For brides like yourself, a wedding is a real-life fairytale come true–one you wish you could relive over and over again. From the flower petals tossed in your honor to the declarations of love written in your vows to the twinkle of fairy lights strung above the ballroom of dancing guests, you’d do anything to freeze time and experience those little moments all over again.
Unfortunately for newlyweds, there’s no pausing time–but what you can do is stash away memories from The Big Day, the bouquets, the autographed guestbooks, the garter, and more. You can even preserve your wedding dress!
For most wedding-day mementos, storage is as simple as stuffing the item inside a designated box or Tupperware container–but what about those pieces of memorabilia that aren’t so simple to store, namely your wedding dress?
Today, we’re here to talk about wedding gown storage and how to store your wedding dress so that you’ll always have a piece of the biggest day of your life.
What You Need to Know When Storing Your Wedding Dress
Looking for the best way to store wedding dresses? Read through these tips for advice as you learn why preserving your wedding gown is beneficial:
- Make sure your wedding dress is clean and dry prior to preservation.
- Hire a professional wedding dress preservation specialist.
- Preserve your wedding dress as soon as possible.
- Don’t store your wedding dress in places where moisture accumulates easily.
- Unpack and repack your wedding dress annually.
#1: Why It’s Important to Properly Store Your Wedding Dress
Wedding dresses signify one of the most memorable days of a bride’s life. However, just like any piece of clothing, wedding gowns are prone to the natural aging that fabrics undergo.
That’s right! If you didn’t know, clothing of all kinds undergoes an aging process. Over time, the original fabric will deteriorate, resulting in softer textures, loosened fibers, and gradual discoloration, among other degradations.
With everyday pieces of clothing, like T-shirts and jeans, most people will simply donate or throw out their clothes when they grow thin, ragged, or unwearable. In fact, Anthropocene Magazine reports that the average person wears an item of clothing up to ten times before getting rid of it! Unlike a wedding dress that holds deep sentimental value, we’re willing to part with the graphic tee we fished out of the clearance section.
Even if you do not plan to put your wedding dress on ever again, who doesn’t want to hold onto their gown as a reminder of a once-in-a-lifetime experience?
If you plan to keep your wedding gown as a memento (or plan to pass it down to your daughter), you’ll want to proactively maintain the original structure of its fabric. That way, when the aging process eventually sets in, you won’t be left with a dress that’s virtually unrecognizable.
Here’s what you can expect if you do not properly store your gown:
- Brown spots due to oxidation
- Yellow patches on the fabric
- Irreversible creases in the dress
- The growth of mold or mildew
#2: The Difference Between Dry Cleaning vs Dress Preservation
So, what’s the difference between “dry cleaning” and “dress preservation? Or is there a difference at all? In short, yes, there is, and it’s important that you know these are two very different procedures.
As you can see, dry cleaning is a way of preparing your wedding gown for the preservation process. Meanwhile, “dress preservation” refers to the process of securing it in a container that is safe for the long-term storage of your wedding dress.
While both processes are best performed by professionals, dry cleaning must happen first.
Let’s examine these two options more closely.
#3: What Dry Cleaning For Wedding Dresses Entails
Dry cleaning is a process that involves the application of specific cleaning products to safely address dirt, grime, or stains present on your gown. When cleaning your gown, make sure you do not use a scented fabric softener or an at-home cleaner.
Experienced dry cleaning company, Crystal Clear Cleaners, outlines the three main chemical solvents are safe for use on delicate fabrics, including your wedding dress:
- Perchloroethylene
- Exxon DF-2,000
- Greenearth
A professional dry cleaning service provider can discern which of these three options is best for your gown.
To find a dry cleaner in your area, either reach out to married couples you know and ask for a referral or read online reviews after searching for a “wedding dress dry cleaner near me.”
Dry cleaning company, Sage Cleaners, says that the average cost for dry cleaning a wedding gown ranges from $150 to $500. However, many factors will influence the price you’ll pay to have your dress dry-cleaned:
- Location
- Size of the dress
- Weight of the gown
- Embellishments, like beads
- Intricate details, like lace
- Expected turnaround time
#4: What the Wedding Gown Preservation Process Looks Like
Once professionals have cleaned your gown, you can explore your options for wedding dress preservation specialists. When speaking with Harper’s BAZAAR, Madame Paulette Bridal Specialist, Karen Jean-Aimee, explained the preservation process best when she said that professionals will “wrap the dress in acid-free tissue paper and place it in an acid-free archival preservation chamber.”
