that include both cleaning and storage.
There's a chance it's a fantastic offer, but you should check into the service provider first.
Mistake no. 3: Attempting to Spot Clean Your Own Dress
Everyone has perused the do-it-yourself guides about preserving their wedding dress online.
Submerge the dress in water, scrape it with a toothbrush, and use bleach to cure any very tough stains.
Most of these pieces act as though you aren't going to lose because your dress was purchased from the clearance section of a thrift store at a discount.
Your wedding dress's delicate fabrics, such silk, taffeta, lace, and tulle, could be irreparably harmed by these methods.
You might do serious damage to your dress if you attempt to clean it without the necessary cleaning solutions, cleaning equipment and tools and, of course, the experience and knowledge to use them properly.
You had an outdoor wedding and now there's a spot on your dress. Refrain from trying to remove the stain on your own.
Home remedies for stains should be avoided because they often fail and might actually set the stain.
The expert will decide what kind of cleaning medium is both safe and effective.
Some businesses that preserve bridal gowns let clients send them images of potential stains in advance so they can assess the situation.
Mistake no. 4: Improperly storing the wedding dress
Being a newlywed is hectic, so don't feel like you have to take your wedding dress to be preserved the day following the ceremony.
But until you come back from the honeymoon, you should hang your dress neatly somewhere secure. If you leave it on the floor, it will get even more wrinkled and stained.
You can send your wedding dress to a preservation company in a specially designed mailing bag through the mail to a number of different businesses.
Putting the gown in the bag wet could make the stain worse, so be sure to air it out first if drinks were spilt on it.
Services that professionally preserve bridal gowns by vacuum sealing them for long-term storage are no longer necessary.
Maintaining the pristine state of your garment requires a breathable fabric.
Fabrics that are exposed to plastic fumes quickly become a yellowish colour and deteriorate.
Mold and mildew can also form on your clothing if it becomes damp while being stored in plastics of any type.
Don't ever store your dress in a plastic cloth bag or a dry cleaner's bag.
A wedding dress storage bag made of cotton fabric is available for short-term use.
However, if you plan on keeping your wedding gown for a long time, it's best to have a professional preserve it inside an acid-free preservation box to protect it from insects, dust, sunshine, and grime.
Mistake no.5: Hanging it Up Like an Ordinary Dress
Because the wedding dress is so special to you, it deserves special care whether hanging or being stored.
You shouldn't keep your wedding dress dangling on a hanger after the big day because doing so can cause the fabric to expand.
Hang it up by the ties at the side seams before the big day so that the weight isn't sitting too heavily on your shoulders.
Have it professionally cleaned and stored inside an acid-free preservation box after the wedding.
All of us have either done this or witnessed someone else hang up a prized sweater.
As a result of wearing that sweater, your shoulders will look like they were made for the queen's court, not a night spent with the girls.
The similar thing happens to a wedding gown when it's hung up in a closet: the fabric conforms to the shape of the hanger.
If you want your wedding dress to look as good as the day you bought it, 100 years from now, as it did when you bought it, you should have it professionally preserved.
Any preservation company worth its salt will come with a pre-fitted form in one‘s wedding gown preservation box which your dress is laid on that mimics a bride's curves and bust.
To ensure that your wedding dress retains its pristine condition for years to come, our preservation package includes a selection of different-sized forms and boxes.
Choose the premier wedding dress cleaning and preserving service relied upon by more brides to give your dress the special treatment after your big day.
After they return your priceless heirloom to you looking better than it did the moment it first struck your eye, you're supposed to fall in love with their service.
Mistake no.6: Doing Nothing At All
Surprisingly, doing nothing is among the most damaging things a bride could do to her wedding gown.
Consider what might happen to your dress as the wedding day progresses. Makeup, oils, and sweat are easily transferred during hugs with family. During the cake-cutting ceremony, your fiancé, despite his pledge not to, playfully smushes a piece of cake into your mouth, leaving a sugary residue.
And if you had an outdoor wedding, the most common complaint we hear from brides is that they got grass or dance floor dirt on their dresses.
The last thing you want to do when the pandemonium has subsided and your honeymoon is still weeks away is clean your wedding dress.
However, the sooner you get your dress cleaned, the more chance you have of keeping it in pristine condition for as long as possible.
Sooner or later, stains from the wedding day could begin to build in, making them more difficult and expensive to clean.
Eventually, the dress will get ruined from all the wear and tear as well as any spilt drinks, smudged cosmetics, or muddy tracks on the train.
A wedding gown should be professionally cleaned and preserved no later than 30 days after the ceremony.
If you want to avoid permanent staining, however, prompt action is essential.
Mistake no.7: Storing your wedding gown in a basement or attic
Make sure you keep your dress in a cool, dry place. It's a common mistake to store your wedding gown in the basement or attic.
Your attic's potential temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit is a major threat to whatever you're trying to keep from deteriorating.
A roof leak or a busted line in the basement are also potential threats. If this occurs, the water will, no matter what, find its way onto your dress.
With some planning, you can preserve the beauty of your dress for as long as possible after you first fall in love with it.
Professionally preserving your wedding dress is a must.
The package in which your preserved bridal gown will arrive will be both convenient and secure.
Don't bury it or put it in storage.
The container needs to be kept in a dry, cool place (an air-conditioned room is ideal), out of the sun's rays, and away from any sources of moisture.
It's sufficient to store things on a closet shelf or beneath the bed in most cases.
Hanging a preserved bridal gown on a hanger, especially if the dress is heavy, could cause the fabric to stretch out of shape over time.
To prevent deterioration from oxygen exposure, the preservation box will also be airtight and sealed.
