transporting the dress

[AceP]

I picked up my dress yesterday, and i have to say, it''s a bit puffier than i anticipated. it''s slim to the knee, but flares out quite a bit below that. (pics from my first fitting: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/aceps-dress-pics.78430/) Somehow, it needs to travel a thousand miles in the next two weeks. I had planned to carry it on the plane and ask if the flight attendants could hang it in the first class cabin. But it''s pretty unwieldy, so now i''m questioning that strategy. So, I could a. buy it a seat, b. ship it c. keep the current plan and hope it works. has anyone been through this or have a suggestion?

 

[Maisie]

Is it going to your family home? I would ship it if thats where it is going, otherwise I don''t know.... would they let you hang it up in first class?

 

[AceP]

Date: 2/25/2008 11:29:44 AM
Author: Maisie
Is it going to your family home? I would ship it if thats where it is going, otherwise I don''t know.... would they let you hang it up in first class?

unfortunately, it is not going to my family home - it''s a destination wedding. so there''s no ideal person to receive it. it''s a small resort that doesn''t have a concierge or wedding coordinator or anything like that.

 

[Sabine]

Could you call the airline to ask suggestions? Or find out if buying a seat for the dress is an option you can do at the last minute? I wouldn''t want to ship it if I didn''t know/trust who would be receiving it. If you plan on them hanging it up and you get there and they say no, you would need a back up plan, and if the flight is booked, buying a seat wouldn''t work then either.

 

[karasue91]

Date: 2/25/2008 11:24:09 AM
Author:AceP
I picked up my dress yesterday, and i have to say, it''s a bit puffier than i anticipated. it''s slim to the knee, but flares out quite a bit below that. (pics from my first fitting: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/aceps-dress-pics.78430/) Somehow, it needs to travel a thousand miles in the next two weeks. I had planned to carry it on the plane and ask if the flight attendants could hang it in the first class cabin. But it''s pretty unwieldy, so now i''m questioning that strategy. So, I could a. buy it a seat, b. ship it c. keep the current plan and hope it works. has anyone been through this or have a suggestion?

hahahaha this just struck me as funny. wouldn''t it be super expensive to buy an extra seat? i would call the airline and see what they say. you will probably be checking 2 bags each, but if you aren''t you could carefully fold it into a larger suitcase or box and check it? just tell FI that he''s only allowed to bring one big bag to check and he has to fit the rest of his stuff into a carry-on!!

 

[luckystar112]

I'm having a DW as well, and I've been told to contact the airline to see if they will hang it up in front.

If not, I was told to buy a large box (large enough to fit in the overhead compartment...but not any bigger than the airlines requirements) and then place the dress in the box on top of loads of tissue paper. Fold the dress as many times as necessary to fit it in the box, but put a ton of tissue paper between the layers, and try not to push down on the dress to get it to fit.

Then, get on the plane and put it in the overhead compartment. Voila!

*It should be known that I haven't tried the box method yet. If it's a big ball gown I imagine it may be harder than it sounds. lol.

 

[luckystar112]

Just wanted to add....I definitely would NOT check your wedding dress with your other luggage. Airlines are so fricken flakey...don''t take the chance!!!

 

[Independent Gal]

I brought my NM dress to my father''s last time I went to visit him, and the pilot put it up in the cockpit with him.

Call the airline and explain the situation. I''ll betcha they''ve done this before and have a way! Particularly if it''s a big plane, not a puddle jumper.

 

[gtn]

I''ve never done this, but I have seen wedding dresses in overhead compartments on planes they took up the whole compartment and nobody cares more about your dress then you. I once "saw" a bride vacuume seal the dress in a very large spacesaver bag and then put the dress in a sturdy box that fit in the overhead bin. I can''t tell you how big or small the dress was. I just saw the bride protecting it. I would definitely call the airline and see what they recommend. If it is a busy flight, you will surely have difficulty with any of your options.

 

[Independent Gal]

...except that people get all sentimental about you being a bride, so they go above and beyond.That''s my guess anyway.

 

[surfgirl]

We flew with my dress to our elopement destination and it was very easy. Flight attendants are VERY accomodating when they see a big white bag!

1. Check in EARLY, and go to the gate and ask the gate attendant if you can please pre-board so you can hang your dress up without people pushing and shoving. They''re usually happy to help you with this.

2. Make sure your dress bag has a loopy thing on the BOTTOM MIDDLE of the bottom seam. The reason? So you can fold the dress in half when you hang it up. You hang the bottom loop over the hanger, and that way it usually can fit into the closet. If not, you can simply lay it out as best you can in the overhead, and then close it, and "guard it"! I think that''s what I did and the attendants made sure nobody put anything up there.

That''s all we had to do, people were very willing to accomodate us.

 

[AceP]

Date: 2/25/2008 2:00:43 PM
Author: surfgirl
We flew with my dress to our elopement destination and it was very easy. Flight attendants are VERY accomodating when they see a big white bag!

1. Check in EARLY, and go to the gate and ask the gate attendant if you can please pre-board so you can hang your dress up without people pushing and shoving. They''re usually happy to help you with this.

2. Make sure your dress bag has a loopy thing on the BOTTOM MIDDLE of the bottom seam. The reason? So you can fold the dress in half when you hang it up. You hang the bottom loop over the hanger, and that way it usually can fit into the closet. If not, you can simply lay it out as best you can in the overhead, and then close it, and ''guard it''! I think that''s what I did and the attendants made sure nobody put anything up there.

That''s all we had to do, people were very willing to accomodate us.

pre-boarding is positively genius. that said, we''re flying from major city to major city - it will be a packed flight. at $160 for a one-way ticket, what do you all think? suck it up and buy fluffy a seat, or banish her to the closet/overhead?

 

[swimmer]

What people said about hanging the dress up in the first class cabin is probably the best way to go. There is always a little closet there for suit jackets, and as was mentioned, the stewardesses are hopefully going to be helpful. I''m pretty sure that its illegal to put anything but a person in a seat. Even a gorgeous dress has to go up in the overhead compartment if not in the closet up front. I''m going to carry my dress on as well, but only because we don''t have a direct flight and its the luggage you value the most that always seems to get lost.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

What ever you do DO NOT ship it and DO NOT check it. Keep it with you at all times.

 

[CrookedRock]

Aahh, why not... Get that dress a seat. If nothing else it''s a funny story!

 

[AceP]

well, i called the airline and indeed, you cannot put anything other than a human body in a seat. (but it kinda looks like a body, just without a head...) so i guess it''s back to the carry-on plan. sometimes i really wonder if destination weddings are worth the trouble.

 

[surfgirl]

Yeah, I was going to tell you that you cant put a dress/object on a seat anyway. If your dress is really poofy, I''d just do a pre-board and sit in the first row of whatever section you''re in (and if it''s within budget, why not upgrade to First Class to get the extra attention and service?!) and carefully place the dress out in the overhead, close the hatch and guard it, telling anyone who tries to open it that it''s full with a bridal gown. That''s what I did. Oh, and get the aisle seat so you can guard the overhead...