Storing your wedding dress
Embalming your wedding dress, your great-grandmother's handmade quilt, or a valuable old tapestry in one of those cardboard boxes with a cellophane window could be a costly mistake. No fabric should remain folded in a sealed box for years, and cellophane windows can trap damaging moisture. Storing fine textiles is not difficult: Do the job correctly and preserve your precious garments for decades.
Wedding Dress Steps
Step One - Have the wedding dress professionally cleaned as soon as possible. Some stains, such as sweat, perfume and alcohol, may be invisible at first but will darken with time if not removed.
Step Two - Choose between box and hanger storage. Keeping the wedding dress in a box may prove to be more practical, but hanging the garment in a closet is the best way to prevent difficult-to-remove creases. Purchase plenty of acid-free tissue paper. You'll need it whether you fold or hang the dress.
Step Three - Line an acid-free cardboard box with acid-free tissue paper if you are storing the wedding dress in a box. Lay the hem in the box first and then fold the dress accordion-style, placing crumpled tissue paper between each fold. Stuff the inside of the bodice and sleeves with crumpled tissue. Layer more tissue on top and cover with the box lid.
Step Four - Wrap a wide hanger with cotton batting if you are hanging the garment, then cover it with muslin. Hang the dress and stuff the bodice, sleeves and any deep folds in the fabric with acid-free tissue. Cover the dress with a muslin garment bag and hang it in a cool, dry closet. Take care not to crush it with other clothing.
Step Five - Check the dress's condition each year. If boxed, repack so the folds are in different places; if hung, wash the muslin cover.
