Without further ado, let’s walk through these three steps that help you care for your dress:

Cleaning

Cleaning your dress is the first step to take to make sure you extend the life of your wedding gown. Here’s what to do to clean your dress:

1. Consult a specialist

Start with the salesperson, the bridal designer or the boutique owner that sold you the dress. Ask them how best to care for your dress after the big event. After all, they’re the experts, and they’re the most likely to know how each type of material must be cleaned and how the dress behaves over time.

2. Check the label for cleaning instructions

Besides getting specialist advice, you could also check the label for other tips – you might find out whether your dress needs to be professionally cleaned or if you can wash it at home.

3. Turn to professional cleaning if needed

It’s very likely that you’ll need to turn to a professional cleaning service to have your gown cleaned after the big day is over. Check with them to make sure they’ve dry cleaned wedding dresses before and whether their expertise covers this type of clothing. Also, plan on sending your wedding dress the following day to avoid any perspiration, food or makeup stains setting in, especially if you’re leaving for the honeymoon right after the wedding.

Feel free to inquire about their process as different solvents and cleaners are used based on fabric, as well as various sequins, beads and pearls. You should know if the cleaning is done on-site and if they offer a warranty.

If your cleaner is packing your dress for storage after it’s been cleaned, asked them to pack it in an acid-free box to help your dress preserve its qualities.

4. Handwash it at home

If your dress is made from plain fabric and has no other delicate material, you can wash it at home. Pretreat the stains and then wash. Give it plenty of time to air dry before packing it away. Also, keep it away from light – natural or artificial – as this type of exposure can also damage the fabric.

Wedding dress preservation

You might want to take your dress one step further from cleaning, and that’s wedding dress preservation, if you wish to keep it for posteriority. Preserving your dress prevents it from yellowing, creasing, oxidation and all the harms associated with mold and mildew. In many families, a wedding gown becomes an heirloom to be passed down to future generations. If you’d like to take this route, here’s what to consider:

Find a professional and consider the options

A professional looking into preserving your dress will make sure your dress is clean and spot-free first and do any mending (if necessary) before starting the process. It can cost between $150-$500 to have your dress preserved.

There are three main ways of preserving your wedding gown: you can have it sealed, hang it in a bag or box it in an acid-free box. Sealing the dress method consists of vacuum sealing the wedding dress before putting it into an acid-free box. However, this might not be ideal, as mold can be trapped inside and the fabric can be severely creased.

How to store your wedding dress away

If you forgo professional bridal gown preservation, you might still wish to give your wedding a long lease of life. Keep in mind that this isn’t a regular piece of clothing, so storing it requires special care.

There are several ways you can consider storing your dress:

Box your dress

Once the dress has been cleaned and properly dried, you can place it in a box, where it’s protected against sunlight and other elements. Avoid plastic as a storage material as it can hold moisture and cause mold to form. Place your dress in an acid-free box – make sure it’s not acid-lined.

Boxing is ideal for fabrics that can’t be hung, such as silk and organza. Moreover, boxing is a great storage option for layered gowns as keeping it flat won’t cause them to lose their shape. Beaded dresses and those that come with prong-set stones are also ideally stored in boxes as opposed to hanging them which can cause them to brush against other pieces and clothing and cause chafing or other kinds of damage. Cover the dress and the stones in tissue, all the while avoiding any rolling or folding so as not to put pressure on the beads.

Hang your gown

Hanging your dress can be a great storage option if it’s made of silk, chiffon, tulle and some laces. Make sure to use a sturdy hanger that’s also covered in a delicate fabric that won’t scratch your dress. Go for a padded hanger to offer extra support to the dress. Always use the hanging straps inside the dress to avoid warping the dress over time. They’re typically attached to the sturdier seams and are meant to help keep your dress in great condition while it’s in storage. Once it’s hanged, use a breathable cover – preferably a cloth garment bag that allows your dress to breathe. Avoid plastic ones, as they can encourage mold formation. Additionally, there should be plenty of space around your dress – cramming it with other wardrobe items might crease or damage it in the long run.

