Hours of dancing and partying in your wedding gown are sure to leave stains. Even things that won’t show up right away, such as body oils or white wine, can turn color after a few months and ruin your gown. That’s why it’s important to have your gown professionally cleaned, no more than six months after you’ve worn it.
Here are a few pointers when it comes to preserving your wedding dress:
- Go over your gown thoroughly to find all stains, marks, and even tears. Then you can show these to the dry cleaner to make sure he will get them all out.
- Find a dry cleaner with expertise in wedding gowns. Standard solvents can be too harsh on a delicate wedding dress, and should be cleaned with the gentlest of cleaners in an acid-free environment.
- Don’t wait too long! Wine, food, makeup, and grass stains should be removed as soon as possible after the wedding. If you are going away on a honeymoon, ask someone to bring the dress to a dry cleaner while you are away.
- Your gown should be stored in an acid-free wrapper, either hanging or folded in a box. It should be stuffed with acid-free tissue paper to minimize wrinkles.
- Store the gown inside in a dry environment with moderate temperatures, out of direct sunlight. Any light can cause damage to the dress by discoloring the fabric.