Instead of leaving your beautiful gown in a crumpled heap on the floor for the duration of your honeymoon, arrange for your gown to be taken to a specialist dry cleaner straight after the wedding for the best chance of removing any stains. They will pack it in special acid-free paper to preserve the fabric's colour. If well looked after, your dress can be worn by future generations, giving them as much joy as you will have had from it. If you are considering selling a designer wedding gown after the wedding be prepared to part with it immediately, and register your intentions with an agency to enable them to let Brides know that it will be coming in. Designer gowns lose value as soon as they are no longer this season's design, so time is of the essence.

If you don't want to keep your dress as a family heirloom, why not consider donating it to one of Oxfam's specialist bridal shops? On average, a dress will sell for around £250, which can provide 100 people with clean water, build two toilets, train one midwife and feed a family for a month. See the Oxfam website.