Store accessories in original boxes

The wedding dress is the star of the show, but you also need to take care of the accessories. Jewelry and shoes can be kept in their original containers, with added padding to secure them. Keep track of where you’re putting them – preferably in the same spot or container so you can easily find them later.

You can also hang your veil or fold it and put it in a breathable garment bag. Keep it away from sunlight exposure and add silica gel packs to keep the moisture away.

Where to store your wedding dress

Now that you know how to store your wedding, deciding where to keep it is equally important. You might want to keep it at home if you have enough room in your closet and it won’t cramp the rest of your belongings. However, make sure it’s kept away from sunlight, moisture and extreme temperatures. That’s why your garage, basement or attic are not ideal for wedding dress storage. If you do wish to keep it at home, your best bet is in a guest bedroom or in a closet, away from extreme humidity, temperature, exposure, heat sources or cooking odors.

Besides the home, your wedding gown can sit in self storage. This way your gown can stay in excellent condition, especially if you put it in a climate-controlled storage unit, designed to maintain an optimal humidity and temperature level for sensitive items such as your wedding dress. This becomes vitally important if you live in a region that experiences high temperatures and humidity levels, such as the South.

When it comes to caring for your wedding dress – whether we’re talking cleaning, long-term preservation or storage – knowing each step of the way can help make the task less daunting. Being armed with this kind of knowledge can help you have the peace of mind that your special dress will stay as fresh as the day you wore it when you go away on your honeymoon after the big day is over.

What to Look For

Before you start shopping, it’s essential to look at what style wedding you want to have. If you’re planning a traditional wedding, you may want to focus on possibly classic satin dresses for your bridesmaids. However if you’re looking to have a more modern or unconventional wedding, then you may want to consider dresses that might be more unique and some would even consider ‘risky’. I personally love to check Cicinia’s website for ideas and suggestions for different dress styles.

Here are some tips:

1. Choose a dresses that are comfortable for your party. Dresses should be comfortable enough to wear all evening long. Don’t get something that you can’t breathe in. I recommended dresses with straps, so it can be tightened up or loosened if necessary.
2. Choose a style that is flattering to the average body shape of your bridesmaids. You don’t want the dresses to look like a “bombshell,” but it also doesn’t need to be too revealing or too low-cut. Consider the dancing for example. You don’t want your bridesmaids to be too shy to dance because of the style of dress they’re asked to wear.
3. Consider the style of wedding, like a civil ceremony or an open-air, choose a dress that will look great on both you and your guests. If you’re planning a beach party then choose something more revealing or low-cut.
4. Avoid a common dress shopping mistake and leave plenty of time for the measurements to be taken before ordering any of the dresses. This will help ensure that the dress fits well and looks great on everyone.

Match or Mismatch

Mismatched bridesmaid dresses are a hot wedding trend. They’re also a great way to showcase each bridesmaid’s personality, while encouraging them to have fun with their look. Plus, they’re a great way to relieve some of your own dress-shopping stress.

The bohemian look is all about being true to yourself rather than following convention. It blossomed in the sixties and seventies, along with the hippy movement, because the free-spirited boho way of life aligned with the peace and love centered hippy values. When you’re choosing your gorgeous boho gown, remember that you don’t have to stick to convention or traditions. Just be you! Follow your inspiration, and dress in a way that makes you feel beautiful, free, and authentic. Here are some style ideas to get you started.

Flowing Fabric:

Go with a gown made of delicate vintage lace, organic cotton,  gossamer mesh, or another textile that moves along with you as you gracefully dance through your day. Nothing stiff, binding, or constricting, please!

Show Some Skin:

If you’re going to get married somewhere warm, think about ways that you can tastefully show a bit of skin. Consider an off-the-shoulders gown or strapless gown, or a two-piece look that combines a cropped top with a long, sweeping skirt. Another option is an open back with accent jewelry that hangs down your back instead of your front. Remember — you can stray from conventions and march to the beat of your own drum!

