packing wedding dress????

[1125Pincessbride]

Have a question to the brides who were married at sea, or at a destination...

Did you pack your wedding gown, or just carry it as a carry on ? Any helpful tips welcomed!

[sas80]

I carried mine on.

If you are flying, you can ask the stewardesses to hang your dress in first class. If the coat closets in first class are not full, they will (should, usually do) accommodate you.

 

Once you embark, if you have at least 24 hours until the wedding you can get your dress steamed out on board. It should not cost more than $10.

 

They typically don't have a price listed on the cleaning tag for "steaming wedding dresses". After being put on terminal hold and going round the housekeeping circus talking to everyone, I finally wrote "wedding dress steam, $5" on my tag, and that's all I was charged.

 

Good luck & happy sailing!

[MarriedInStThomas1807]

I carried mine on the plane and they hung it up. Then on the flight home I just stuffed it into my big suitcase. And it didn't even get wrinkled.

[Narina]

I had to drive my dress from Mass to Fl. It was just too big and poofy to carry on a plane. It took the whole trunk and the big joke on the way down was if anyone rear ended us it would just pop out like a parachute it was packed in there so tight.

[Prinycesa07]

Do you mean for the plane or when they got on the boat?

[cabo07]

I carried mine and the flight attendants took my dress and hung it up in first class without asking. I got mine pressed before I left and it was fine.

:)

[Joe & Kristi]

I plan on carrying mine on the plane...just to make sure that it gets there!

[Twomalamutes]

I carried mine on the plane and had them hang it up as well. Once onboard we opened the bag and hung it up.

After showering the first night I hung it in the bathroom and left the shower run on hot for quite awhile. Kind of made a huge steam closet. Worked like a charm!

[flhokie]

I would definitely carry it on the plane and the ship. One thing to keep in mind is that not all planes have closets so there might not be the option of hanging the dress. If you have to put it in the overhead (not allowed to hold it in your lap during takeoff and landing) look in the overhead bin before putting your dress in (even if it means climbing up on the seat to see in). Make sure there is nothing dirty, sticky, wet, etc. in the bin.

[Midnight Rain]

I rolled mine into a carry on suitcase... Mine had no wrinkles when I pulled it out.

[ShedQueen77]

Quick question for those who have already flown with your dress. Did any of you fly American Airlines? I have called them several times and can't get a straight answer about being able to carry the dress on and hang it up.

[Twomalamutes]

We flew American Airlines from MI to Dallas then from Dallas to Vancouver. I called them the week before we went and had them put a "special" note that I would be traveling with a wedding dress. I called their special events & wedding reservations line. They were more than happy to notate that, however keep in mind that the dress counts as your carry-on. You can still bring one "personal" item, which I carried a large tote that I basically used as my purse.

When we arrived at the airport, we checked in and proceeded directly to the gate, where we told the person responsible for boarding that we would need to hang or secure area for my dress. We were told to board as soon as they started to. Most of the people were very helpful.

[ShedQueen77]

We flew American Airlines from MI to Dallas then from Dallas to Vancouver. I called them the week before we went and had them put a "special" note that I would be traveling with a wedding dress. I called their special events & wedding reservations line. They were more than happy to notate that, however keep in mind that the dress counts as your carry-on. You can still bring one "personal" item, which I carried a large tote that I basically used as my purse.

When we arrived at the airport, we checked in and proceeded directly to the gate, where we told the person responsible for boarding that we would need to hang or secure area for my dress. We were told to board as soon as they started to. Most of the people were very helpful.

 

Cool! You did exactly what I'm planning on doing. The dress would be my carry on piece and I have a large tote bag. I'll make sure to call AA closer to the time we leave. 59 days but who's counting? :)

[shecup]

We flew on American and I had a long garment bag for my gown, a wheeled carry on (which I suggest putting your shoes, tiara, veil, etc. in), his garment bag for his suit, and a napsack. We had no trouble with anything. Got on the plane and immediately hung it up. On the way home I folded it into the wheeled carry on and checked it with the rest of the baggage. The only annoying thing was walking with that darn long garment bag all over the place. We got to the pier really early and our room wasn't yet ready so that was a hastle. But all worth it! i made sure not to buy a dress that could be easily wrinkled so I didn't have that issue either after throwing it over my arm so many times. Whatever you do, enjoy your wedding day!

