Reader questions submitted to Kendra.
Question: I am traveling to Negril, Jamaica for my destination wedding. Can you provide some tips for traveling with my wedding dress? It is not a very elaborate dress but I need to get it there in one piece and without too much wrinkles.
Answer: First of all congrats on your upcoming wedding. Getting your dress from the bridal shop to your home is a task by itself so you can imagine the work involved in getting a wedding dress half way around the world. How you make it happen depends on the amount of time that you have and your budget. Here are some options.
Hang it up. You can notify the airline beforehand that you will need space in the coat closet to hang your dress. Most airlines are usually very accommodating. Place your dress in a breathable garment bag and you’re ready to go. Note, this option will only work if your dress is fairly lightweight and not too bulky.
Mail it. If you’re willing to take the risk you can mail your dress ahead of you and have the hotel or wedding planner secure it until your arrival.
Check it. Carefully fit your dress in the suitcase, carefully packaged of course, and check it in with the other luggage. This is the most viable option for heavier and more bulky dresses. The downside to this is that you run the risk of your luggage getting lost.
Pay for an extra seat. This might seem silly at first, it might be even be the most costly option but if you want to get your dress to your destination wedding without wrinkles, drama or the risk of getting lost then paying for the extra seat might not be a bad idea. You probably paid a few thousand dollars for your dress so a couple hundred dollars to keep it safe and looking the way you want is a small price to pay.
Take note that flat garment bags or boxes are best for transporting your dress and getting past the security checkpoint. It should be able to fit through the X-ray machine otherwise a manual check will be required. If you have fake jewels or wires on the dress a manual inspection may also be required. If this happens you can ask the security to put on clean gloves to avoid soiling your dress.
Some other things to be careful with are your jewelry and bridal party gifts. Place all your jewels in your carryon luggage and delay the wrapping of your gifts since they might need to be unwrapped for screening.
