Things can get tricky when it comes to traveling with your wedding dress. Keeping the dress perfectly pressed from the moment you button it to the moment you walk down the aisle can become problematic. We put together three tips to follow in order to keep the dress in perfection condition while traveling by car or plane.

 

1.Getting dressed at home vs getting dressed at the ceremony space

The option that is best for you all depends on the fabric of the dress but poly mixes, chiffon, jersey, tulle, and lace hold up the best. Pure silks are easily wrinkled. Ideally you should wait as late as possible to put your dress on to avoid wrinkles. Slip into your gown once you’ve had your hair and makeup done, and don’t forget to use the restroom before!  

2. Transport the dress to the wedding ceremony

If you’re planning on getting dressed in the ceremony space avoid wrinkles by hanging your dream dress in a long and wide plastic garment bag and laying it flat in the car.  

3. Flying with the wedding gown

Call the airline beforehand and check if they will be able to stow away your dress in one of the cabin’s closets. If they are not able to accommodate this request you can pack your dress in your luggage and have your hotel or local drycleaner press it for you once you arrive. Make sure to book this service beforehand. If the wrinkles are very light light you can kill two birds with one stone by hanging the dress in your bathroom while you take a hot relaxing shower the night before your wedding. The steam from your shower will get rid of minor wrinkles for most fabrics (except silk). Always check with your bridal shop for wedding dress care.  

The TSA blog had these tips for traveling brides: Brides-to-be can definitely bring their wedding dress through a security checkpoint. Ideally, the dress can lay flat in its garment bag or other packaging and fit through the X-ray machine. If it can’t, our officers can screen the dress manually, but this will require opening the garment bag. Rest assured that our officers will use gloves for the alternate screening to avoid damaging the dress.

 

We strongly advise brides to contact their airline to ask about taking their wedding dress on the plane. While some aircraft have closets in first class that can hold the dress, others may not, which could cause challenges in storing the dress above the seat. Airlines will also count the dress as a carry-on item, so be sure to learn about your airline’s carry-on policies to avoid having to check any items at the gate.

 

We found that KLM is one of the friendliest airlines overseas and does a great job to accommodate brides traveling with wedding dresses:  

You can bring your wedding dress into the cabin instead of a piece of hand baggage if it is packed in a clothing bag and does not weigh more than 5 kg/11 lbs.

 

You can also choose to bring a wedding dress instead of a suitcase, or instead of an extra suitcase bought in advance. You do not need to reserve for transportation of your wedding dress.

 

On KLM flights within Europe with Boeing 737, Fokker 70 and Embraer aircraft, we have limited storage space in the cabin, so you can only bring a wedding dress in the hold.