Have your wedding dress professionally cleaned by a specialist bridal gown cleaner soon after the wedding, even if it looks clean. Then store it folded in acid-free tissue, in a breathable cotton bag or acid-free box, somewhere cool, dark and dry, away from plastic and wire hangers. Check it once or twice a year.
What should you do with your dress straight after the wedding?
- Hang it somewhere clean, by its hanging loops, so the weight is not on the shoulders.
- Note every mark you can see: food, wine, make-up, grass, dirt on the hem. Tell the cleaner about each.
- Don’t rub stains or treat them yourself. Water and household removers can set or spread marks on silk.
- Book it in for cleaning within a few weeks.
How should a wedding dress be cleaned?
Choose a specialist bridal gown or couture cleaner, not a general dry cleaner. Invisible marks matter: sugar from champagne and perspiration can show up as brown stains months later, and they are much harder to remove once set.
Questions to ask a cleaner:
- Do you clean wedding gowns on site, and how often?
- How do you treat silk, lace and beading?
- Will you test hidden areas first?
- Do you remove or protect beads and buttons that might not survive cleaning?
- How will the gown be returned: boxed, or on a hanger?
Our atelier makes gowns; we don’t clean them, so please use a specialist.
How do you store a wedding dress long term?
- Fold it with acid-free tissue. Pad every fold, and the bodice, with acid-free, unbuffered tissue so creases do not become permanent. Ask your cleaner whether unbuffered tissue suits your fabric.
- Use a breathable container. An acid-free archival box or a washed, undyed cotton bag lets the fabric breathe.
- Keep it cool, dark and dry. A wardrobe or under a bed in the main part of the house is better than a garage, attic or basement, where heat and humidity swing.
- Lie it flat if it is heavy. Heavy gowns, like those in duchess silk or with long trains, can stretch at the shoulders if hung for years. Light gowns can hang on a padded hanger by their loops in a cotton bag.
- Store the veil separately, loosely rolled or folded in tissue.
What should you avoid?
| Avoid | Why |
|---|---|
| Plastic bags and dry cleaner covers | They trap moisture and can cause yellowing and mildew |
| Wire hangers | They stretch and mark the shoulders |
| Ordinary cardboard and coloured tissue | Acids and dyes can stain fabric over time |
| Light | Sunlight and strong light yellow silk and fade colour |
| Heat and damp | Encourage mould, insects and discolouring |
| Perfume and spot cleaning | Can leave marks that show later |
How often should you check a stored dress?
Once or twice a year, with clean, dry hands. Look for yellowing, spots or insect damage, and refold along different lines with fresh tissue so creases don’t set. If you notice a problem, take it back to a specialist cleaner.
Some brides keep their gowns for a daughter, or keep a piece of lace for the next generation. Maddie’s bespoke gown included lace from her mother’s wedding dress, which is only possible when that lace has been stored well.
Read more about the fabrics wedding gowns are made from, or about our custom made wedding dresses.
