Congratulations on your wedded status, Bride! There are many things on your post-wedding checklist, but we want to emphasize one that you may not have considered: wedding dress preservation.

There are numerous unique, important, and personalized things you may do with your wedding dress after the ceremony. Some brides opt to resell, donate, or upcycle their gowns; however, the majority want to preserve their wedding gowns as a treasure and heirloom for future generations!

Here’s our comprehensive guide on wedding dress preservation, cleaning, and storing so you can keep your most expensive apparel purchase in the best possible shape. Whatever questions you have regarding the procedure, we have the answers. Keep scrolling!

What is Wedding Dress Preservation?

Wedding dress preservation is a specialized cleaning and treatment strategy that ensures your gown looks as good as new for years to come. Bridal dresses are fragile and ornate clothes that, with time, are prone to fading, oxidation, and other types of damage—particularly if not handled and stored properly immediately after the wedding. Wedding dress preservation helps to prevent damage and save your memento for future generations. As an extra plus, it allows your future children to admire your wedding gown without causing damage before their important day!

Why should you preserve your wedding dress?

Whether or not you are sentimental, there are numerous reasons to save your wedding dress. An immaculate gown is a lovely heirloom, may be readily upcycled into additional dresses or accessories, and is better suited for resale or donation in the future. Besides, you spent a lot of time and money on your wedding dress, so you could enjoy it for a lifetime!

Is wedding dress preservation necessary?

Professional wedding dress preservation is required if you are concerned about stains, aging, and the long-term condition of your gown. At the very least, have your dress dry-cleaned, wrapped as carefully as possible in acid-free paper, and stored in a climate-controlled section of your home.  

How should you store your wedding dress after the wedding?

In our expert view, the ideal approach to cleaning and maintaining your wedding gown is to have it preserved by a wedding dress professional and stored in an acid-free archive box. Keeping your wedding dress at home boils down to a few storage basics:

• Store your wedding gown box in a cold, dark spot away from humidity, such as your closet or under your bed.
• If you haven’t had your gown preserved but want to keep it safe at home, don’t store it in a plastic bag; this can cause additional harm from moisture, pests, and oxidation over time.  
• Avoid storing your wedding dress or preservation box in your attic or cellar, as these regions are prone to temperature fluctuations, air and water leaks, and vermin damage.
• To reduce acid transfer, friction, and discoloration, keep your wedding dress separate from other apparel.

Now that you’ve covered the basics of storage, keep reading to learn everything you need to know about professionally maintaining your wedding dress.

Wedding Dress Cleaning Vs Preservation:

Wedding dress cleaning usually entails general stain removal, but an additional preservation treatment is required to ensure that it stays that way for years to come. Most brides opt to have their wedding gowns professionally cleaned after the wedding, but not all choose to keep them. A competent wedding gown preservationist will help you:

• Create a museum-quality stain preservation plan based on your fabric and embellishments.
• Use solvents that are appropriate for your wedding dress.
• Clean and maintain your wedding garment promptly—before the stains set in forever.
• Place your wedding dress in a suitable preservation box and explain how to keep and care for it in the long run.

How long should you wait to preserve your wedding dress?

Technically, you can wait months or even years to preserve your wedding gown. However, it is critical to thoroughly clean and preserve your wedding dress as soon as possible, if not immediately, following the wedding day. Even if your wedding gown appears to be in fine shape, there may be subtle stains that will set in, oxidize, and darken in the months ahead—not to mention the additional exposure to heat, humidity, or acid. With this, things have the potential to deteriorate rapidly. Long story short, have your wedding dress cleaned and shipped to a preservation professional within a few weeks after your wedding; you’ll be doing yourself a tremendous favor later on. 

Can a yellowed dress be whitened?

As a general rule, yellowed wedding dresses can be professionally whitened. There are several solutions for cleaning wedding gowns and restoring older styles, but, as always, prevention is the best cure. It just takes six months for your pure white wedding gown to fade in color. It is preferable to act as soon as possible to avoid future cleaning and preservation issues.

If you have a discolored wedding dress, whether old or new, look into wedding dress preservationists who have proven, dependable experience with yellowing. Look for testimonials with before-and-after photographs on a company’s website; this is the most effective way to verify you’re getting the greatest service for your requirements.

What causes wedding dresses to be yellow?

Wedding dress yellowing is most commonly caused by chemical breakdowns of fabric, such as:

• Light exposure, high humidity, and severe heat can all cause fiber deterioration.
• Contaminants are transferred from plastic, cardboard, and poor packaging materials.
• Decomposition of chemicals used in the manufacturing process.
• Contact with toxins and chemicals in the atmosphere.
• Stains and pollutants from your wedding day, like spills, sweat, grass stains, and perfume.

How much does it cost to clean and preserve the wedding dress?

Professional wedding dress cleaning and preservation Pricing starts at $90 and can go up to $500+. The preservation Box is an additional $80 (optional). However, this depends on the fabric, ornamentation, and soil level of your gown. Preservation is an expense, but if you cherish your wedding gown, the long-term beauty and condition are well worth it.  

How long will a wedding dress stay cleaned and preserved?

Wedding dress preservation is designed to keep your wedding gown in top condition for decades. Most wedding dress preservation companies provide a lifetime guarantee on their services, which can range from 75 to 100 years depending on how the item was stored and when it was brought to be preserved.

The main thing to remember about a “guarantee” is that it does not always protect against stains or damage. It is simply the amount of time a corporation will give for a retreatment. This generally implies that if you detect new stains or yellowing on your preserved wedding gown during the specified term, you can return it for a free reprocessing service.

Of course, not all wedding dress preservation companies follow the same guidelines! 

How do you find wedding dress preservation services?

Whether you want a sealed treatment, a display box, or archival preservation that you may open, there is  LNDRY to match your wedding dress preservation needs and budget. With LNDRY, you can schedule your dress pick-up and drop-off hours to your liking, saving you the hassle of transporting your dress to and from the laundromat.

Final Words

If you, like so many nostalgic brides, decide to keep your dress, utilize a trustworthy, professional dry cleaner, such as LNDRY in San Deigo. Only a professional can ensure that your wedding dress is thoroughly cleaned and maintained for future generations