Bell Sleeves:

Boho gowns that have full-length sleeves that open up at the wrists creates an angelic, or fairy-like look. Both airy and romantic, this wedding gown sleeve style can work for a warm or cold weather wedding.

What does your dream dress look like? Describe it in the comments section, below!

The dress that you wear on your wedding day will not only have monetary value, but it will also high sentimental value for you and any daughters you may have one day. Wedding dresses have such a high emotional value for women, that even some female celebrities have chosen to wear their mothers’ wedding dresses instead of the most expensive, customized dresses made for them by famous fashion designers.

With all of that said, there are several reasons why many brides are choosing to ensure their wedding dresses remain in perfect condition for years after they have said “I do”, and why you should also consider using a wedding dress preservation kit to keep your dress intact after the big day is over.

Vow Renewals

One reason why more brides are choosing to preserve their wedding dresses is because more couples are choosing to renew their vows. These brides are not only determined to celebrate their long lasting marriages, but they also want to prove to themselves that they are still able to fit in their original wedding dress.

Wedding Dress Costs

Another reason why brides are more interested in wedding preservation is because of the costs of these dresses. The average cost for a wedding dress is around $1300 in the United States.

It seems logical that if you are spending that much money on one piece of clothing, you want to make sure that it remains in perfect condition for as long as possible.

The following guide will inform you of what you should know if you are interested in wedding dress preservation. This information will help you better understand the process so you will learn the best way to keep your wedding dress as gorgeous and breathtaking as it was when you walked down the aisle.

Begin The Process As Soon As Possible

Although you do not have to leave your wedding reception and immediately make a stop at the cleaners, it is important that the wedding dressed is cleaned as soon as possible. If the bride and groom have made plans to leave for their honeymoon the day after the wedding, the task of taking the wedding dress to the cleaners may be the responsibility of the maid of honor or the mother of the bride.

As with other types of clothing, the sooner you are able to remove the stains, the better. Stains that are allowed to sit in your wedding dress will be harder to get out. In fact, if the stains are allowed to set in the fabric for a long period of time, you may have to pay a wedding dress restoration fee. This fee is typically very expensive.

Although you may be able to depend on your local dry cleaner to get a wine stain out of your favorite pair of pants, you will need to hire a wedding dress preservation expert to have your wedding gown cleaned after your wedding. It is highly recommended that you only allow someone who specializes in wedding gown preservation to clean your wedding gown instead of a traditional dry cleaner.

Do not wait until after the wedding to start looking into different options for wedding dress preservation. Most experts recommend you start looking as soon as you have chosen your wedding dress. By doing this, not only will you have time to research different wedding dress preservation companies, but you can also be sure that you have gotten a good deal on the price.

Questions To Ask A Wedding Dress Preservation Expert

It is essential that you know the proper questions to ask when you are trying to find the right wedding dress preservation company.

The following are some questions you can ask:

• Do you have references from past customers?
• Do you have photographs of your previous work?
• What type of cleaning methods does the company use?
• Are they able to hand clean the wedding gown if necessary?
• Is the preservation process completed on-site, or will your gown be sent to another location?

You will also want to inquire about the company’s policies. Be sure to ask questions such as:

• Does the company offer a guarantee or warranty?
• Who is held liable if your gown is stolen or lost?
• Will you be entitled to reimbursement if the wedding gown becomes damaged during while in their possession?
• Is insurance included in the shipping?

Finally, ask the company questions regarding pricing. Always avoid wedding dress preservation businesses that offer you a flat quote without seeing your wedding dress first.

Any company that offers a quote without seeing your wedding dress in person raises a major red flag. They will likely not take the time to thoroughly inspect your wedding dress to see what really needs to be done. In other words, your wedding dress will get a ‘routine’ cleaning similar to a dry cleaning.

Should You Use A Wedding Dress Preservation Kit?

If you are looking for a more affordable and simpler option for wedding dress preservation, you can consider using a preservation kit.

