Working as a custom gown and alterations specialist in Michigan, I get so many questions from brides on how to store your wedding gown before the wedding. As to most surprise, there isn’t too much upkeep, as long as you store it appropriately and in a clean place. Here I have for you my expert tips on how to store your wedding gown before the wedding; that way, you are wrinkle and stain-free walking down the aisle!

Store It in a Spacious Closet or Hang on a Clean Door

When you work with Sarah Kolis on your wedding gown, you may ask to have your gown steamed before pick-up. This is a great option as it is one less thing for you to worry about.

When taking your gown home or to your getting ready location, lay your dress flat in the backseat of your car. Once you are inside, take the gown out of the garment bag with clean hands and in a clean space. Hang it in an uncrowded closet or top of a door in low-traffic areas of your home. Do not expose the dress to high humidity, unnecessary sunlight, or heavy pet hair locations. If your dress has a train, let it down and lay it out nicely on the clean floor or on top of clean white towels/bedsheets. If you hang it on top of a door, you may want to consider placing a clean white towel on the door first and then face the dress backward so the train can be spread out nicely onto the floor.

99% of dresses will be ready to wear this simple upkeep. With these basic steps, you can absolutely wear it down the aisle without worries that everyone will stare at any dreaded wrinkles. However, if you are like me where detail-ignorance is unbearable and have a very wrinkle-susceptible dress (and I would tell you so), I have some tips on what to do next!

How to Take Care of Any Wrinkles

If your dress needs a quick refresh as it gets closer to your wedding, I suggest using a handheld steamer. You may already own a handheld steamer or have a friend that can lend you one.

With the dress hanging as described above, this would be a great time to steam. To clarify, this steaming process should be for touch-ups only as the dress would have most likely been already steamed once before. There may be a wrinkle or two from transportation, so only focus on those areas. Clean tap water works great, but you can also use distilled water to be extra careful. Test the steam on a white towel first, and make sure it comes out clean. You can even wrap the nozzle in cheesecloth or thin white fabric to act as a filter if you want to be particularly cautious. If you do not have much experience steaming, I highly suggest playing it safe and steaming from the underside.

For best results, a freshening up steam should take place at the location in which the bride is getting ready. If that location is outside the home, you may leave the wedding dress in the bag until you arrive at the location and touch up steam it there if needed. Caution: do not steam any gown/dress while wearing it!

How to Travel With Your Wedding Dress

If you have a destination wedding where you are traveling by car or airplane, it would be best to wait and have the gown steamed at the location. Either by yourself or hotel staff if they have experience in doing so. While traveling by airplane, you may ask to have the dress hung in 1st class if there is room. However, airline staff would prefer you package your gown nicely in a piece of carry-on luggage and place it in an overhead bin. Please let Sarah know of your travel plans, and she will help you package the gown properly for travel!

A freshly steamed gown is beautiful for photos and walking down the aisle. Be sure to handle your gown with care to ensure its best look for the big day. You will be looking back at your photos of the big day and remembering it forever, so you don’t want to be upset about something that is easily fixed. As always, if you have any further questions about storing and transporting your dress, ask any questions to Sarah as she would be happy to help!