While some women keep their wedding dresses as reminders of their big day, you may feel less sentimental about your dress and have decided to sell it. You may not want to store a dress that you've worn once and will never wear again, preferring to let another bride use it. Plus, your wedding dress probably wasn't cheap – if you sell it on, you get some useful cash to help you start married life.

Doing a bit of work before you sell your dress gives you a quicker sale at a better price. For example, it's worth having your dress dry-cleaned first. Why?

Deal With Invisible Stains

Even if you got through your wedding day without spilling any obvious food and drink on your dress and it looks pristine and stain-free, it may have some staining that you can't see right now.

For example, you or your guests may have spilled some spots of champagne or white wine on the dress without realising it. Chemicals in products such as hairspray or deodorants also leave invisible marks, as does sweat. The problem is, these stains may not show just after your wedding, but they may become visible later as they mature or are exposed to heat.

Your buyer bride may buy what looks to be a clean dress, only to open it up before her wedding to find that these invisible stains have turned visible. The last thing you want is to spoil someone else's big day or to have an angry bride on your doorstep demanding a refund.  

Make the Dress a Better Buy

While you can sell your dress with a warning that it hasn't been cleaned yet, this may put off some prospective buyers. Some women won't even want to try on a wedding dress that has been worn by someone else and not cleaned afterwards, never mind buy it. Having to pay for dry-cleaning also adds to their purchase cost.

Also, being able to tell an interested bride that the dress has been professionally cleaned may be a good selling point. Prospective buyers know that they are getting what they see and won't have to worry about how the dress will come out of the cleaning process.

Before you have your dress cleaned, remember that it needs special care rather than a standard dry clean. Look for local cleaners who offer a specialist wedding dress service that will restore your dress to its full glory without damaging it. It's also worth using local dry-cleaners who will offer dry-cleaning pickup and delivery. Wedding dresses need careful handling to avoid damage and creasing.