Now, you might be wondering what a preservation chamber is. Essentially, it is a box or chest that protects wedding gowns from water, air, and light. Specifically designed to preserve wedding dresses, preservation chambers are most often made out of sterile paperboard and paired with acid-free tissue paper.
While you may not have heard about wedding dress preservation before, you might be surprised to learn that preservationists are everywhere. You can either search for a wedding gown preservationist in your area or take your dress to a dry cleaning company that specializes in dress preservation.
When explaining why wedding dress preservation is important, BRIDES mentioned that you can anticipate paying between $250 to $1,000 for this service.
When shopping for a specialist, don’t hesitate to ask for quotes from different places, and if you have time, try not to rush!
While it’s advised that you preserve your dress as soon as possible, it’s also important to go with a wedding dress preservation company that you can trust.
#5: The Best Method For Storing Wedding Dresses
Located in Virginia, local bridal boutique and wedding gown specialists, Ellie’s, highly recommends storing your wedding gown in one of three ways:
- Option A: in a breathable garment bag.
- Option B: flat and folded.
- Option C: inside of a preservation chest.
Choose Option A if you only plan to keep your gown in storage for up to a year and a half.
Option B is best if you intend to store your dress for closer to two years, and go with Option C if your gown will be in storage for three years or more.
If you decide to hang up your wedding dress prior to putting it in storage, make sure the hanger is designed to hold wedding dresses. These types of hangers will usually be made out of wood. If you’re having difficulty tracking these hangers down in your big-box store, it doesn’t hurt to order a custom-made wedding dress hanger.
Consider looking on Etsy for craftsmen or asking local wedding boutiques if they have customized hanger companies they would recommend. The personalization aspect is the most important part because you should be able to send over the dimensions of your dress. That way, you will receive a hanger that is perfectly tailored to your gown’s dimensions.
For the flat-and-folded approach or preservation chests, paying professional dry cleaners and preservationists is best. It is not recommended that you DIY the wedding dress preservation process.
#6: Which Type of Wedding Dress Box is Best
Above all, avoid plastic dress covers and wedding gown boxes. Always opt for an acid-free box, and make sure your gown is wrapped in acid-free tissue paper as well.
The best part of hiring an experienced and reputable preservation company is that you won’t have to worry about these finer details because they are already well-versed in these steps.
Plus, you won’t have to supply your own box or tissue paper. The preservation company will ensure that your wedding box has a transparent polyester viewing pane and is tailored to the exact dimensions of your gown.
In Summary
Now that you understand what your options are when it comes to wedding dress preservation, have you thought about where to store the preservation chamber? Do you have room in your current space to keep your gown for multiple years at a time?
It will be safe and sound in your box or bag of choice, but how will you ensure that the place you put the dress is secure? While you may want to keep your wedding gown in the comfort of your home, you never know if your attic, closet, or basement is temperature-controlled.
Without this guarantee, you run the risk of your gown growing mold and mildew or otherwise deteriorating due to heat fluctuations. Plus, if you’d rather not have a bulky wedding dress take up space in your home, why not consider renting a storage unit?
It would be dreadful to go through the process of preserving your dress as a keepsake only to learn that someone has stolen it from you. That’s why a storage unit via a peer-to-peer self storage marketplace like Neighbor (that’s up to 5x safer than traditional storage) is the way to go. With storage units equipped with protection plans that make the units 14 times safer than traditional options, you’ll never have to worry about the security of your wedding dress.
Plus, you’ll have the chance to save nearly 50% on storage while benefitting from local climate-controlled units with 24-hour access. With Neighbor, you can store your wedding dress — and so much more! — with a trusted neighbor in your own backyard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Better to Store a Wedding Dress in a Bag or Box?
You can store your wedding dress in either a bag or a box. Just make sure the cloth garment bag is not vacuum-sealed, and do not store your dress in anything made out of plastic.
What’s the Best Way to Store a Wedding Dress?
According to professional wedding dress cleaning service provider, My Dressbox, it is best that you store your dress in a box.
Can I Store My Wedding Dress Folded?
According to Ellie’s Bridal Boutique, it is okay to fold your wedding dress if you intend to store it for a temporary period of time. However, if you plan to keep your wedding dress in storage for more than three years, consider having professionals preserve your gown instead.
Is It Okay to Fold a Wedding Dress?
You can fold your wedding dress for temporary storage. Preservation is recommended for long-term storage.
