By Kat Sarmiento
Being in union with the love of your life is one of the most significant events in a person’s life—and every single detail for that most awaited moment is arranged carefully with love.
It is understandable if a couple chooses to keep memories from their wedding—like their gowns and keepsakes—instead of letting it go after the ceremonies. Selecting the wedding gown alone can be an overwhelming but gratifying experience. But, storing it in a closet is not the right way to do it, much more than putting your wedding keepsakes, like your engagement ring, in a box and letting them sit somewhere you can forget.
How to store your wedding gown properly?
Preserving your wedding memorabilia—especially your gown—can be a delicate task because you need to clean and store it fittingly for the insurance of quality through the years. But if you’re on a budget, there are a lot of ways to preserve the wedding gown that is personalized and uniquely yours (without breaking the bank!). Here are some ideas that you can build on!
Bring your gown to a professional cleaner as soon as you are available after the wedding, ideally after the reception.
You can ask your bridesmaid, your parents, or your close friend if you are going straight on your honeymoon. Your gown has a high chance of having invisible stains that can turn yellow and darken over time. So, leave the cleaning to the experts as they know how to handle visible and invisible stains.
Avoid using plastic and cardboard in storing your wedding gown.
Keeping your gown inside plastic storage or its original cardboard box promotes moisture that can cause mold and mildew growth. These are vital causes of damage in a fabric that has been set aside for several years. Try using an airtight box, and remember to seal the storage completely to prevent oxidation, yellowing, mold, and mildew growth.
Check it from time to time, once every two or three years, so that you can check that no creases, deformation, or unexpected damages happened. Use gloves because elements in your hands such as dirt, oils, or salts can damage the gown when stored again for a long time. After you inspect it, preserve it once again and reseal it.
If you prefer to hang it instead of folding it, use a garment bag and a padded hanger. Opt for a sturdy hanger because wedding gowns are heavy. Their weight can contribute to the stretching of the fabric over time which can cause deformation to your wedding gown.
Just a little reminder, do not store your gown in the attic, basement, or other similar places in your home.
The temperature in those areas can become a factor in mold growth, fabric discoloration, and other inverse effects in the preservation process. Store it in a cool, dry, and dark environment. Put it away from direct sunlight and heat.
In storing other memorable wedding keepsakes, keep them creatively preserved.
When you manage to store your wedding gown in a safe environment, you can now preserve the memories of your other keepsakes in fun and creative ways. Below are some practical ideas that will surely make you cherish the nostalgia of your wedding day.
Make your engagement ring shine.
You have the choice to wear it after you get married, together with your wedding ring. But if you’re not an accessories type of person, you can store it somewhere safe, preferably in its original box. Choose or create a one-of-a-kind ring holder to shine significance on your engagement ring. You can also separate it from other jewelry in a more personal storage drawer.
Bring your wedding bouquet—anywhere.
There are many ways to immortalize flowers. If you haven’t done the traditional throw for your bridesmaids, one method of preserving your bouquet is putting it in resin. Try experimenting with different shapes or accessories like pendants and keychains. These are also perfect time capsules or memorabilia for the next time you meet your bridesmaids.
You can also dry the petals out and press them for weeks. Afterward, you have perfectly dried flowers that you can use as a decoration. You can even paste them into a canvas to display in a frame. If you’re feeling a little bit crafty, you can even make a painting out of it.
Make more out of your wedding pictures.
You can commission an artist to paint your favorite moment in your wedding celebration. It can be your first wedding photo as newlyweds or a scene from your wedding ceremony. It will be a great display in your home, telling your love story in pictures for the next generations.
Immortalize your wedding.
Collate your wedding videos and moments that capture the essence of your wedding ceremony and schedule to send it to your (and your partner’s) email in ten years. It’s a perfect reminder of the day you love tied you and your partner as you promise a sacred commitment to each other.
You can also make a tangible time capsule box out of it, along with a newspaper of your wedding day, the cork of your wedding champagne, wedding favors, cake topper, and other things from your wedding day. Store each item cleanly and decently in a large container.
Cherish your keepsakes in your creative way!
It is normal to hold onto many items from an important milestone in your life to preserve memories and reminisce in the future. Maybe you have a space in your room to put all of these items, or you will spread them in your house to cherish them all the time. In the end, the perfect way to store your keepsakes is the way you want to remember them.
About Kat Sarmiento
Kat writes articles with the hopes of reaching out to more people. Her writing is focused on lifestyle, science, and smart hacks, that will definitely (well, hopefully) be useful to her readers.