How to Hang a Wedding Dress Before the Ceremony
You’ve sent out your invitations, booked your honeymoon, and finally conquered the seating chart. The big day is almost here!
But, you’re still finalizing what to do to keep your dress looking gorgeous on the big day. Perhaps you’ve spent years dreaming of the perfect wedding dress. You may have even been among the 19% of brides that shopped for a gown at between 4 to 6 different stores.
After deciding on the gown that’s right for you, you’ll want to take excellent care of it between the final fitting and ceremony. After all, awesome dress photos are what keep the feature articles rolling on popular wedding blogs like ours!
Read on to learn everything you need to know about how to hang a wedding dress to make sure your gown is wrinkle-free and as stunning as you are on your big day.
Gift Alert
Plus, you have the fun option of getting a personalized wedding hanger as a photo-op.
And, they make the best bridal shower or bridesmaid thank you gifts!
Steps to Hang a Wedding Gown
More and more bridal runway trends having been showing colorful dresses in recent seasons. It doesn’t matter if you’ve gone with a trendy, colorful look or a vintage gown. Whatever the case, these tips on how to hang your wedding dress before your ceremony (and why it’s so important) apply to every style.
1. Take Your Wedding Dress Out Of The Plastic
Obviously this is the first step in learning how to properly hang a wedding dress!
These days, 1 out of every 4 weddings is a destination wedding. That means you’ll need to hang or pack your dress to travel with you safely.
Pro tip: Always try taking the dress on the plane with you
If you’re taking your dress on a flight or driving cross-country to your hometown to get married, it’s perfectly fine to store the dress in its plastic garment bag. Another option is to upgrade the plastic one to a purpose made travel garment bag like the one in the picture below from Hanger World. In fact, doing so is a great way to avoid any spills, tears, or other disasters that can happen on the go.
However, once you arrive at your destination, you need to take the dress out of the plastic bag. We know – this can sound stressful.
Don’t worry. We’re not suggesting that you hang a wedding dress without any covering!
However, plastic makes it difficult for the dress to breathe properly, and it contains chemicals that can stain the dress if left inside a plastic garment bag for too long.
Instead, when you hang a wedding dress, cover it with a cloth garment bag if you’re not going to wear it for a few more days. Also, you can even cover it with an (obviously, clean) sheet!
2. Hang the Dress The Right Way
Once you’ve taken your wedding dress out of a plastic bag, it’s time to hang it!
Doing this is important because it will help the dress resume its original shape. It will also give any wrinkles that may have formed plenty of time to fall out before you walk down the aisle.
When you hang a wedding dress, you first need to take the weight of the dress into consideration. While all wedding dresses should be hung up, if you have a heavier dress with lots of layers and beadwork, listen up.
Hanging a Heavier Bridal Gown
Unlike a slip or light-weight dress, which can safely be stored in a closet, brides wearing a heavier dress will need to dedicate a room in their home to storing their dress.
You will also need a heavy-duty hanger so that your dress doesn’t lose its shape. We also suggest going with a hanger that has high-quality silk padding, to prevent any damage from happening to the sleeves and straps.
You’ll have to get a little innovative when it comes to hanging a wedding dress that’s heavier.
Additional Tips:
- Put it on a strong plant hanger, so that it’s not touching the floors or any walls.
- If you have a long train, stretch it out and drape it over a high-backed chair. Doing this will prevent the train from getting too wrinkled.
- Remember, on a white dress, even a tiny speck of dust or dirt will show up! Make sure there’s nothing that could possibly touch your dress once you hang it.
- If your dress is extremely heavy (think Pnina Tornai levels of fabric, beading, and other accessories) you may actually be better off laying your dress flat and storing it in a garment bag underneath or on top of a bed.
- With a crazy heavy dress, begin to air it out about 36 hours before the ceremony, but check it frequently to make sure it hasn’t fallen.
- Make sure all the windows are closed in the room you’ve chosen to hang a wedding dress inside.
- Also, we suggest leaving a note on the door, reminding people that there’s a wedding dress hanging inside! Keep activity in that room to a minimum until the big day arrives.
Bonus Tip: If your wedding dress did end up getting a little wrinkled while in transit, don’t try to steam it yourself. Always take it to a professional steamer, then hang it right back up to prevent new wrinkles from forming.
Other Tips for Hanging A Wedding Dress
Want one more crucial tip?
- Make sure you frequently check the temperature in the room! Generally, keep your dress in a room that’s between 60-75 degrees.
- Avoid storing it in damp rooms, like your attic or cellar. Also, don’t place it right by a window, as doing so can cause discoloration from the sunlight.
- Finally, if you’re too nervous to hang a wedding dress in your own home, ask a local bridal shop or dry cleaners if they would be willing to store the dress for you, for a fee.
- Another item that should be properly hung is your veil! Make sure to have a veil storage clip on hand.
Oh, and after the wedding is over? Take your dress straight to the dry cleaners (or have a friend do it) so you don’t have to worry that any stains set!
Now that you know how to properly hang a wedding dress, maybe you have other wedding concerns on your mind.
Check out our blog for ideas and inspiration about gorgeous venues, how to find the perfect wedding day shoes, and even cocktail recipes so your guests can sip a drink named after you and your new husband at the reception.
No matter what you’re looking for, we’re here to answer questions about your big day!
Meredith
Despite her dreamy wedding blogger lifestyle, Meredith's day job is running ClassicVeils.com and a full-time mom to an active toddler. If she could, Meredith would spend her days taking cruises, helping animals in need, and watching Big Brother!
