How to Store a Wedding Dress

A massive congratulations to the newlyweds! The chaos of cake tastings, seating charts and planning the ultimate honeymoon is over, and you can now return to your usual routine. So, you’re now married and probably need a way to store your wedding dress – likely the most expensive item of clothing you’ll ever own. But how do you store a wedding dress in a safe way?

Whether it be to pass it down to your future child or to repurpose it for an anniversary, knowing how to store a wedding dress long term safely is crucial in keeping it in great condition. 

When a wedding dress is not stored properly, delicate fabrics can start to decay, become yellow or even start to grow mould. But you can prevent this from happening, allowing you to revisit your special day as and when you please. Here, we’ll look at how to preserve a wedding dress, as well as how to store a wedding dress long term, so that you can rest assured your valuable gown is kept in immaculate condition. 

How Do You Preserve a Wedding Dress? 

Before we start looking at how to preserve a wedding dress, it’s useful to know what actually causes damage to it in the first place. Fabric is naturally more vulnerable to the environment, especially wedding dresses that use fabrics like tulle, organza, lace, and silk. 

So, how do you preserve a wedding dress against invisible threats? Okay, let’s get a little scientific; the only way to do this is to neutralise the primary cause of fabric decay, for example: 

• Chemical oxidation (yellowing): As time goes on, the natural fibres and synthetic blends will break down the more they are exposed to sunlight, atmospheric pollutants and organic compounds. This is what turns brilliant white or ivory wedding dresses into a yellow-brown colour over time. 
• Trapped moisture and mould: When storing a dress in a humid environment or inside a sealed plastic box, moisture will be trapped, creating a breeding ground for mould and mildew. 
• Fibre degradation from gravity: If your wedding dress is made with thick satin folds, heavy embellishments or floor-length trains, this will put stress on the seams of the shoulders if it is left hanging for years. 
• Pests: Moths, carpet beetles, and silverfish love natural proteins found in silk, wool, and cotton, as well as invisible food/drink residues left on the fabric.

So, how do you store a wedding dress long term in a way that preserves the material? Let’s go through the step-by-step process. 

Step 1: Get It Professionally Cleaned

The first thing you need to do when looking at how to preserve your wedding dress is to get it professionally cleaned. The biggest mistake newlyweds make is to place the gown straight into storage without having it cleaned. 

“Invisible” Stains

Invisible stains can still cause damage.  Clear liquids (like champagne, gin, soda or even sweat) will always dry clear on the wedding dress. These liquids, however, contain sugars and organic compounds that start to caramelise long-term. This can then turn into dark brown blotches as time goes on. Also, the hemline of your wedding dress will likely pick up invisible dust, dirt, and oils from walking down the aisle and dancing to ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’ all night. So, it’s important to get your wedding dress professionally cleaned before putting it in storage. 

Choosing the Right Cleaner

To protect your wedding dress, you’ll need to make sure that you choose the perfect cleaner, rather than using a standard dry cleaner, because they often use harsh solvents that will dissolve delicate beads, damage fragile lace or melt sequins. 

• Look for a specialist who specifically advertises wedding gown preservation or specialised textile care.
• Ask if they inspect the gown under ultraviolet light to spot hidden sugar stains.
• Confirm whether they hand-clean delicate trims and use fresh, non-toxic cleaning solvents.

Step 2: Invest in Archival Materials

Once your dress has been professionally cleaned, the next step will be to choose the right materials to wrap it in. When looking at how to store a wedding dress long term, you’ll naturally find that standard storage supplies will do more harm than good. Here are the materials that you should be avoiding: 

Plastic 

Never, ever leave your wedding dress in a standard plastic dry-cleaning bag or plastic storage tub. Plastic will off-gas chemicals as it breaks them down, which will result in the material turning yellow. Plastic will also cause trapped humidity, which, as mentioned before, is a breeding ground for mould. 

The Archival Checklist

So, instead of using plastic, use acid-free, archival-quality preservation materials, like: 

• Acid-free tissue paper: This can be used to cushion folds, stuff sleeves, and wrap individual sections of the dress. If your dress is silk or wool, use unbuffered, acid-free tissue paper. For cotton, rayon or synthetic dresses, buffered tissue paper works well. 
• Archival storage box: Make sure you choose a box made from acid-free, lignin-free paperboard, as these are designed to ensure the fabric breathes while still shielding it from light and dust completely. 
• 100% unbleached cotton muslin bag: If your choice is to hang your dress instead of boxing it, skip the vinyl or plastic garment bags so that you can use a breathable, unbleached cotton muslin garment cover. 

Step 3: Box vs. Hang

So, should you box your wedding dress or hang it up? The answer will depend on how heavy your dress is, the fabric and the structure of your dress. 

When to Box Your Wedding Dress

Generally speaking, the safest thing to do is to fold and store your dress flat inside an archival box, especially when looking at how to store a wedding dress long term. This is best for heavy dresses and long trains. 

All you need to do is layer acid-free tissue paper between every fold of the wedding dress to make sure you prevent sharp creases. Next, you’ll need to stuff the bodice and sleeves with tissue paper to help maintain the gown’s original shape.

When to Hang Your Wedding Dress 

Hanging a wedding dress is best for lightweight, sheath dresses without heavy embellishments. All you need to do is make sure that the wedding dress is hung using the internal fabric ribbons (never the shoulder straps or lace sleeves), looping them over a padded hanger. Finally, make sure you cover the entire dress in a pure cotton muslin bag.

Step 4: Pick a Climate-Controlled Area to Store Your Wedding Dress

You’ll now need to decide where to store your wedding dress. Remember that your wedding dress will thrive and maintain its original quality in a cool, dark and dry spot. So, here’s where not to store your wedding dress: 

• The attic: Attics get intense heat spikes during the summer months and freezing cold during the winter. The heat will break the fabrics, which speeds up the process of yellowing and weakening delicate fibres. 
• The basement: Basements are very damp, which will lead to mould and mildew and dry rot. 
• The garage: Garages will expose your dress to vehicle exhaust fumes, temperature fluctuations, and an array of unwanted pests.

So, Here’s How to Store Your Wedding Dress Long Term

• Underneath your bed (provided the box lies completely flat).
• On the top shelf of a main, interior closet (avoid exterior walls that fluctuate in temperature).
• In a spare bedroom closet with consistent heating and air conditioning.

If, however, you’re running out of space and need to make sure your wedding dress is kept safe, Extra Space has the storage facilities you need for your personal storage, making sure your wedding dress is kept safe for years to come. 

Do’s and Don’ts When Looking at How to Store a Wedding Dress:

Do	Don’t
Do clean your dress immediately after the wedding.	Don’t leave your gown in a standard plastic dry-cleaning bag.
Do use acid-free tissue paper between folds.	Don’t store your dress in an attic, basement, or garage.
Do store heavy dresses flat in an archival box.	Don’t hang heavy gowns by delicate shoulder straps.
Do wear white cotton gloves when handling the dress.	Don’t use coloured tissue paper, which can bleed dye onto fabric.
Do check and refold your dress every few years.	Don’t place the storage box in direct sunlight or damp areas.

Your wedding dress will be one of the few things that hold the special memories of your wedding day in years to come, so protecting it will naturally be a top priority. But knowing how to store a wedding dress long term doesn’t need to be stressful or too expensive. 

By getting it professionally cleaned, wrapping it in acid-free archival materials, and storing it in a secure, climate-controlled space at Extra Space Self Storage, you’ll ensure that you preserve your wedding dress and all its memories with it for years to come. Get in touch with one of our friendly team members to enquire today!