 

Tina

[dcdiva]

Just a word of warning. DON'T make any assumptions about how the airline will deal with the dress. Your experience may be different depending upon the airline, the equipment, the route and even how booked the flight is. Some planes don't have closets, some will have limited overhead space, and some airlines will be stingy about carry on rules.

 

As others have suggested, start by checking with the airline to see what restrictions they have regarding carry-ons. Most will allow you to carry the gown on the plane, but it will be counted as your only allowable carry-on. These days most airlines allow a carry-on and one "personal item" which is typically a purse or a briefcase. But don't assume you'll be able to bring the dress AND a roll aboard suitcase. Hopefully, there will be space to hang the dress in an onboard closet, or to store it in the overhead compartments. But prepared in case there isn't.

 

Here's what I did. I called the airline and double checked the rules. They weren't able to make any accomodations just because it was a wedding dress, but they tried to be helpful. Next, I found a garment bag that met carry-on standards and packed the dress in it. (not the nylon dress bag from the bridal shop, but actual luggage). I carried the bag unfolded onboard hoping that I could hang dress up or lay it flat in the overhead storage. When I arrived at the gate, I smiled and asked as nicely as I could if I could pre-board so I could find overhead space for my dress. Unfortunatley, my flight was fully booked and they couldn't do it. As soon as I boarded, I asked the flight crew to help me find space to store it -- again with a big smile. There was practically no overhead space by the time I boarded -- it was already jammed with bags and bulky winter coats. But the crew let me hang it in what I think was a crew closet. The flight crew will try and be helpful, so just ask as nicely as you can and they will usually try to find a way to work it out. But be prepared that you may have to check the dress, or your other carry on bag.

 

Once I arrived, I knew there wasn't time for the ship to press my gown. But if the wedding isn't until the second or third day of the cruise, the ship should be able to steam it. Since that wasn't an option for me, I brought a small travel steamer. As it turned out, the dress traveled really well, and only needed a touch up with the steamer.

 

My plan was to do anything I could not to check the dress with the airline - especially if there was a plane change. In my case, traveling in winter, on Superbowl weekend, when there are bound to be overbooked flights, the lost luggage lottery odds seemed pretty high. So just in case, I packed a "back up dress", a simple white sheath that I knew I could steam any wrinkles out of. Thankfully I didn't need it. :)

[2007CarnivalBride]

We flew on American Airlines from Atlanta to Miami and they were very helpful. The flight attendent offered to hang both my gown and my husbands tux bag for us and the Captain even offered to let us hang one bag on the coat hanger in the cockpit if we needed.:) We did have to use our two garment bags as our two carryons. DH also took a backpack and I carried a large totebag as our personal bags, so between the two of us we had all our wedding garments, accessories, travel documents, and all the important wedding stuff we were paranoid to pack in our checked luggage. (like our wedding rings and cake topper!) Even the people in security at the airport were nice and gentle with my gown and very careful to make sure it didn't get crunched going through the x-ray machine. On the way back the flight attendent hung up our garment bags again for us w/out us even having to ask!:)

[flhokie]

As dcdiva said don't make any assumptions about how the airline will handle the situation. It may not be a matter of how nice or willing to help they are. If you end up on a regional jet (or smaller) aircraft, which are being used more than ever by the major airlines it may not be possible to have the dress hung (no closet) or to put it in the small overhead bins. Often with these planes you must check anything that doesn't fit in the overhead or under the seat at the door of the aircraft (you will then pick it up there after the plane lands). It's just something to be aware of. If you call the airline in advance, ask them what type of aircraft your flights are on so you can plan accordingly.