Post # 1
Member
515 posts
Busy bee
Me and my partner, after a lot of thought have decided to.make the trip from Melbourne Australia to get married in Vegas. Most of my huge family is in the UK, and my partners family is very small, so we are not doing a wedding in either. We are going in may, and we are staying for 10 days. Do I find a dress I really love here, and vacuum pack it and pay quite a hefty fee to get it sent to vegas, and then what condition do I find it in?or do I chance it and get a dress there, and risk getting married in something I don’t like. I do want a big beautiful dress, and I am also a plus size bride, Aus20 US16-18.
Post # 2
Member
6870 posts
Busy Beekeeper
Buy a dress locally, take it to a dry cleaner that specializes in wedding gown preservation, have them vacuum pack it for air travel, and carry it on the plane as your hand baggage. Some airlines won’t let you– Air New Zealand only lets your carry-on bag be 5 or 7kg, for example, so make sure you fly with someone who will allow a heavier article in hand baggage. Your Vehas hotel can freshen the dress for a fee, or you can buy a portable garment steamer and freshen it yourself.
Post # 3
Member
1940 posts
Buzzing bee
I wouldnt chance it, no way Jose!! BUT I’m picky and if I dont love something I’m wearing, I dont feel awesome and feeling awesome on my wedding day was very important to me! Would not loving your dress potentially put a small damper on your day? Your answer to that will help with yur decision! COngrats by the way, Vegas weddings are very beautiful!
Post # 4
Member
337 posts
Helper bee
I carried a huge dress with me in a garmet bag (well several layers of garmet bag, but NOT vacuum packed!!) and just took it as a carry on a cross country flight. I worried much more about it than I need to. It was fine. I got to buy it and tailor it locally and then when I got to my wedding destination had it steamed to get the wrinkles out. Not a big deal. I know it’s a longer flight international, but really tell them it’s your wedding dress and people will help accomodate as much as they can. Just carry it with you. It will be fine. 🙂
Post # 5
Member
515 posts
Busy bee
Thankyouu, i was a bit nervous about vacuum packing it, but I’ll check how much it weighs before I buy lol. I’m flying united, i think we have a limit of 10kg carry on
Post # 6
Member
337 posts
Helper bee
I’ve never ever had my carry-on luggage weighed. And no one looked twice when I had my dress. Really buy the dress you want to wear for your wedding! For real.
Also, fyi, if you’d like a BIG dress but not a HEAVY dress, taffetta is much lighter than satin or silk if you like the look and feel of it. Some people love it and others hate it. I am in the hate crowd so my dress was heavy satin. But the other thing I did to help with it was a HOOP SKIRT. Forget a crinolin petticoat that adds bulk and weight, the hoop skirt can give you the shape of a larger dress but is SO light and doesn’t add any bulk to the dress. I highly reccomend them.
Post # 7
Member
8067 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
Rabbit56: I am from Australia and got married in Vegas. I did not vaccum pack my dress, that is insane. I just packed it in one of those hard shell hand luggage cases. Get your bridal salon to show you how to pack it or better yet bring in the case and let them do it. The salon also suggested packing it inside out in case customs/security want to check it. Best advice ever because it happened to me and they put their grubby hands (since they don’t swap their gloves between looking at the person in front of you grubby shoes etc) on my white dress.
then when you get to Vegas have your dress steamed. I recommend Deb from Fit for a Bride. They will pick up and drop off your gown.
I checked with the airline and they suggested packing the item because overhead bin space is limited and they do not have closests for economy passengers to hang items. I have flown to the States on various carries over the last few years and everytime the overhead bins have been full to exploding with those awkward oversized wheely bags.
Post # 8
Member
515 posts
Busy bee
j_jaye: that’s super helpful, i was looking recently and the assistant said that for the style is was going for it need to vacuum pack, but I think if packed properly I wouldn’t need to, so you sent yours as extra luggage? I’m also on the lookout for hair/makeup, its harder than I thought planning from Australia lol
Post # 9
Member
1215 posts
Bumble bee
Check into mailing it. Like, seriously. We have a second house on the Mississippi coast and everytime we go down there, we end up getting way too much to bring home with us. Mailing our stuff back is cheaper than paying extra airline luggage fees. I would call the hotel you are staying at and tell them it’s coming, and send it a couple of weeks ahead of time. Make sure the major hotel manager knows about it. They may even pull it out and press it for you upon arrival if you ask.
Post # 10
Member
515 posts
Busy bee
I guess I could get it insured, we are staying at the bellagio. I’d be worried abounds getting ruined, and because I’m a larger size I don’t know if I’d get a dress that I loved in time, we are only there for 10 days and we are getting married on day 3.
Post # 11
Member
8067 posts
Bumble Beekeeper
Rabbit56: I just took it as my normal hand luggage allowance. I didn’t trust it in the checked luggage and I certainly wouldn’t post it, mostly because of damage and that it would cost a fortune. Last xmas I sent some small boxes of xmas goodies to friends in the USA and each shoebox sized box cost over $60 in postage uninsured for snail mail (so by boat). Airmailing a dress with insurance will probably cost a couple of hundred dollars.
I used Francesca from Bobby pin beauty for my hair and make up. I was really happy with her work.
Post # 12
Member
6870 posts
Busy Beekeeper
The Bellagio has almost 4000 rooms. It is a massive hotel. No way would I have something shipped there– while I’d absolutely trust them to get the package to me when it arrived, I wouldn’t count on them being willing or able to store it for more than a couple of days for me, and talking to the manager about it wouldn’t help because they have like 46 managers!
Post # 13
Member
152 posts
Blushing bee
As another posted suggested…look into Fit for A bride. That’s what I’m doing. She’ll pick up your dress from your hotel, steam it beautifully, then bring it back to the hotel. This way you can carry it on as hand luggage and not Concern yourself with how wrinkled it is. I personally have shipped my dress to Debi via fedex in advance but that’ll get pricey from Australia. I’m in the us.
Post # 14
Member
130 posts
Blushing bee
You should definitely take it as a carry-on. I wouldn’t take any risks with the airline losing luggage or a package not showing up in the mail. I would just take in a garment bag and try to lay it over the luggage in the overhead bin if there’s no room to hang it in first class.
