Recommendations on storing a dress to avoid stretching

Just an idea that popped up while reading your post.

Have you thought about placing it in those storage containers that are very long? (keep inside the garment bag) They sometimes fit under the bed. As for the wrinkles you will probably still need to have it steamed since it would be stored for a few months.

hope this helps you a little!

Use the hanging straps that are sown into the dress. These are designed specifically to take the weight of the dress off of the sleeves. You can also get an acid free preservation box from gown preservation places to store it in for the time being. I wouldn't worry about it getting creases since you will probably have to get it pressed/steamed before the wedding anyway.

Yes, use the hanging straps. Every dress has them, and it's what they are there for. They take the weight, so the rest of the dress doesn't stretch out, or get those weird "hanger bumps."

You can also store it laying down flat, either in a garment bag (cloth, not plastic) or in one of those under-the-bed boxes.

I had to store my dress for a while so I bought a box specifically designed for wedding dress storage and I am keeping it under my bed. I also bought some acid free tissue paper and placed it between all the folds (if you google wedding dress storage you should be able to find some videos on how to do this). I'm not too worried about creases because it will get steamed once alterations are done. Also, the benefit of storing it this way is that I'm not tempted to take it out and try it on because placing all the tissue paper was such a pain.

Daughter's dress only had thin, mostly decorative, straps. It had a huge skirt and a train, so it was pretty heavy. It arrived a year before the wedding and we had to store it at our house. The bridal salon told us it would be fine as long as both the hanging loops sewn under the arms AND the loop on the underside of the train were always on the hanger, inside the white fabric bag. Daughter followed those instructions, and everything was fine. (As someone else said, the dress will need a good steaming once final alterations are complete, so don't worry too much about that.) Good luck! (FWIW, daughter tried her dress on about every two months, so that gave us a good chance to monitor how it was doing. Also, I agree with others, do NOT store the dress in plastic -- bag or box. If there is any humidity at all in your home, you risk it getting musty, etc.)

Okay thanks! I just worry the hanging straps aren’t enough. Definitely keeping it far away from plastic!