We understand how precious your wedding dress is and how devastating it is to have to postpone your wedding date. TWS have rounded up a selection of top tips on how to best store your dress.
Fabric becomes discoloured and yellow when it takes up acid from its surroundings. Items such as wood, cardboard and fabrics contain acid and “yellowing” could occur in a matter of months. By following the processes below, and using the correct storage items, your wedding dress will stay in the best possible condition both before and after your wedding.
Storage
It is best to hang your dress before the wedding and keep it in a PH neutral box for long-term storage after the wedding. When hanging a dress, be sure to use a padded hanger. It is also important to make sure that your dress is stored in a breathable garment bag rather than plastic as this holds moisture and can discolour your dress. If your dress has a train, take it out of the bag to avoid creasing. If it is too long for your wardrobe, or it needs a bit of breathing room, purchase a single over the door hook to give your dress the space it needs. After your wedding, if you would like to store your dress for posterity then a PH neutral (acid free) box is recommended. Be sure to find one of a suitable size and wrap in acid free tissue paper to preserve the fabric. When folding your dress, fold loosely and insert tissue paper between the layers (especially your dress is embellished as this can damage the fabric). The Empty Box Company have a brilliant YouTube video on how to correctly fold your dress for storage. You can watch this here.
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Accessories
Store your accessories separately following the rules above. With shoes, clean them as you would your dress and pop them in a separate box to avoid any damage. The same advice applies in regards to stains, moth deterrents and PH neutral storage.
Protection
Take the time to take the necessary precautions before storing your dress. Try to avoid storing your dress in a location such as an attic or garage as exposure to light, heat and damp can cause discolouration and mould. Natural anti-moth products are a must (as we would suggest with any wardrobe or storage), you can purchase a selection these from our sister company here. Be sure to always wear gloves when handling your dress to avoid any unnecessary stains. Makeup and oils are common stains that typically find their way on to the dress so whenever you try on the dress do so without makeup. If you’re going for a dress rehearsal, it may be worth covering your face with a clean tea towel.
Dry Cleaning
It’s important to clean your dress after your big day, preferably as soon as possible. Stains oxidise over time and invisible stains can seep in and come to light over time. Furthermore, moths feed on the protein ‘keratin’ that is present in food residues and bodily secretions like sweat, human hair and skin cells. As any remanence of this could attract moths, all items that are stored in our facility are cleaned for this very reason. Make sure you check the care instructions and find a dry cleaner who specialises in wedding garment cleaning. You hopefully won’t need it, but to be safe ask about insurance and a guarantee should any damage occur.
Let us Store your Wedding Dress!
We know that many of you have had to make the difficult decision to postpone your wedding date due to Covid-19. Therefore, during this uncertain time we are now offering a full wedding storage package for £32.50 per month. This will include the wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, the groom/ groomsman suits and all accessories. We will also be offering a no-contact pick up service. We hope to help in making this devastating situation a little easier and if you would like to discuss this further please to email us at info@totalwardrobestorage.com.
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