These types of kits are typically wedding dress cleaning and preservation prepaid kits. They are shipped in a box, and you simply place your wedding dress in the box and mail it out to the company. You do not have to worry about your wedding dress being damaged because these boxes are extremely padded in order to protect the contents inside. In addition, these kits have shipping insurance.

To further put worried brides at ease, these companies also offer options so the wedding dresses can be tracked until they reach the facility.

Many of the companies that offer these kits also include a 100 year guarantee. This guarantee promises that your wedding dress will remain preserved. If it does not, the wedding dress preservation company will process your wedding gown again at no extra charge to you. In fact, many of these companies will also refund the customer’s money if it is not able to remove the discoloration from the wedding gown.

After your gown arrives at the wedding dress preservation facility, it will be cleaned. There is also an additional preservation cleaning method included that will prevent discoloration and yellowing of the wedding gown. This means that even if you store your gown away for 30 years, it should remain just as vibrant as it was on your wedding day.

These types of companies accept any type of wedding dress no matter how long it is, the style of the dress or any beadwork that is on the wedding dress. Once the dress is cleaned, it will be packaged to ensure that insects such as moths are not able to get inside of the box.

Wedding preservation experts are different than regular dry cleaners in that they have been trained and are skilled to work with many types of fabrics. They are even trained to preserve vintage clothing and wedding gowns.

So, what does this mean?

If you accidentally spilled some of your wedding cake or a glass of red wine on your wedding gown during your reception, you can hire a wedding dress preservation company to get those stains out of your dress for you. They will even be able to spot additional stains that may not even be visible to the naked eye.

What is the one stain that is most often overlooked by dry cleaners?

As mentioned, a wedding dress preservation expert can spot all kinds of stains, even stains from sugary foods like cake. A stain caused by a sugary food is often overlooked, but left untreated, it can leave a permanent stain on your wedding dress.

When left untreated in fabric, sugar can leave a brown stain that is almost impossible to remove. As a result, you are left with a large, unsightly and discolored permanent stain on your wedding dress. However, a preservation expert can ensure that this type of stain is removed from your wedding gown.

A wedding dress preservation expert also understands that it is important that your wedding gown is stored in the right types of materials. Plastic is useful for short-term storage, but it can cause your dress to become discolored over time.

On the other hand, the majority of wedding dress preservation companies will store their customers’ wedding gowns in specialized tissue paper that will prevent stains on the wedding dress. The tissue paper works to protect wedding dresses from stains no matter how long they have been stored in the box.

After your wedding gown has been cleaned, the company will return it to you and it will look runway new. This process typically does not take over eight weeks, and most brides get their dresses back in six weeks. However, the length of the entire process will depend on how far away you are from the company as well as the type and amount of stains that are on your wedding gown.

So, do you need a wedding dress preservation kit after you get married? If you are looking to trash your dress after the ceremony, then the answer is ‘No’. However, if you want to keep your wedding dress for many years and even pass it on to other generations, then the answer is ‘Yes’.

How are you going to pass down your wedding memories to your children and grand children? A little bit of thought into this matter goes a long way! With some insight and preparation, you can create a treasury of memories that will delight generations to come.

Prioritize Photography

On wedding day, it can seem that everything is happening at once. The photographer is trying to gather you and your bridesmaids for a photo shoot, you’re trying to sneak in a snack so that you don’t faint, and your mother wants to practice her reading one more time. Make photography a priority. After all, your wedding photographs will last a lifetime, and will be one way that you can share the magic of the day with future generations.

Hire A Videographer

A skilled videographer will capture the nuances of your special day in a way that the photographer can not. It is best to have both — still images and video — in the years to come. A video can tell the story of your wedding, making the viewer feel like they are there. Wouldn’t that be an amazing gift to give your future daughter or son?

Have A Guest Book

Your wedding guests are your biggest fans and supporters.  Ask guests to sign your customized wedding guest book or alternative guest book so that you can capture their presence in your life. This is an easy way to share the memory of who was at your wedding with future generations.

