If you are only storing your dress until your wedding day, the best option is to hang it in a dry wardrobe; away from dust and light. You can keep it in the dress bag that it came in, but leave the bag unzipped. If it is covered in plastic, remove this and cover with a cotton sheet. Always hang by the ribbon hanger loops found inside the dress.
If you are considering keeping your dress after the wedding, it is very important to get it cleaned as soon as possible. Dry cleaning is recommended. Use a professional service that is used to cleaning wedding dress fabrics. A good drycleaner will also offer a service that will box your wedding dress into a special keepsake box of conservation quality, and using acid free tissue paper if you intend to store it for a prolonged period of time.
Another option is to handwash the dress yourself. This can be extremely cost effective. Do check on any manufacturer labels, to see what they recommend. Silk should only be dry cleaned, so other than that, it is usually safe enough to 'have a go' yourself. Usually a bath makes the job a lot easier, as often it is better to soak the dress for a while. If particularly dirty, you may need to change the water a few times. Also use a friendly fabric soaker (ie Sard), not anything that contains bleach or harsh chemicals. For stubborn stains, and around the hemline, use a laundry soap bar of Sard, Ethique or similiar to target those areas. Rinse well, squeeze out excess water and hang somewhere safe to dry. If you are doing this exercise to store the dress for future use, then it is likely not worth worrying about steaming or pressing the dress. However, if you wish to on sell the dress, then you are more likely to achieve a sale and/or better price if the dress is pressed to look its best! If you are not confident you want to attempt this yourself, you also have the option at this stage, of taking it to a dry cleaner to have it pressed by them.
Before storing the dress, check for damage and things like missing or loose buttons and threads. Some fabrics may become yellow over time because of the chemicals used to produce the fabric degrading over time. Often clear sequins will turn yellow too. These can be snipped off individually and be replaced at a later time, or not.
It is important that you store the dress in a clean, dry area that is well ventilated to prevent any mould or mildew growth. Keep away from sunlight too, as this will degrade fabric quality and colour. It really is a good idea to regularly check on your dress.
Or maybe you wish to on sell your dress? If you are thinking about reselling your dress but don't know where to start, read our recent blog blog post for some of our tips.
Vicky Hughson | Wedding Dresses Wellington
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