What to Do With A Wedding Dress That Is in a Box?
You may have found an old wedding dress up in your attic, perhaps one that belonged to a relative. You may have had your wedding dress cleaned and packed up in a box. Either way, you may be concerned about how to store the wedding dress to preserve its beauty. If the box is kept in the wrong environment, it may contribute to ruining the dress's integrity. Does this Spark an idea?
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Inspect
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Most dry cleaners will clean and package a wedding dress properly so it will stay in good condition. This will allow the bride to keep the dress for future generations to wear, if desired. If you have found a wedding dress that's packed in a box, take it out and inspect it for stains and overall condition. Take it to a dry cleaner for stain removal and repair of rips or loose embellishments. Have the dry cleaner pack it in a new, fresh box, or pack it yourself with acid-free tissue paper between the folds and inside the bodice.
Donate or Sell
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Instead of waiting to give a wedding dress to someone who isn't born yet and may not even want it, you may want to give the wedding dress away. Consider donating the wedding dress to a thrift store, theater company or charity. Making Memories sells donated wedding gowns, then grants wishes to people with terminal breast cancer. You could also choose to sell the dress online. After inspecting it, take pictures you can post online, then pack it back into the box with acid-free tissue paper. Another option is to take the wedding dress to a consignment store where they will sell it for you. The consignment store takes a portion of the sale, and gives a portion to you.
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Museum
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If you found what appears to be a very old wedding dress, you may want to consider taking it to a museum. Perhaps you were cleaning out your parent's attic, and found a dress in a box. If you handle the dress, it could ruin it. A museum will gently take the dress out of the box and they can date the dress. This will give you an idea of who it may have belonged to. If you don't want to keep it in the family, the museum will have it cleaned to preserve it. They may even want to display it, if they have an area devoted to examples of historic clothing.
Storage
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A wedding dress in a box needs to be stored in a temperature-controlled environment. This means it can't be stored in the basement or attic where the temperature can vary greatly. These spots are also usually damp, which could have a negative effect on the dress. Store the box in a closet inside the home. Keep it away from children. A wedding dress in a box looks like dress up clothes, and a child may ruin the dress. A closet in the master bedroom is probably the best place.
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