Preserve Your Wedding Dress

Preserve your wedding gown in a way that will keep it in top condition. This way, if your daughter, niece, or grand daughter wants to wear it down the road, it will be like new. Imagine how meaningful it would be to see your daughter standing at the altar in the same dress that you wore.

Even if the next generation doesn’t wear the dress, keeping it in wonderful shape will help you feel pride and joy as you show it to others. Check out companies like Wedding Dress Preservation (weddingdresspreservationkits.com) and get help from professionals rather than trying to store your dress on your own.

Your wedding day may be one of the most significant days of your life. Share the memories of this milestone occasion with future generations by taking the time to capture footage of the big day. Preserve your wedding dress, and save your guest book so that you can share these precious moments with your children, grandchildren, and perhaps even great-grandchildren! How will you preserve your wedding memories? Leave a comment below!

BHLDN – Amora Skirt $600

BHLDN – Sade Skirt $550

ASOS Bridal – Full Lace Prom Skirt $108.50

Coralie Beatrix – Blossom Field Skirt $199.99

Nordstrom Dessy Collection – Full Length Tulle Skirt $158

Jurgita Bridal – Melanie Two Piece Dress $945

Jurgita Bridal – Peony Two Piece Dress $885

Lace & Liberty – Big Dream Skirt $850

Lace & Liberty – Garden Muse Skirt $830

Lace & Liberty – Big Celebration Skirt $1,050

Blush Bridal – Willowby Wedding Nikkie Skirt $695

Bridesmaid Ideas

ASOS – Little Mistress Tulle Midi Skirt $64

Sparkling Brides – Chiffon Maxi Skirts $90

Rue de Seine Hunter Gown from the Love Spell Collection

Rue de Seine Aloe Gown from the Love Spell Collection (we’re pretty much in love with this entire collection!)

Sareh Nouri Vienna Gown

Ivy & Aster Audra Gown

Yolan Cris Boldo Dress from the Boho Chic Bride collection

Yolan Tejo Boldo Dress from the Boho Chic Bride collection (we’re swooning over this entire collection too!)

Naeem Khan Kauai dress

Elizabeth Fillmore Felicity gown

Claire Pettibone Athena Gown from The Four Seasons Collection

Claire Pettibone Solstice Gown from The Four Seasons Collection

From the Marchesa Fall 2017 Bridal Collection (inspired by Greek goddesses). Via Fashionizers

This gown is technically from the Marchesa Resort 2017 collection, but we couldn’t resist! With lavender and violet details, we think it would be stunning on a bride!

Let us know your favorites in the comments below!

Springtime is right around the corner (or has perhaps arrived if you don’t live in the frigid Northeast) and that means getting out and seeing some new sights! Many of you will have spring break coming up or a spring vacation and that means whimsical wanderlust and daydreams of exploring, whether it’s around the globe or in your own backyard. ModCloth’s latest collection pays homage to the romance of road trips and exciting adventures in free-spirited details and seasonal hues. Below I’ve picked a few favorites I wouldn’t mind adding to my own wardrobe this season!

It’s the perfect time of year to reboot your style! Clean out those things you don’t wear anymore and get some fresh pieces that express who you are now.

Angelica

Angelica

Angelica and Edith gowns

Edith

Anne

Anne

Bianca

Catherine

Catherine without Bolero

Emma

Emma

Leila

Leila

Penelope

Penolope

Rachel Due

Rachel Due

Renee

Rose

Rose

Shana

Shana

Valerie

Reagan Gown BHLDN – $975

Cadence Gown – Jenny Yoo $595

Camilla Bridal Gown – Nicole Miller $795

Ivy Wedding Dress $950 Carousel Fashion

Kelsey Genna Cherry Blossom $900

Lisette Gown BHLDN – $800

Pegasus Gown – $700 Milamira bridal

Magnolia Dress $755 – Carousel Fashion

Right Here and Vow Dress in Ivory – ModCloth $169.99

Sparkling Celebration Dress in Ivory – ModCloth $169.99

Zlata Gown – $790 Milamira Bridal

*FTC This post contains some affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase I will be compensated.