Caring for your wedding dress involves two parts: before and after. Every bride wants to know how to care for the gown before the wedding. But equally important is after-the-wedding care, so the gown can be preserved as a keepsake or for future use by a daughter, niece or special friend.
Here are a few tips to ensure you feel confident and know what to expect.
Wedding dress care before the wedding
Wedding dresses can be a complex assortment of fabrics and embellishments. They can become easily stained, even from normal handling, due to makeup, tanning products, lotions or the natural oils on your body. Gowns can also become misshapen during transportation. Here’s how to prevent all those scenarios.
- Have the cleaner or seamstress store the gown before the wedding
It’s better for the gown to be safely stored by the cleaner or seamstress before the wedding and not hung in a closet at the home of the bride. Gowns require special covering before the wedding, with the train spread to avoid wrinkling. Nothing should touch the floor in storage. Most gowns should be professionally pressed just before the ceremony. - Transport the gown without folding
During transport, the gown should be kept full-length. Any compression or folding could lead to the need for extra pressing and steaming. (For worry-free transport, opt for Oceanside’s wedding dress delivery service, available in northeast Florida for a fee.) - Follow a strict dressing protocol
To avoid staining, brides should apply all makeup, perfume and hair spray before putting on the gown. Apply nail polish ahead of time, too. Step into the gown, then have bridesmaids put on your shoes, so you don’t bend down. Wrap a protective towel around the top of the gown before applying lipstick or any final makeup touches. - Prevent or triage stains during the wedding
Enlist your bridesmaids to help protect your dress. When you’re walking outside, have them hold up your gown to keep it from brushing asphalt or grass. If stains occur (such as wine or makeup), just blot the area gently with a clean, dry, white cloth and hold off on additional treatment. It’s best to let a professional do the final cleaning after your event.
Wedding dress care after the wedding
During the wedding ceremony and reception, wedding dresses take a beating. Brides sweat, guests throw confetti and loved ones give hugs. Sometimes the hem gets stepped on and twisted out of shape. Cake, drink and food stains are common. And all of this is wonderful, because it’s your wedding and you want to have fun!
However, once the wedding is over, the dress should be cleaned as soon as possible to remove stains, repair any damage, shape the gown and preserve it in a storage container. Here are some tips to help you navigate that process.
- Use a specialized wedding dress cleaning and preservation service
Not every dry cleaner knows how to clean and preserve wedding gowns. Select one with extensive wedding gown experience and 5-star customer reviews. These specialty cleaners use solvents and detergents that are purer and gentler than those used for everyday dry cleaning and wet cleaning. They also provide proper storage options after cleaning that protect your dress. - Avoid yellowing through proper storage
White wedding gowns can begin to yellow in six to eight months if not cleaned and stored properly. You can slow that yellowing process by keeping the gown in a garment bag, but keep in mind that certain plastic bags emit a chemical that actually worsens yellowing. Specialized cleaners store your freshly cleaned dress in breathable garment bags to avoid future brown spots, mold or mildew. If you’re preserving your gown, they provide an airtight, acid-free storage box made specifically for that purpose. - Prevent permanent creases
If your dress is stored in a way that creases the fabric, those creases could become permanent and the fabric could begin to fuse at the folds. That’s why preservation includes placing acid-free tissue paper or pre-washed unbleached muslin between the folds, so the fabric doesn’t touch. - Give special care to silk
Silk is a temperamental fabric. For instance, wet cleaning can leave spots or discoloration, and ironing using a steam setting can cause puckering and shrinkage. Silk is also more easily damaged by oil-based products, such as lipstick. If your dress is silk, be sure to rely on professional cleaning from a high-quality dry cleaner that uses silk-friendly processes. - At home, store your preserved gown in a protected place
As part of the preservation process, we pack the wedding gown in an acid-free preservation box that will protect it from yellowing and prevent mold or mildew. We suggest keeping this box in an area of constant temperature and no sunlight, such as under a bed or in an interior closet. Avoid attics or basements, where there can be extreme changes in humidity. - Don’t forget shoes and bouquets
Many brides want to preserve their wedding shoes and bouquet. Talk with your specialized wedding dress cleaner about whether the shoes should be included in the gown preservation box or kept separately. Bouquets can be hung upside down to dry or pressed between glass and framed. The petals can be coated with wax or epoxy for longer preservation. Look on wedding websites like The Knot for ideas.