I remember when I finally found “the” dress. It was such a special feeling of excitement and joy, and I was so afraid of ruining it. When I brought it to have it altered I was so scared that something would happen to it! With that said, my seamstress had her studio just a short walk from our home. I can really imagine how nerve wracking it has to be to bring your dress from overseas to your destination wedding!
In this post I will give you some tips and advice what to think about when traveling with your wedding dress. I hope you find it helpful!
Consider bringing the dress earlier
Yes, I know. This sounds perhaps a bit overkill, and not everybody can do it. But bringing your dress earlier can actually be quite a good idea. Just make sure that you have somewhere safe to store it, and obviously that the last alternations have been made.
Many couples who are able to visit their destination various times before the wedding will usually have their last trip to the destination for menu tasting and hair and makeup trial just a few months before the wedding. This way, in case something would happen to it during travel (God forbid!), you have some time on hand to solve the problem.
Don’t check in your dress at the airport
If possible, avoid checking in your dress at the airport. My recommendation is to always travel with it as a carry-on luggage if you can. Check the exact measurements with your flight company beforehand.
Still need to check-in your dress?
If you still would need to check-in your dress, know that nowadays there are special GPS luggage trackers that you can put inside of your luggage. The device is connected to an app on your phone. If the luggage get’s lost, you will be able to track it. It won’t solve the issue, at least it might give you some peace of mind.
If you have to check-in your dress, make sure to travel extra early to your destination. You need time margin in case the dress would get lost. It might take days for the luggage to arrive.
On the flight
If you’re lucky, the flight company might offer you a suit closet where you can hang the dress during the flight. If you are really concerned about the dress being packed up in a small suitcase, you could also buy an extra seat for the dress so you can have it more unfolded during the flight.
At the hotel
When you arrive to the hotel, unpack your dress as soon as possible to allow time for any wrinkles to even out. Bring a steamer with you. Depending on the dress, you can also use the bathroom as a steam room by letting hot water build up steam for 10 minutes and then hang your dress there for 20 min.
That’s it! I hope you found this post helpful and good luck traveling!
