Once the big day is over, what are you going to do with the dress? Some brides opt to sell the dress, thereby raising a bit of money, and helping another bride to have the perfect dress at a reasonable price.
Others want to keep the dress for all the wonderful memories it holds, and also perhaps in the hope that their own daughter will want to wear it at her wedding.
If you're on the "keep the dress" side, then you're going to have to ensure that the dress is properly cleaned, preserved and packed for storage.
If you don't do this, any stains will set, the dress may very well turn yellow, and the fabric could even become damaged.
And if you're going to sell it, you'll still have to have it cleaned.
So, what's the process? Wedding dress cleaning usually starts at the hem - that's because it's the part of the dress that usually gets dirty.
Professional cleaners hand-scrub the hem, and treat stains.
A word to wise brides - you may have heard about the trick of putting correction fluid on the hem to hide stains as they occur.
Please don't do it.
Even professional cleaners have difficulty removing correction fluid, and trust us, it's visible.
After the wedding dress cleaning, the dress is then steamed or pressed, folded, and placed in an acid-free container.
Accessories may also be cleaned and preserved.
Then the dress is returned to you.
For effective wedding dress preservation, it's best to act quickly.
If you wait to have the dress cleaned, stains can set in very little time.
It's important to use a reputable, experienced cleaner, and to know something about cleaning methods.
It's not wise to leave your dress with a cleaner that uses perchloroethylene as it's fine for most dry cleaning tasks, but too harsh for wedding gowns.
It can damage delicate fabric, and melt beading.
You should also ensure that your cleaner uses only virgin solvent - old solvent can transfer oils and odors from other garments.
Also make sure that you get a guarantee seeing as there is no second chances with this process.
Once you've got the wedding dress preservation taken care of, make sure that you store it properly at home.
It's best to keep it in the container that the cleaner provides, and put the container either in a sun- and moisture-free closet and under your bed or in a dark place.
Properly cared for, your dress will last well into the next generation.
Even if your daughter never wears it, you'll have it as a reminder of your own special day.