MemberMy wedding is in the Dominican Republic. We’re flying Air Canada and I already have 2 checked bags.
<br />Any tips on how to carry your dress on the plane?
Do they make you check it?
Can I bring it as a carry on
MemberYou can bring it as carry-on. It counts as part of your carry on allowance. It’s best if you pack it in a flat garment bag and lay it in the bin on top of the suitcases once the suitcases are in. That keeps it from getting smashed plus it will still fit in a regional jet that might have tiny bins (you should be able to see the aircraft type on your booking). Some planes have closets which are generally reserved for first class so dont count on hanging it up unless you’re seated in first class (the flight attendants may let you if there is extra room though).
MemberA friend brought her dress (and I believe his suit) onboard as carry on luggage. They did let them hang the dress up. Her mom brought a portable steamer so we could steam the dress and suit the day before the wedding.
MemberHorseradish: Awesome! I hope it doesn’t get squished! Thanks!
LarLa: Thank you! I plan to get it steamed there as well! I’ll beg for the rack!
MemberI am having the same dilemma. I am actually less worried about the longer leg of our trip (10 hrs. trans-Atlantic) than I am about the smaller domestic flight we have to take once we get overseas. There will be much less room to maneuver the dress around on the second flight.
I’ve been thinking about packing it in its own hard-sided box like one of these: http://www.dressinabox.co.uk
Still don’t know!!
MemberI just recently took mine to my parents’ house so I don’t have to worry about it right before the wedding. I think things went pretty well. They flight attentand on the larger airplane hanged it up for me, but on the small regional one the bins were really small & narrow. My dress is not very volumenous at all so it was fine, but I’m having a hard time imagining how one with a large train would fit in.
Member
MemberAsk flight attendant to allow it to be hung. If you tell them it’s a wedding gown, they usually accommodate.
MemberI travel regularly with 5 wedding dresses shoved into ONE suitcase…. not joking.
I would just reccomend finding a dry cleaner and getting it pressed when you arrive. Its going to wrinkle being in the gament bag either way.
Member
Flick: I flew with my wedding dress to Cuba last year. I brought it as a carry on in a garment bag. My husband also brought his suit and they had a designated overhead compartment to put them in. We brought a protable steamer with us just in case but didnt need to use it. I was alot more careful going there with the dress cause on the way back I just put it in one of my checked bags cause I couldnt stand the hassle of carry it again!
MemberMy mom flew with mine already (wedding isn’t until January) by packing it in a vaccuum sealed bag and putting it in her checked bag. I threw a fit thinking it would ruin the dress but honestly it wasn’t even wrinkled, the material just travels super well I guess. It also helped that it isn’t poofy at all.
I’ve heard of people carrying theirs on as a checked bag and having flight attendants hang it while on the plane, that would be my plan if my dress didn’t travel well.
MemberI flew WestJet from Calgary to San Francisco with a giant tulle ballgown. The plane was completely full so I’m glad that I was prepared, here’s what I did:
First of all I told my bridal store that I would be flying with my dress so that they would give me the extra heavy duty plastic garment bag as well as the flimsy one that the dress came in (I used both – for protection and also because the heavy duty plastic bag was clear and I didn’t want Darling Husband to see), then I also made sure to stuff the bodice in case it got squished somehow (this was probably over-kill tho).
I got to the airport with PLENTY of time. We had a ton of baggage (suitcases, golf clubs, carry ons, his suit and my dress) and I wanted to try and sweet talk the WestJet person at the gate. I talked to the representative and asked in the flight was full (it was, otherwise I would have asked if it would be possible to put my dress in an empty seat) and then asked if I could board early with my dress. He was okay with this, and most people will be okay with it as long as you’re nice about it.
When I got on the plane I laid my dress in the overhead bins on top of my hubby’s carryon and then shut the bin. Since it was a full flight there were lots of people looking to put there stuff in my bin, but any time someone would go to open it, I would jump up, shut it and say with a smile and a bridzilla look “sorry, this one’s full” (as if anyone would be stupid enough to get between a bride and her dress on her way to her wedding!)
My dress was perfectly fine, although I did bring a travel steamer with me (and steamed it the night before) just in case. Depending on how many days you’re there beforehand you might be ok to just let it hang in the humidity.
I also brought on the plane with me an EMPTY hard-shell carryon sized suitcase. This was in case the flight attendant made me shove it in a suitcase (some will) I wanted to be sure that it was hard-shell to minimize squishing. This is also how I got it home. Since I didn’t need it, I put my purse in it so that I would still be in line with the 1 carryon and 1 personal item rule.
Whatever you do DO NOT Check your dress. What if it got lost!? Also, if your plane has a closet and they let you hang your dress, make sure that you leave the plane with the right dress as well. Heaven forbid there were two brides on the same flight and you got your garment bags mixed up!
Lastly, try to relax, remember that the dress had to get to the bridal store somehow (most likely in a cardboard box squished in with other dresses) and you can always try to get the hotel to steam it once you get there.
MemberMy store told me to carry it on, but ask if they can hang it. I actually asked a flight attendant this question on a flight yesterday. She told me it’s best to put it in a box (in it’s bag) and check it if possible. I think I’m still going to carry on and hope for the best. It can always be steamed!
MemberThanks ladies! A lot of tips! I’m going to bring it with me on board and give it to Fiancee so he can hold it. Then I’m nicely going to ask if it can be hanged, otherwise it will be the Bridezilla route with not letting people put their bags on my bin! 🙂
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