What did you do w/ your wedding gown?

[ZebraStripes]

Yikes, I seem to be the only one with it still on a hanger in my closet, 16 years later. Guess maybe I should take a look at it!

 

[Stepharoonie!]

It's literally in a garbage bag in the storage closet outside. HEY!! There's an idea! I could be like Wedding Dress Guy and sell it on eBay with a wonderful sob story!

Then again, who wants a cursed dress like that after the marriage and aftermath I've been through?

 

[Disney Doll]

While I was on my honeymoon, my mother took ti to the cleaners and had it cleaned and preserved. I was hoping that perhaps a daughter would wear it some day, but alas, we can't have children.

Maybe a niece or godchild might want it someday...

 

[swankybeth]

Mine is preserved in a display box. Not sure what I will do with it, if anything. I hope that one day my daughter would want to wear it, but I wouldn't force her if she didn't like it.

 

[zurgswife]

IMPORTANT INFO ALL SHOULD READ REGARDING THE PRESERVING AND STORING OF DRESSES

For all of those that have stored there dresses in the attic..OR had your dress preserved....

Is constant temperature and humidity important?

Humidity, certainly. Temperature less so. You need to understand that the two are interrelated. All air holds moisture - usually in the form of invisible water vapor. The amount it can hold depends on its temperature. The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold. Keeping the temperature relatively stable will tend to keep the humidity constant too.
Why is this important?

If the humidity gets too high, it can encourage chemical and biological deterioration. In other words, dyes can breakdown and mildew can grow. If the humidity gets too low, the individual fibers can dry out and become brittle.
So although temperature itself is not so important (provided you don't allow it to get high enough to actually damage the fabric), controlling it also controls the humidity. Storing a garment in normal household temperatures throughout the year, away from extremes of hot and cold - like attics, basements and outside walls - is fine provided the garment can breathe.

What happens if it can't breathe?

If you seal a fabric inside say, a plastic bag, and the temperature drops, the moisture in the air inside (relative humidity) actually increases. This is because the air itself cannot hold as much invisible moisture at colder temperatures. Moisture can then condense out of the air onto the gown as it has nowhere else to go.
If the storage medium allows the gown to breathe, the excess humidity will simply dissipate into the outside air, allowing the humidity level around the gown itself to remain relatively constant.

...Cleaning

Regardless of which storage method you use, you must have the gown properly cleaned. If there are problems within the fabric itself, nothing external will be able to protect your garment from it. If you are considering long-term storage where the garment will be inspected infrequently, this cleaning should preferably be done by a specialist in prepping for long-term storage. They understand the different types of stains that can damage a fabric over long periods of time.
Have your gown cleaned as soon after wearing as you can. The longer a stain remains, the harder it is to remove. Don't be fooled by the lack of obvious stains. Many substances dry clear but discolor with age. Sugar-based liquids for example, such as soda or alcoholic drinks, dry clear but turn brown over time. Once they do, they are very difficult to remove. Note that drycleaning alone does not remove sugar-based stains.
Body oils, perspiration and cosmetics can oxidize in the fabric, turning it yellow and can damage fibers. So make sure that your chosen cleaner can deal with all of these types of stains.
Now a word to the wise. When considering long-term storage, be very wary of any cleaner that offers a special cleaning "process" with a fancy name. If they claim their process is a trade secret and cannot tell you exactly what it is, shop elsewhere. And stay way clear of a cleaner that claims to guarantee their work only if the seal on their container is unbroken. Obviously, it is not possible to inspect your garment without breaking the seal and thereby invalidating their guarantee. Such a guarantee can only protect the seller; they can never have any claims against their work!

Are there any other points to watch out for?

Try to avoid folding as much as possible. Folds tend to become permanent with time and weaken the fabric where the folds are. If you must fold your gown, try to ensure the radius of the curve is as large as possible, avoiding sharp folds. Any storage system that reduces the need to fold is a plus.
Since it is advised to inspect stored garments at least annually - especially the first year - easy access, without compromising the long-term conditions, would be a definite plus.
Now that we've covered the basics, if you'd like some further reading on this topic, go to our bibliography. If you'd like a look at a "ground-up" design for a long-term storage system, click here.

Copyright © 1996 - 2004 Sentinel Archiving, Inc.

 

[Octoberbeauty]

Originally posted by Stepharoonie!
It's literally in a garbage bag in the storage closet outside. HEY!! There's an idea! I could be like Wedding Dress Guy and sell it on eBay with a wonderful sob story!

Then again, who wants a cursed dress like that after the marriage and aftermath I've been through?

