Your wedding dress is probably the most special dress you will ever own. It deserves the most careful care and treatment.

• Dry clean your dress as soon as  possible after your wedding. This helps avoid the danger of untreated stains becoming oxidised and increases the likelihood of successful cleaning.

• Always have the dress dry cleaned prior to storage, even if it looks clean. Stains from perspiration and some drinks can appear to evaporate, but over time they can begin to affect the fabric.

• If you do spill something on your dress, avoid rubbing the stain, because this can damage the fabric permanently. Just blot it gently. Give the dry cleaner the first chance to remove the stains.

• No dry cleaner can be 100% successful 100% of the time (don't trust a dry cleaner who offers you cleaning guarantees over the phone). It's therefore best to to inspect your dress after it's been cleaned. You can then discuss the options for further treatment, if required.

• Find a dry cleaner before the event, so that if disaster strikes on the day you can have the dress attended to quickly. Also if you are going away for a long honeymoon, someone else can take your dress in.

• If possible, do not remove any manufacturers' labels. They provide important information for the professional dry cleaner. If you must remove them – keep them so that you can pass them to your cleaner.

• Often wedding dress makers will embellish dresses with additional items such as trimmings and beads. These can cause problems for the dry cleaner. Some beads are not suitable for dry cleaning and may melt/dissolve during cleaning; a reputable dry cleaner will test before cleaning. Other items such as glitter can be glued on; often the glue will dissolve during dry cleaning removing the adornments . One way to minimise these problems is to speak to the wedding dress maker before cleaning and confirm the care instructions for the dress.

Storage

• Don’t leave your dress the dry cleaners plastic cover – over time plastic can give off chemicals which discolour fabrics.

• Remove the safety pins – over time they can oxidise and mark the dress with rust marks.

• Make sure it is being packed in acid free tissue paper. This helps prevent yellowing of the dress (remember that even with proper care it may be impossible to prevent all yellowing over time).

• Check the dress periodically, in case it is deteriorating through inappropriate storage. It’s also good to refold the dress to prevent permanent creases.

• Don’t use plastic storage boxes, they are not suited to long term storage. If any moisture develops inside the box the fabric can develop mildew.

• It is important that the textile can "breath" – the humidity around the dress thus remains constant and the likelihood of mould or mildew is reduced.

• Ideally the dress should NOT be stored in an areas which are prone to high humidity (like your attic) or damp (like your basement). Fluctuating temperatures increase the risk of deterioration. Often a wardrobe, or even under the bed, is the best place.

• If the dress is not boxed make sure it is stored away from sunlight and artificial light, in the long term they can cause degradation and fading of fabric.