Want To Wear Your Wedding Outfits Again & Again? Here's How To Take Care Of Them!

While it takes months to find the right wedding lehenga or create the lehenga of your dreams, most outfits are often left to hang with no care after the day has passed. No matter how soon you have to get to the airport, if you’ve had thoughts of keeping or selling your wedding dress, the delicate fabrics must be taken care of. And if you want your kids to wear them or you want to style them differently to wear them again and again without a hassle, this is the way to do it.

Pic via Shutterdown 

DRY CLEAN WITHOUT DELAY: You need to clean your lehenga immediately as, over time, if there are any stains, they will set and become more and more difficult to remove. Your sweat marks (especially under your arms) will leave a blotch which tends to darken over time. Ideally, you want it to be dry cleaned within one week of the wedding. RE- FINISHING: Once the dry cleaning process is done, you should send the outfit again to the store for the finishing of any loose ends, embellishments, fallen stones, sequins and lose threads in embroidery and zari work. FOLD THE RIGHT WAY: It is always advisable that you do not hang your wedding lehenga. Hanging your dress will gradually alter its shape. Instead, keep it folded in a box. Without creasing it, wrap the sleeves before tucking them with the choli. Folding the skirt part of the lehenga can be quite tricky. Since wedding lehengas are mostly laced with sequins, beadwork, pearls and the likes, place acid-free white tissue paper (Mul mul cloth works as well as any other butter paper- like sheets) between each of the folds to prevent any kind of snagging or scratching. Same goes for the rest of your trousseau. Here is quick how-to fold your lehenga:   STORING: Ensure that you store or keep your outfits in a place that is free from extreme changes of temperature or conditions such as a basement or an attic. Always store your expensive wedding outfit in a dark and dry area with low temperature and low humidity. Do not store long term in plastic dress covers. They are suitable for storing before the wedding, but not for long term storage; COVERING: Once the lehenga is folded and ready to be boxed away, wrap it up in an unbleached muslin cloth for extra protection. The unbleached material will prevent any kind of discolouring of the garment. Only once you are certain that you won’t be wearing your wedding lehenga in the next few months, go ahead with the packaging. The constant wrapping and packaging the lehenga over and over again can cause serious damage to your precious buy. PROTECT FROM MOTHS AND INSECTS: Put some dry neem leaves or lavender sachets to keep moths and other insects from damaging the fabric of your entire trousseau. GET THE RIGHT BOX: Selecting the right kind of box to store your wedding lehenga is important. Always opt for a solid card box made from acid-free materials or a wooden chest. Make sure that no light reaches your dress as it can lead to colour fading of your lehenga. Before placing the lehenga inside the box, cover all its sides with acid-free paper. Finally, place one layer of tissue paper over the lehenga once it is packed inside the box. ALLOW IT TO BREATH: Always take out your outfit after a while to give it a breeze of some fresh air and light. This will keep the fabric alive and fresh. CHECK AND REFOLD: Keep checking your outfit from time to time for any marks and creases and refold it to prevent the fabric from weakening and cracking at the creases.

If you’ll know of more ways to keep your precious trousseau intact, share tips with us!