Help It Last! 5 Wedding Gown Preservation Tips

Whatever your reason for wanting to preserve your wedding gown, know quite a lot goes into it. Use the following tips to preserve your dress and subsequently avoid the dreaded "yellowing" issue.

Be Ready On Your Wedding Day

Help yourself on your wedding day by bringing items with you that contribute to gown preservation. Items include safety pins for broken zippers, straps, and bustle loops, and lighter fluid for makeup and grease stains. Test the fluid on an inconspicuous part of your gown first in case the fabric dye reacts badly. Baking soda or cornstarch helps disguise spots, while water works on--you guessed it--water-soluble stains. Know what your dress fabric can and cannot endure prior to your wedding day, and leave bad stains to the professionals rather than trying to clean them yourself.

Hang By The Loops

Hang your dress by its loops instead of the straps, no matter how sturdy they appear. Look for the loops on the inside of your dress that are attached to the side seams, not the ones attached to the shoulder seams. The side seams are much sturdier than their shoulder counterparts.

Find The Right Location

Store your dress in a location not prone to changing temperatures. This means the attic and the basement are out. Temperature control is necessary to avoid problems with humidity, extreme heat, and extreme cold...and subsequently the yellowing of your dress.

Forget The Plastic

Do not store your wedding dress in a plastic container or plastic vacuum-sealed bag. This may seem like a good idea, but plastic can trap moisture and result in dress yellowing or mildewing. Not good.

Get Your Gown Professionally Preserved

Work with a reputation gown preservation company if you want to ensure the longevity of your dress. Look for a company that provides individual hand cleaning performed on-site, as well as stain removal and acid-free boxes for gown storage.