Transporting Your Destination Wedding Dress

Whilst jetting off with your groom to get married in an exotic or tropical location can make for an incredibly romantic and memorable wedding day, getting your wedding dress there in perfect condition can be a little more tricky!

To ensure you are the beautiful, blushing bride you should be on your wedding day – and not a stressed, flushed and frantic one – here are seven tips to help you transport your destination wedding dress and the formal wear of your wedding party safely and on time.

1. Choose your dress and bridesmaid dresses carefully
The material you choose for your destination wedding dress is incredibly important. First and foremost you will want to choose a fabric that is wrinkle resistant for ease of packing and traveling.

If you are having your wedding in a tropical location, choose a breathable, airy, and lightweight fabric, such as georgette, chiffon, crepe, organza or even cotton. Satin or satin blends can also be a good choice.

Remember too that you will be spending up to 10 hours in your destination wedding dress, so don’t neglect comfort for style!

2. Communicate your destination wedding plans to your designer
If you’re having your wedding dress designed, be sure to tell your designer the location of your wedding, and that your dress will be transported. This may impact the design and fabric used, and they may also have recommendations on how best to transport your dress.

Our beautiful “Pistachio Lace” silk dupion full-length dress is ideal for second weddings or special resort functions including bridesmaid and special occasions.

3. Make plans in case your dress arrives before you do
Talk to the hotel or wedding location about accepting delivery on your behalf and holding onto your dress for your arrival. Ask them to remove it from the parcel to check what condition it is in (and perhaps send you a picture for your peace of mind).

Don’t be afraid to ask if they’d be able to store it in a suitable safe, odour-free location so the gown is ready for your arrival.  They most likely do this regularly for other bridal parties.

4. Arrange a steamer
You may want to consider taking a steamer or organising one to be available at your destination, so you can steam away any unwanted wrinkles resulting from the journey.  Before you do though, always consult the designer or wedding store from where you bought the dress to ensure steaming is safe for the fabric of your particular wedding dress.

5. Ask different transporting companies for their advice
Take the time to talk to several transportation companies and ask how they would recommend transporting your wedding dress, and the costs involved.

Don’t allow your decision to be purely cost driven, go with the company in which you have the most confidence. You want to be sure they will deliver on time and in perfect condition. Remember that you can always negotiate on price, especially if you’re transporting outfits for the whole wedding party.

Be sure to check their policy for damages to ensure you’re covered ‘in case’ anything should happen.  Also check when you will need to ship your dress to ensure your wedding dress is there in plenty of time.

6. Pack your destination wedding dress carefully
Fold your dress carefully, wrapping it in acid free, colourless tissue paper in a box large enough to lay it out without creating unnecessary creases.

To ensure ultimate protection, make sure the box is watertight to guard against odours or stains.  Also mark the outside of your box ‘FRAGILE’ and make sure the airline or transport company puts the appropriate labels on it.

7. Consider flying with your dress
If you are travelling with your dress by plane, consider talking to airlines about taking your wedding dress on board with you as hand luggage. You may find a flight attendant will lay the gown down in the overhead compartments or find a safe location on the plane to hang it up for you.

Whilst extreme, you could buy an airline ticket for your dress, depending on where you are flying to – you certainly wouldn’t be the first bride to do that!

Have you ever travelled with a wedding gown or occasional wear? What tips do you have to share?

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