COVID has caused a disruption of just about every facet of “normal” life, including the postponement of weddings. At Jeeves New York (https://www NULL.jeevesofbelgravia NULL.com/newyork/services/wedding-bridal) we have been asked, what is the best way to store a wedding dress if your wedding is a year away?

Jeeves New York’s managing director, Jerry Pozniak, who has 34 years of garment care experience as well as a background in textile conservation recommends the following for long-term wedding dress storage.

•  Make sure your dress is perfectly clean before storing it. If it is a sample dress or if you wore it for quick ceremony, have your dress professionally cleaned before putting it away for next year. Stains and soil may become permanent  if not cleaned in a few months after wearing.
• Consider boxing your dress rather than keeping it on a hanger. Boxing is best way to store textiles rather than on a hanger. If your wedding dress is heavy, there will be too much weight on the fabric at the shoulders if stored on a hanger. Jerry recommends using an acid-neutral, textile storage box until your wedding day arrives.
• If you are storing your dress on a hanger and in a garment bag, make sure the hanger is padded to protect the fabric at the shoulders and use the “hanger loops”. The garment bag should be made of cotton muslin or other breathable fabric. Do not store your wedding dress in clear plastic or a plastic garment bag, the fabric needs to breathe.
• Before your wedding day, have your dress professionally steamed and pressed. If it has been in a garment bag or textile storage box for many months, a professional pressing will make it look perfect.
• After your wedding, have your dress cleaned and boxed if you want to pass it on to future generations or just have it cleaned if you plan on donating or selling it. Seek a dry cleaning company that specializes in wedding dress cleaning such as Jeeves New York. Many small, local dry cleaners send wedding dresses to a third-party for cleaning as they lack the experience to clean them correctly.

Jeeves New York is a great resource for questions about wedding dress cleaning and storage, they can be contacted using this link.

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