Carrying your dress on the plane

Thankfully, my dress is not big and poofy but I will still like to carry it on the plane - best advice for doing so? Just a garment bag? Thanks in advance!

Here is the best advice I've seen on the topic:

http://flyawaybride.com/how-to-transport-your-wedding-dress/

Thank you for the link! :)

Thank you for the link! :)

No problem!

Here is the best advice I've seen on the topic:

http://flyawaybride.com/how-to-transport-your-wedding-dress/

Great link. Just be aware that the author is based in Europe and some of their airline rules are different. For example, some of the gown travel boxes don't meet the new US carry on limits. Back in March, several of the US airlines adopted new carry on policies that are more strict. So checking with your airline is an absolute must.

Here's another link that might be helpful: http://www.colincowieweddings.com/articles/honeymoons-destinations/the-destination-dress-dilemma/all

I will say as a word of warning on asking to have your dress stored in the closet, one of my friend's sons had his dress blues stored there on his way home from Marine Boot Camp graduation and somehow the bag and his blues coat were burnt when he got to his destination. It was either an electrical wire or a lighter type burn. The airline would not reimburse him.

I have bought a swim noodle on clearance and cut it to fit my carry on suit case. I am going to transport my dress in the dress bag in a suitcase using the swim noodle to keep from having any creasing. fortunately my dress has proven to be fairly wrinkle resistant thus far with shipping and hauling to fittings and such.

my dress has proven to be fairly wrinkle resistant thus far with shipping and hauling to fittings and such.

Will you time to have the dress steamed or pressed before wedding? I didn't have that option, but brought a travel steamer that was a life saver. Fortunately for me, my gown traveled pretty well. But the small steamer took care of any residual creases. I've brought it on every cruise since!

I just carried mine in a garment bag. On the way there, I was able to hang it in the front closet on both flights. I had considered setting appointment for steaming when I got to destination, but decided to just bring a travel steamer with me instead. It traveled very well and had minimal wrinkles, so the steamer worked great.

On the way back, my direct flight didn't have a closet. So, I had to roll it up and put it in overhead storage bin. Of course I wasn't as concerned about wrinkles on the way home, so that was fine, but it actually didn't wrinkle much anyway.

Yes, many planes will have closets, but it depends on airline and plane size. Southwest, Funjet, Allegiant and other discount lines typically don't have closets. There will usually be a closet if there is first class seats on the plane, but not always. And with the larger airlines, it depends on the plane type (which may depend on distance you travel... longer distance = larger plane). Smaller planes often won't have them. So, assuming you are on a plane that could have closets (larger airlines, larger plane), there is a good chance you can hang it, but no guarantees. So, it's best to be prepared for alternatives. My seamstress pinned my train up in a way that was supposed to help prevent wrinkling. You can also put tissue paper between the layers of the dress. That will help prevent wrinkling, especially if you need to roll it to put in overhead bins.

Will you time to have the dress steamed or pressed before wedding? I didn't have that option, but brought a travel steamer that was a life saver. Fortunately for me, my gown traveled pretty well. But the small steamer took care of any residual creases. I've brought it on every cruise since!

There will be no steaming time. My dress shipped in a box smaller than an office copy paper box and when I took it out the wrinkles just fell out. So I'm hopeful a Hanging in the Hotel bathroom with the shower on will fix any transit wrinkles.

I flew on southwest and did not have a closet to hang my dress in. I just carried it in the seamstress bag and nicely folded it to put in the overhead bin. We had only our luggage in there and the flight attendant was nice enough to close that bin early so no one attempted to cram more into it.

I was married on the 3rd day of the cruise so as soon as I got on the ship I hung my dress in another person's room (so DH wouldn't see) and let it work itself out. Dress needed little to no steaming the night before the wedding. I then traveled with it from wedding cruise to Honeymoon cruise (FL to PR) and packed it in my luggage and took it out for our trash the dress shoot a week later and it was still fine. I guess it all depends on material.

Good Luck!

I don't want to scare anyone, but please make sure you have a back up plan. With flights more and more crowded, and with checked bag fees continuing to increase, overhead space is not a given.

On my business trip this past week, they made me gate check my bag. I was kind of shocked, since I was in an early boarding group and had only a small roller bag. But if it wouldn't fit under the seat, they were making people check their carry-ons. I would guess at least 40 passengers -- maybe more-- had to check a bag at the aircraft door.

I'm bringing my dress on the plane also. I emailed JetBlue and they said my only choice was to check it in. Southwest told me I could put it on top of peoples things in the overhead bin, but there was no guarantee it wouldn't get wrinkled. They said my other option was to buy it a seat. They'll do anything for money! But southwest flights are semi-cheap so I decided to buy the extra seat to be safe.

Only good thing is I can bring an extra 2 free bags since the dress counts as 1 ticket!

I'm bringing my dress on the plane also. I emailed JetBlue and they said my only choice was to check it in. Southwest told me I could put it on top of peoples things in the overhead bin, but there was no guarantee it wouldn't get wrinkled. They said my other option was to buy it a seat. They'll do anything for money! But southwest flights are semi-cheap so I decided to buy the extra seat to be safe.

 

Only good thing is I can bring an extra 2 free bags since the dress counts as 1 ticket!

Sorry you had to buy the seat but sounds like a good plan too! My dress was more of a cocktail dress so I made out ok with a garment bag and making sure it was on top of bags in the overhead bin. All worked out fine and I didn't see any wrinkles on my day :D

Best of luck to you!