11 Tips to Preserve a Wedding Dress

The bride's special garment is her wedding gown. It is not simple forgotten after the big day and sold or given away. It is preserved. This garment may be the one that her daughter and granddaughters wear for their weddings as well. Proper wedding dress preservation will provide a lasting memory that will be cherished for decades to come.

There are a few things you can do now to save the dress from the punishment of age and wear.

1. If the gown you have chosen has sleeves on it, provide protection for the underarms and wear a guard. Nervousness can cause excessive sweating. This will prevent sweat stains from occurring.

2. Unless you have a smoke free wedding, you are bound to be around a cigarette or cigar at some point. This can go deep into the fibers of the gown. To help preserve the wedding dress as much as possible, do not allow anyone to smoke around the gown before you put it on or if possible. If you smoke yourself, wait until you change.

3. Hairspray is applied before dressing and the dress needs to be covered for applications after dressing by using a towel or piece of fabric to catch any debris.

4. Apply cologne or perfume before getting dressed. If needed after the wedding dress on, cover the dress with a towel or cloth for dropped sprays.

5. Apply makeup before putting the dress on and brush the loose powder from the face and neck before getting dressed.

6. Once the big day is complete, send the dress directly to a professional cleaner. Virgin cleaners are the only thing you require on this dress and tell them so. The hem of the dress and the stains on the dress are removed with a wet cleaner. There is also the added starch to keep it in the right shape and size.

Unfortunately, this particular starch is an attraction for a moth or a mouse. The wet cleaning will take out the starch. It is best to talk to the one cleaning the dress to find out exactly what they are going to do. The wedding gown should be odor free upon its return from the cleaners.

7. Once the dress is returned, it is time to wrap it delicately in tissue paper. You will not want any paper except the acid free variety. Preservation of a wedding dress not made from silk or other synthetics needs a buffered acid free tissue. Buffered tissue is damaging for nylon and synthetic material.

8. Do not hang the dress in a bag that is airtight or a place that does not have a constant normal temperature. The dress is exposed to wetness and mildew quickly.

9. Take the dress out and check it once a month for the first year in storage. You may find a spot that was not noticeable before. Treat immediately.

10. To prevent the dress from creasing, hang the dress or if folded, take out and examine every six months.

11. Sunlight is bad for the fabric and can fade. The dress will need to be stored in the dark for better protection.