Me too, girl, me too. I am listing mine on Ebay. I won't tell the long, sad story of how the marriage died a long and horrible death. Of course, I've thought about cutting it up and selling the fanciest dust rags around.
Sherry

 

[kidzmom3]

Mine was destroyed when my parents house burned down.

 

[Fire14]

Mine is preserved and sitting in box in spare bedroom.

 

[KathyTX]

I had mine cleaned, and it's in it's bag in the closet, but I'm going to throw it away soon (I need to clean out the closet, anyway.)

I took a look at it not long ago, and it had yellowed horribly. Oh, well!

 

[fanofmickey]

This has actually been a topic of conversation in my house recently. My gown was handmade by my mother (20 yrs ago). Have only one DD - she is 18. She will not be wearing my gown, as it is not quite her taste, but also she is, let's say, a little larger in some strategic places where I was not.

I see no reason to keep it now that she will not be wearing it. It does have some yellow spots on it so I cannot "donate" it to anything. I am thinking of having my mother cut the dress up so that I have 4 nice silk/lace hankies, and those will be offered to DD and 3 DS's brides for their something old.

 

[Blondie]

My mom had it cleaned and preserved for me. The material is still as white as the day I wore it back in 1980 and the seed pearls (the ones I can see) are all in perfect condition!

 

[2MuchOhana]

Almost 14 years later it is still hanging in a closet at my paren't house!

 

[Aimeedyan]

SOLD THAT BABY!

I see NO reason to keep it, and the preservation process was way out of our budget. We needed that money to buy groceries that first couple months

I have no regrets, and I'm glad another bride was able to wear it

 

[Aimeedyan]

Originally posted by fanofmickey
This has actually been a topic of conversation in my house recently. My gown was handmade by my mother (20 yrs ago). Have only one DD - she is 18. She will not be wearing my gown, as it is not quite her taste, but also she is, let's say, a little larger in some strategic places where I was not.

I see no reason to keep it now that she will not be wearing it. It does have some yellow spots on it so I cannot "donate" it to anything. I am thinking of having my mother cut the dress up so that I have 4 nice silk/lace hankies, and those will be offered to DD and 3 DS's brides for their something old.

My mom held onto her gown, and veil, and we used the material from her gown to make a GORGEOUS ringbearer pillow for my wedding, that is now a family heirloom that we can pass down. I figure a pillow is less important of a thing than a dress, so my daughters and sons would be more likely to want to use that

PLUS we used the material from her veil to make mine, which was stunning and hadn't yellowed AT ALL.

Just a thought

 

[bigbabyblues]

Mine's hanging in a spare closet, waiting to be taken to be preserved. It's been there over 7 years, I don't know when it's going to go on it's own, but maybe it will? I do need to have that done, I just never remember. The closest place that does it is about an hour away, and I never think of taking it until I pass the place.

I do try it on every year on my anniversary, except 2003, when I was 7 months pregnant, and it still fits! I have thought about selling it, but it would be hard, considering it was originally a size 2, altered down smaller than that to fit me....

Steph

 

[phillybeth]

Originally posted by fanofmickey
I see no reason to keep it now that she will not be wearing it. It does have some yellow spots on it so I cannot "donate" it to anything. I am thinking of having my mother cut the dress up so that I have 4 nice silk/lace hankies, and those will be offered to DD and 3 DS's brides for their something old.

That is a sweet idea!

 

[WhenUwishUponAstar]

preserved,in a box, under the guest bed room bed along with a 16x20 portrait of us on our wedding day that I never had framed lol oh well maybe i'll get it done before our 20th !!

 

[Davids-Coco]

If you are going to hold on to it, preserve it...

If you are going to get rid of it, donate it to making memories... you can get a tax write-off and someone else will get a beautiful dress, and breast cancer patients will be benefited.

 

[RadioNate]

5 years later mine still hasn't been cleaned. it's in a garmet bag that is locked in my great-grandmothers cedar chest. When we moved somehow the ceder chest got locked and we don't have the key. As soon as we can get it out without ruining the trunk I'll probablly have it cleaned if it's not totally ruined.

I have 4 wedding dresses, mine, my moms, my grandmothers and my great aunts. My great aunt got married in her 40's so it's an cream colored knee legnth dress with long jacket. Very Jackie-O. I've worn it several times to winter time formal events.

 

[crazymomof4]

Mine is unpreserved, just folded and bagged in the attic storage room. I last had it out for our 15th anniversary. It was in good condition and it still fit!

Here's an idea a friend of mine just told me about:

If you have a daughter, put her in the gown at a young age and take her picture. Repeat this every year on the same date and watch her grow into your gown!

My DD will turn 4 soon and I'm going to start this tradition with her.