Tips to Preserve your Wedding Dress

Wedding is the happiest and the most memorable day, especially in a woman's life. It is not just the union of two people but of two families and even the union of two cultures in case of some marriages. All the ceremonies during a wedding are significant and care is taken so that nothing goes wrong during any of the ceremonies. In the eastern culture, especially in India, red wedding saris are designed for the brides as color red is thought to be the color of good luck. In the west long white wedding gowns are a custom. Though these days, we do see a lot of people going for colored gowns as well. Everything related to the wedding is special as well as important and so is 'the wedding dress'. The nature of importance of the wedding dress can vary across cultures, but people do like to keep it safe for a long time.

Your wedding dress is definitely a prized possession for you. You spend a lot of time and money in selecting your wedding dress. It makes you look stunning and you feel really very special in your wedding dress. So you should protect your wedding dress from getting wasted. One can preserve the wedding dress according to one's own ideas, but, along with that it's safe to follow some standard tips to preserve it. Here are a few very useful guidelines you can consider to preserve your wedding dress.

How to Take Care of Your Wedding Dress

• You should try to clean the wedding dress soon after the wedding. If you wait too long the stains become older and are difficult to remove.
• You should choose a standard and qualified professional wedding dress specialist to clean your wedding dress.
• The basic cost of cleaning and preservation with a few stains is not more than $200. The cost may vary according to the cloth used and also the pattern of the dress. A silk gown with long train, for example, having extensive staining and also with large amounts of lace trim and braiding can cost between $400 to $800. You should consider this expense as a necessary one because it is definitely a lesser amount than what you had spent to buy the dress. When you are successful in preserving your wedding dress, its makes you feel happy that your investment is not wasted.
• You must ask the cleaner to use solvents that are different from those used for normal or regular clothes.
• Use of gentler cleaners and acid free environment is essential while cleaning your wedding dress.
• Many women want to dye their wedding gowns. But, dying any fabric once it's turned into a garment is quite tricky. So avoid dying your wedding dress.
• You should find a place to store your wedding dress that is easily accessible. Do not stack the storage place with other things.
• You should never keep your wedding dress hanging, rather it should be placed in box. However, never store your wedding dress in an air tight box because clothes also need to breathe.
• Do not store your wedding dress in attic or basement because the place is too damp.
• Never keep camphor balls inside the storage box. The chemicals in them can destroy the fabric.
• You must try to place acid free tissues in the box and within the folds of the wedding dress to keep the environment constant and prevent wrinkles.
• Before handling your cleaned wedding dress wear cotton gloves or wash hands properly. The oil from your hands might damage the dress.
• Before storing the wedding dress you should take care to remove all the pins and metal buttons if any, because they can destroy the fabric. Also any foam material should be removed before storing the dress.
• Packing of the dress is equally important for preserving it for long. Use of plastic material for wrapping the dress will cause wrinkles and trap moisture, ruining your dress. Instead, use unbleached, muslin or white acid-free tissue papers to wrap the dress. Avoid using an ordinary or a colored tissue paper as it will destroy the dress.
• You should keep monitoring the condition of your wedding dress to find if there are any problems occurring and address them properly. You must have a look at it at least once in two years.

These tips and your own ideas of preservation will definitely help you in preserving your wedding dress and make it look as new as it did at the time of your wedding. Do take proper care of your investment and preserve it for years to come.