The Dos & Don’ts of Traveling with Your Wedding Dress
AS SEEN ON BRIDAL MUSINGS
Guys, my wedding dress arrived last week! Not only that, but it arrived by coincidence while I was on my only family visit to Seattle this year! It was such a rush to try on my finished gown and to have my dream dress in hand. But, suddenly I had a surprise responsibility: traveling to New York City with my precious wedding dress.
My bridal stylist bud told me to ask the flight attendants for help, assuming everything should be fine. As in all things in life, I didn’t quite discover the dos and don’ts until the whole stressful experience was over. Thankfully, I’m practiced and prepared for our journey with the gown to Mexico in November.
Don’t: Check Your Wedding Dress Under the Airplane
This should seem obvious, but just in case there’s any question – never check your irreplaceable items on an airplane in case it fails to make it to your final destination. Furthermore, you want to be the only one with your hands on the gown from point A to B.
Do: Store Your Gown in a Manner that Makes You Most Comfortable
Many planes have a closet that flight attendants will allow you to store your gown (but not all!) Your gown will hang and be tucked away from other passengers’ hands. When you arrive at your gate, feel free to ask the agent if there will be a closet for your wedding dress, you may be allowed to board early or at least the attendants will be alert beforehand.
That being said, the closet may be far out of sight and cause great anxiety. You won’t know if anyone is going in and out of the closet or hey – maybe there are other wedding dresses stored there to get mixed up with?
If you feel nervous about being far from your gown, do this: take your seat with your gown in your lap as other passengers board. Once it seems everyone has stored their bags, carefully lay your gown on top and across of you and your partner’s suitcase. This way you can see if anyone opens the compartment and rest easy throughout the flight.
Don’t: Forget a Handheld Steamer
Whether you bring one yourself or delegate this task to your bridal party, don’t forget to bring along an emergency steamer. Even if you assume your venue or accommodation has a steamer, it could be broken or busy being used by another guest or party. Handheld apparatuses are quite inexpensive and easy to pack. It’s better to be safe than sorry!
Do: Invest in a Travel-Worthy Garment Bag
I had no clue that I’d be returning from my trip with my wedding dress and wasn’t able to prepare with a more protective bag for my gown. While your bridal salon or designer may gift you a branded garment bag, it may not be the best quality. Mine was paper thin and far from waterproof – I worried the entire flight about someone spilling coffee, soda, anything on my bag staining through to my dress.
Thankfully, my dress made it home safe and sound. Once I got home, I researched and purchased a destination wedding garment bag. Not only is it super safe from liquids, it has a shoulder strap for easy travel (I couldn’t believe what a workout carrying my gown through security was!) structure to keep the gown folded and flat, plenty of room for extra dresses and zippers and buckles to boot.
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