Wondering how to properly store your wedding gown? This guide answers all of your questions about the appropriate bridal gown storage and cleaning 101.

Have you just purchased that perfect wedding dress and wondering how to properly preserve it until the Big Day? Here's some expert tips on keeping your dream gown as good as new! If you want to clean and store your bridal gown somewhere safe for months at a time to keep it preserved it all its glory, then this post is for you.

Why you need to clean and preserve your wedding dress

We get lots of questions about gown preservation from brides. Properly cleaning and storing your wedding gown means that you can leave it somewhere safe for months on end until it's ready to be unearthed. And, if you’re looking to sell your gown on consignment after your wedding, then there’s a few steps you should follow before consigning your old wedding dress.

Just a little heads up. If you're going the consignment route, please know that the best time to sell your old wedding dress is a few weeks or months after your wedding day. Vintage bridal shops are a totally different thing than bridal consignment shops. Which means that unless a bride-to-be is specifically in the market for a vintage gown, chances are that they are looking for a wedding dress that is still hip and trendy.

The pre-loved market exists to give brides an affordable option while offering stylish and well-preserved gowns at the same time.

At Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal, we sell pre-loved designer gowns on consignment and only take dresses that are (maximum!) Four years old or less. So really, your best bet is selling your dress ASAP. Recoup some of that dress budget and invest in your future.

How do I store my wedding dress?

When it comes to storing your wedding dress, it's actually a pretty simple process. But there's always lots of questions (and some common missteps) along the way, so here's a few simple things that you need to follow when it comes to properly preserving and storing your wedding dress.

1. Your wedding dress is best stored in a cloth garment bag. Make sure it's cleaned and away from any plastic packaging. You don't necessarily need a wedding dress cleaning and preservation kit. Instead, just find a cool, dark, and DRY place to store your wedding dress (like your closet) in the bag once it's been properly cleaned.

2. Before your gown is in the garment bag, put it on a hanger so that it's hanging from the lingerie straps and not the actual dress straps. The gown will hang better this way.

3. If your gorgeous gown has a lot of beading or it's just too heavy, consider storing your wedding dress in a box rather than hanging it so that the fabric doesn't drop over time. All the same steps apply if you're storing your dress in a box: keep it in the cloth garment bag, in a cool and dry place, etc.

Want to see what we mean? One of our favorite influencers in the bridal gown space, Alysia Cole, has a fun video on storing your wedding dress that you can check out.

Note: These gown preservation and storage tips also apply for that time period in between buying your wedding dress and bringing your gown in for alterations.

Bridal gown storage and cleaning: top 5 tips

Want to keep your wedding dress in tip top shape? Here's some handy tips on everything you need to do when it comes to proper bridal gown cleaning and storage:

Prep your gown to get cleaned

Find a trusted dry cleaner near you that you trust to take care of your wedding dress.

Get your wedding dress professionally dry cleaned

This is the best way to make sure your wedding dress looks like new and can potentially be worn again (and again!). If you're not comfortable with all of those DIY cleaning tips out there, then look at the pros.

Make a space to store your wedding gown

Take a look around your home and find your perfect cool, dark, and dry place where your wedding gown can be safely stored away. A closet is often the best place to put your gown, but opt for a closet that isn't in a basement space in case there's a flood. A closet in your home that's as above ground as possible is your best bet to keep your wedding dress preserved.

Take pictures of your dress

It might be a good idea to document how your gown looks before you store it away. These photos will come in handy if you plan to sell your wedding dress.

Store your gown

Hang up your wedding dress in your chosen safe space and take a moment - you're married! Let this new stage of your life begin.

From the ease of recouping some of your wedding costs to working with passionate bridal stylists, here’s why you should consign your wedding dress with Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal.

Wedding gown dry cleaning tips and costs

Now it's time for some money talk. One of the biggest questions around cleaning your gown is, “how much does it cost to dry clean my wedding dress?” Dry cleaning costs depend on a number of factors including your location and how stained your gown is when bringing it in to the dry cleaners.

If you're looking to get your bridal gown professionally cleaned after your wedding day, bring it in to a trust dry cleaning place and don't be afraid to ask questions! This is an important piece of fabric, so bring up any concerns before handing it over to your dry cleaners. This process won't be too hard if you've already worked with that particular establishment.

And that being said, there's always ways to work with a lower budget when professionally cleaning your gown. So to help you, here's some tips to keep those wedding dress dry cleaning costs down:

1. Bring your wedding dress to the cleaners sooner than later. Don't let those stains settle!

2. Your wedding gown is fabric just like other formal gowns, so bringing it to your average dry cleaner is no problem. Preferably though, go with an establishment that you've worked with before and that you trust.

3. If your wedding party wants to bring their own gowns to the cleaners, go as a group and see if your local dry cleaner will give you a deal.

Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal

Liked this guide and looking for more wedding tips from the experts? Our blog answers all of your pressing questions like when you should start shopping for your wedding dress, what to bring wedding dress shopping, and how to pick the best wedding dress for your body type (spoiler alert: it’s the dress that you feel most comfortable in).

And if you’re newly engaged and need to start shopping for your dream gown, our bridal shop offers hundreds of affordable designer wedding gowns for all types of brides. Book your bridal appointment with us today and see what we’re all about.

Sustainably Yours,

Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal
xoxo

Bridal Tips for Easy Wedding Dress Cleaning and Storage