 Most destination
brides ask the paramount question: What's the best way to pack
and transport my wedding gown? Listed below are some tips
on how to safely get your dress to your wedding destination.
Packing Your Gown. We suggest that you pack your
gown in a box, not in a garment bag. A box will offer the
greatest amount of protection and the easiest way to transport
your gown. We have seen to many brides carry their dress
around with them in a garment bag. The bag is always
getting thrown over an arm, a shoulder or a chair back. It
gets squeezed into small airline coat closets or smashed in the
overhead storage. Don't let this happen to your
dress...pack it in a box!
Your wedding dress shop will be able provide you with a box
large enough to hold your dress, and acid-free tissue paper to
pack it with to prevent excessive wrinkling. Check with
the shop where you bought your dress to see if they offer
packing services. If they do not offer this service, than
we suggest you line the box with the tissue paper and then fold
the dress so that the bodice faces up when you are finished.
Be sure to layer tissue paper between each folded layer to
further protect the fabric, then stuff the bodice, sleeves and
any bows that are on the dress. If you have any gaps
between the dress and the box, be sure to stuff those with
tissue as well so that your dress fits snugly in the box.
This will prevent it from shifting. Your final step is to
wrap the box in plastic to protect it from any liquid that could
get spilled on it, and to help prevent the box from accidentally
coming open and spilling the dress. Several layers of a
good quality plastic wrap will suffice.
Transporting the Dress.
We recommend you ship your gown. This may throw some of
you into a panic, but it truly is the best way to get your dress
to your wedding destination. Take your plastic wrapped box
to UPS or Fed-Ex as it's important that you choose a service
that provides full insurance coverage and a tracking number with
true dynamic (up-to-the-minute) tracking capabilities. The
shipper will place your dress box within a larger box and pad it
with packing peanuts to provide even better protection. Be sure
to purchase insurance to cover the cost and expense of renting
or purchasing another dress at your destination, just in case
the unthinkable happens. You will need to let your wedding
coordinator know you are shipping your dress, and then put
his/her name on the shipping label. Your package should
arrive at your destination about two to three days before you
do. Your wedding coordinator will be able to store your dress
until you arrive.
If shipping is not an option,
forego one piece of your carry-on luggage and take your dress
package on board with you. In this case, put the prepared dress
box in a hard-shell suit-case. Be sure the dress box fits
snuggly within the suitcase and stuff any spaces with white,
acid-free paper. Don't
check it in with your luggage, since one of the most likely
places your package will be damaged or lost is in baggage
handling. If you are told you must check your dress
package (generally this only happens if you are on a plane that
is too small to accommodate a closet or large enough overhead
storage), then you will be prepared to check it.
Once you arrive at your
destination, remove your dress from its package as soon as
possible. Hang it in a clean, dry, dust-free, well-ventilated
place where you have enough room to spread the skirt out over a
white, cotton sheet covered floor. Stuff the sleeves and bodice
with white acid-free paper to maintain the dress's shape. If
there are any noticeable wrinkles, don't send it away to the
commercial cleaner used by the hotel or the resort. Simply
use an iron and press the wrinkles starting on low heat on the
wrong side of the fabric. If you use a portable steamer,
wrap the head of the steamer in a towel to avoid spotting
sensitive fabric. As with any questions regarding your
wedding day, don't hesitate to ask your on-site wedding
coordinator for tips.
Tips provided by dessy.com, Elite
Wedding Collections Magazine, and our staff |
