5 Easy Tips for Flying With Your Wedding Dress Safely

If you’re like me and chose to have a destination wedding, chances are at some point, probably late in the middle of the night, the thought crossed into your head… HOW THE HECK do I fly with a wedding dress? 

So if you’re reading this at 3am in a bridal panic, don’t worry. I GOTCHU. There are some easy, fool-proof ways to make sure your wedding dress arrives safely to your destination wedding, and I’ll walk through them all here so you can have a plan and get back to all the rest of your wedding planning. Seriously am i the only one who spent a solid three full days researching vintage stamps for my wedding invites? No? just me, cool, okay moving on. 

Here are the best tips to make sure you get your dress to your wedding destination in perfect condition

Carry it on with you!

Make sure it’s safely in a garment bag, and carry it on with you! Tell the flight attendants that you have a wedding dress and they often have a space where they can hang it on the plane, or can help you find an empty overhead bin to take over. Since every airline is different, I’d also recommend you call the airline you’ll be flying to find out how they handle passengers with important, bulky items like a wedding dress. While they probably won’t be able to make any guarantees, you’ll at least get off the phone with more information about what to expect upon boarding.

Fly First Class or Purchase Priority Boarding

If you want your dress to get a spot in the coveted airplane closet (if your plane has one), definitely try to be one of the first to board. While there are no guarantees, most flight attendants will do their best to help you out if they know you’re bringing your wedding gown on board the plane. If they don’t, if you pre-board, I’d recommend you find an overhead to lay your dress out, then close the overhead so people know it’s taken. 

Make Sure Your Wedding Gown Fits Your Airline’s Carry-On Requirements

No one wants to end up with their wedding dress being whisked away to checked luggage, where who knows what might happen to it. It’s very important to make sure you’re allowed to bring your wedding dress as a carry-on— so call your airline and double check the weight and size rules for your airline!

Don’t Forget to Pack a Portable Steamer

Trust me, you’re definitely going to want a steamer (and an adapter, too, if you’re getting married overseas) for your dress, your fiance’s suit, and your bridesmaids dresses too. 

An alternative to carrying on your dress: Ship the dress to your destination

It’s perfectly safe to ship your dress directly to your destination, too, if you have somebody trustworthy to receive it on the other end, like your wedding planner. If you go this route, I’d let your bridal shop pack your wedding gown into the box for you after your final fitting. Insure the package for as much money as possible, and send your wedding gown via the fastest shipping method available. High priority mail moves faster and is often treated better. If you’re sending your gown to your wedding planner, I’d ask to take it out of the bag and hang it up when it arrives!

 

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WRITTEN BY:

Christina is a leading luxury lifestyle and travel blogger with over 2 million readers. Follow her on instagram @jetsetchristina.

  • Mari
    REPLY

    You are so right! Traveling with a wedding dress did not cross my mind when picking a destination wedding. It was definitely stressful to even think it might get lost or ruined. Carrying a steamer is a must, but I would also add to contact your wedding planner or whoever you are working with for your destination wedding. They will be able to have it professionally steamed. This gave me a lot of piece of mind.

    January 25, 2022

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