You spent a great amount of time planning and paid thousands for your dream wedding dress to become a reality. It deserves to get the best care after it has been used on your wedding day by preserving it. Wedding dress preservation has been the newest trend for brides these days who want to keep their wedding dress.
Brides choose to preserve their wedding dresses because of the sentimental value it holds. Preserving wedding dresses will ensure that it is kept in its best condition as possible for future purposes. If you plan to ride on the trend, below are some useful tips for storing your wedding dress.
See: 9 SECRETS TO FINDING THE BEST WEDDING GOWN
#1 Act as Soon as Possible
Time is one important element to consider. After wearing your wedding dress, it is best to immediately start the wedding dress preservation process. The longer it sits in your cabinet or stored inside the garment bag, the more your wedding dress is exposed to many risks that may damage your wedding dress.
#2 Cleaning your Wedding Dress is a Must
The primary step in wedding dress preservation is cleaning your wedding dress. Bring your wedding dress to a cleaning company that experts in wedding dress cleaning. It is important to subject your wedding dress to cleaning so that all invisible stains attached to your wedding dress are removed. Invisible stains that are not removed contribute to the yellowing of the fabrics which may degrade the quality of your wedding dress over time.
The experts in wedding dress cleaning will examine your wedding dress on what type of cleaning method they will use. The cleaning method will depend on what kind of fabrics and embellishments are used in your wedding dress.
#3 Don’t Forget to Wrap
After cleaning your wedding dress, wrap it in a colorless and acid-free tissue paper or muslin wrap. Wrapping your wedding dress will protect its fabrics and ornamentation. Never use a colored tissue paper because the color may transfer to the fabrics of your wedding dress. Besides, to keep the shape of some areas of your wedding dress, use the tissue paper in stuffing those areas.
#4 Choose the Preservation Method you Will Use
There are many preservation methods you can choose from. The preservation method to be used on your wedding dress will depend on what is best suited for it based on the results of the examination conducted by wedding dress preservation experts.
You can hang or fold your wedding dress. The hanging method is the least option since it is only applicable for wedding dresses that do not weigh heavily. The seams and shape of heavy wedding dresses will weaken if hung for a long period.
#5 Know the Storage Box you Will be Using
If you opt to store your wedding dress in a folded manner, you will need a storage box for it. You should use the right kind of storage box in preserving your wedding dress. The storage box should be made of acid-free cardboard to maintain the pH level of the fabrics of your wedding dress.
The box should be strong enough to protect your wedding dress from elements that may damage your dress such as light, dust, and in cases of accidental falls. It should be airtight to avoid moisture from coming inside the box that may contribute to the growth of molds and mildew on the fabrics. A wedding dress storage box should also have a perfectly fitted lid to avoid insects coming inside.
#6 Store it in The Right Place
After purchasing the wedding dress preservation box for storage, you need to store it in the right place. Choose a place that eliminates light, heat, and humidity. Do not store it in attics and basements as these places have unregulated weather conditions. These places also have a high risk of exposing your wedding dress to pests.
You can also opt to let wedding dress preservation companies keep your wedding dress. There are a lot of wedding dress preservation companies in New Jersey that offer a wide array of preservation services. You can research which wedding preservation kit is best suited for your wedding dress and your budget.
See: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEDDING GOWN PRESERVATION KIT
#7 Inspect it from Time to Time
To guarantee that your wedding dress has remained in its best condition, you will need to inspect it from time to time. You can do this every 6 months. Inspecting your wedding dress regularly is very important to check if no unnecessary events have happened to it such as pest infestation or mold growth. Unfolding and repacking your wedding dress is also a need to avoid permanent creasing in the folds of the dress.
There are a lot of necessary steps that you will need to undergo if you decide to preserve your wedding dress. It is important to know these to make sure that your wedding dress preservation process will be successful. After all, your wedding dress is a treasured clothing and a prized investment which needs extra care for it to be passed down to the next generation.