Wedding dresses tend to be one of the more challenging pieces of clothing organizers encounter with their clients. Our clients tend to fall into one of three camps: ladies who want to keep their dresses long term, ladies who love their dresses but not the space they take up, and ladies who want to pass their dresses on but don’t have any idea about where to sell or donate them.

Know which camp you fit into? Not sure? I have compiled some information that can help you decide and come to terms with what to do with your wedding dress.

Long Term Care

If you want to keep the dress long term, DON’T allow your dry cleaner to seal it up in a box with a plastic window. Fabric needs to breathe (so no sealing of any kind) and it doesn’t like light, so plastic see through windows are out of the question. For a great explanation on what you should do, read this article from the New York Times by Samantha Stark, Caring for A Special Member of the Family 

If you are leaning towards preserving for the long term and want to do it yourself you can buy a kit. Here’s a few links to places where you can buy a good wedding gown preservation kit:

Gaylord

Hollinger 

University Products

Love the Dress, Not the Bulk?

If you loved your dress but part of it is ruined, your daughters don’t want it (or you don’t think they would ever want it), or you are tired of it taking up space in your closet, there are quite a few ways to preserve part of the dress in a meaningful keepsake. There are people out there who will take your wedding dress and create for you (or you could do it yourself) the following items:

• Quilts for your bedroom

• Baby quilts for your children

• Christening gowns or First Communion gowns (even ties for the boys!)

• Teddy Bears

• Pillows

• Tree Skirts, Christmas stockings, Holiday Ornaments

• Framed Art

• Jewelry Holder