You spent a good amount of money on your wedding dress for your big day..

But now that day has come and gone and you have a gorgeous dress just sitting there. What do you do with your gown after the wedding is over? There are several ways to preserve and store your wedding dress, so you have options to keep your dress looking great for years to come.

Have it professionally done

There are many places that offer to clean and preserve wedding dresses, from dry-cleaning services to independent companies. You can even sign up for the service when you buy your gown through some dress retailers. These services can range anywhere from $250 to $1,000 depending on your dress, the type of care it needs, and the way in which you decide to store it. If you want it done professionally and you don’t want to take the time to do it yourself, this is the way to go.

Buy a kit

There are home preservation kits that you can order online or at many dress retailers. David’s Bridal, for instance, often has a sale on their dress preservation kits, so you can usually get one at a great price. These kits have step-by-step instructions on how to use them and they can do the job of a professional service for half the cost. The only difference is that you have to invest the time yourself and if you have an ornate gown you need to be very careful not to ruin the design as you use the kit.

DIY

If you don’t want to buy a kit to preserve your gown you can get a hand-held steamer and products that are used for “at-home dry-cleaning” to do-it-yourself. Hang the dress where you can reach every part of it (like on a shower curtain rod in the bathroom) and steam the dress. Let it hang dry and then put it in a suit or dress bag for safe keeping. You can get these at most retail outlets and they come in canvas and plastic styles. If you want to keep air off of it, buy an air-tight system that allows you to put the dress in a plastic bag and then vacuum the air out. This will keep it stored away from air and it will reduce the size of the bag for better storage.

Storing your dress

Always store your dress away from sunlight, which can bleach the garment. It is best to store it in a plastic bag with no air, because air can damage fabrics over time. Always keep your dress away from vents. If you store it in an attic or trunk, put mothballs in with the dress to keep moths from eating it. If you can, hang the dress for storage as this will help to keep creases out of it over the years and will help it to retain its shape.

Many brides want to keep their wedding dresses after the wedding is over. Whether it is for the sentimental purposes, to pass on to their daughters (should they have them), or to even keep the gown until it becomes a collector’s item that can be sold at a higher value in later years, there are very good reasons to want to preserve the gown that made you look amazing on your big day. If you find yourself wanting to preserve and store your gown, look at some of the options listed to help keep your dress looking great for years to come.