Don't open it until you are ready to give it away or reuse it, unless you want to start the preservation process all over again.
Fortunately, most containers designed to store bridal gowns also feature transparent windows, so you can take a peep whenever you choose.
Cheers to the dress that will last as long as your marriage!
Mistake no.8: Not Including Wedding Dress Preservation in Wedding Planning
To be fair, many brides overlook their wedding dresses after the big day because they are so preoccupied with all the other things they need to do to get ready for the big day.
A wedding dress disaster or stress after the wedding is something I've seen many times as a professional, so I strongly advise you to factor post-wedding dress maintenance into your wedding plans.
Planning to have your wedding dress preserved after the ceremony will save you a tonne of time and effort.
You may rest easy on your honeymoon knowing that your dress is being handled by professionals.
The process of shipping your wedding dress to a preservation service or company is made easier by the fact that many of them offer mailing services; alternatively, if you've settled on a reputable service in your area, you may simply drop off your garment.
We promise that if you take our advice and hire a wedding dress preservation service in advance of your big day, you will be eternally grateful to us.
Having so many alternatives at your disposal means you can finally put that wedding dress to good use after the big day.
If you take good care of your wedding dress after the big day, you can resell it for a price that's more in line with when you bought it, as it won't have suffered any wear and tear.
Conclusion
After the ceremony, the bride's first thought is usually on the preservation of the wedding dress.
Don't put off cleaning or skimp on a quality dry cleaner.
Repurposing dresses for other uses like making veils and baby blankets has become increasingly common.
Your dress could easily be ruined if you try to clean it yourself.
Attempting to treat a stain at home is usually futile.
You can mail your wedding dress to any number of preservation services using a specially designed mailing bag.
Wedding gowns should not be kept in plastic garment bags or dry cleaning bags.
If clothing gets damp while being stored in plastics, mould and mildew can form on it.
After the wedding, have it cleaned by a professional and kept in an acid-free preservation box. In no more than 30 days after the wedding, have the dress cleaned and preserved professionally.
Putting your wedding dress in the attic or basement is a common mistake.
You can make your dress last as long as possible while still looking fabulous with a little forethought.
In their haste to get everything done after the wedding, many brides forget about their dresses.
Your wedding dress preservation plan will save you a tonne of time and energy after the big day. If you have us preserve your wedding gown, you'll be indebted to us forever.
Content Summary
- What not to do with your wedding dress to ensure its beauty lasts a lifetime, or at least until you determine what to do with it.
- Preserving the wedding gown is a priority.
- Keep your choices open by preserving your gown even if you haven't decided what to do with it yet.
- Having the dress professionally cleaned is the first step in wedding dress preservation, but this is not a job for just any dry cleaner.
- When purchasing a wedding dress, several shops offer preservation kits that include both cleaning and storage.
- You might do serious damage to your dress if you attempt to clean it without the necessary cleaning solutions, cleaning equipment and tools and, of course, the experience and knowledge to use them properly.
- Refrain from trying to remove the stain on your own.
- You can send your wedding dress to a preservation company in a specially designed mailing bag through the mail to a number of different businesses.
- Don't ever store your dress in a plastic cloth bag or a dry cleaner's bag.
- Hang it up by the ties at the side seams before the big day so that the weight isn't sitting too heavily on your shoulders.
- Have it professionally cleaned and stored inside an acid-free preservation box after the wedding.
- If you want your wedding dress to look as good as the day you bought it, 100 years from now, as it did when you bought it, you should have it professionally preserved.
- Consider what might happen to your dress as the wedding day progresses.
- A wedding gown should be professionally cleaned and preserved no later than 30 days after the ceremony.
- Make sure you keep your dress in a cool, dry place.
- It's a common mistake to store your wedding gown in the basement or attic.
- Professionally preserving your wedding dress is a must.
- Hanging a preserved bridal gown on a hanger, especially if the dress is heavy, could cause the fabric to stretch out of shape over time.
- To prevent deterioration from oxygen exposure, the preservation box will also be airtight and sealed.
- Planning to have your wedding dress preserved after the ceremony will save you a tonne of time and effort.
- The process of shipping your wedding dress to a preservation service or company is made easier by the fact that many of them offer mailing services; alternatively, if you've settled on a reputable service in your area, you may simply drop off your garment.
- We promise that if you take our advice and hire a wedding dress preservation service in advance of your big day, you will be eternally grateful to us.
- If you take good care of your wedding dress after the big day, you can resell it for a price that's more in line with when you bought it, as it won't have suffered any wear and tear.
FAQs About Wedding Gown Preservation
Can you wear a wedding gown after it's preserved?
Yes. One of the most common reasons a bride chooses to have her dress preserved after the wedding is so that a future family member can wear it in honour of her.
What is the point of preserving a wedding dress?
Wedding dress preservation is convenient because it allows for easier long-term storage of your dress. Preserving a wedding gown is an option that is good for the environment, the dress, as it stops any future fading or stretching and protects it from stains and the elements.
How long can you wait to preserve my wedding dress?
Your wedding dress can technically be stored away for months, if not years. However, your wedding gown should be professionally cleaned and preserved as soon as possible, preferably right after the big day.
Can you take your wedding dress out of the preservation box?
Because the preservation container will be airtight and sealed for safety, opening it could cause discoloration. Don't open it until you're ready to give it away or use it for something else, or unless you're willing to have it sealed and preserved again.
Should you preserve or sell your wedding dress?
You can always decide to donate or sell your gown in the future if you keep it, but once it's sold, it's gone for good. Keeping your dress will buy you time to think things over, find a good cause to donate to, or sell it if you ever find yourself in a bind.