Storing a Gown for a Postponed Wedding
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us (figurative understatement of the year), and has unfortunately meant that many weddings and events have been postponed. I can’t imagine how difficult it is to make the decision to delay a celebration that may have already been months or years in the making. With that decision, there are many elements to be rearranged and planned for in the process; some of which you wouldn’t normally have to think of - like storing a wedding gown. That’s why I’ve asked the folks at National Gown Cleaners in Campbell (CA) to help you with this important aspect of a postponed wedding. They’ve been in business for almost 100 years and are the go to for some of the most well known museums and private collections in the world.
My colleague Christine Morrissey, a textile conservator with National Gown Cleaners, gave me the following helpful tips on proper gown storage, to ensure your dress is still looking its best by your new wedding day.
Her simple advice? Invest in an archival, acid free box.
***gray box is for veil storage while the white box is for dress storage***
Here’s Christine: “Boxing provides more stability in aging and less stress on the fabric. Archival tissue paper is used between the folds that allows a cushioning […] This prevents hard fold lines from forming.”
Storing your dress in an archival box also helps to slow the aging of the fabric by preventing fume fading. “Fume fading happens when a gown is hung and heat and gases rise within a room. This can cause the upper body fabric and trims to take on the appearance of yellowing or a streaking appearance.” says Christine, adding that “beads and sequins can look darker than the other parts of the gown especially if the beads or sequins are glued on.” She also tells me that archival boxing is used in museums as well since the box keeps the temperature even around all sides of the fabric. Also “sealing a box is a huge no-no. The gown's fabric must be able to breathe so that any plasticizer gases can be emitted instead of being captured inside the gown box. Air movement also allows the gown to age without mold or bacteria forming.”
Storing a dress in this way allows you to retrieve the dress and put it away again as needed. Christine tells me that at her shop “we provide cotton inspection gloves that allow you to take the gown out of the box at any time without allowing oils and dirt from the hands to transfer to the gown's fabric.”
And when it’s time for your wedding to (finally!) happen, Christine says to simply “take the gown out of the box and have it steamed. National Gown Cleaners doesn't charge to steam a gown for any of our clients as long as there's no signs of neglect or wear. Please give us three weeks notice if you need us to steam your gown.”
Once the party is over, you’ll just need to have the gown cleaned once more and returned to the box once and for all. “Our archival quality products are used for historical purposes and last four generations. Therefore, the cost is upfront and you'll never need to replace any of the conservation products. You will only pay the cost to clean the dirty gown” notes Christine.
TL;DR contact your local wedding dress cleaners and purchase an archival box for use before and after your postponed wedding! This helps avoid discoloration, mold growth, and more. For those in the Bay Area, I’d recommend National Gown Cleaners in Campbell for excellent professional services.
There you have it! Thanks so much to Christine Morrissey from National Gown Cleaners for this helpful information. If you have any further questions or if you’d like to purchase a box, you can reach Christine at info@nationalgown.com and at (408) 371-3174.
Stay safe and well out there, everyone. We’ll celebrate together soon!
Dresses in this post are from, in order:
Marchesa // Atelier Des Modistes // BHLDN // Casa Blanca Bridal // East Meets Dress // Lotus Threads - Epiphany Bridal Boutique
ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY KATHERINE BREE WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY