Your wedding dress should be preserved for a number of reasons. For many families, the wedding dress is an heirloom that passes from the hands of a mother to her daughter, or perhaps even a granddaughter. Other families will use just the preserved fabric to create dresses for their children's important events, such as communion or their own wedding. Even if it is never worn again, it is a great memento to cherish and one that should be taken care of.

After the wedding is over, professionally clean and store your dress so that it will last for years to come. Even though you might not get anything on your dress, it is still important to send it off to a dry cleaner's. While you may not notice perspiration stains now, they will become more prominent through the years.

How you store your dress also makes a big difference. Dresses inside plastic bags tend to accumulate mildew and hangers can stretch a dress out at the neckline.

Find a dry cleaner that will place your dress in an airtight box, which will preserve the delicate material and allow your dress to keep its shape. Be sure to find a reputable dry cleaner that will do this for you - your carefulness now will pay off in the long run.