The Dress: Protecting Your Most Important Outfit Ever!

So you’ve chosen the perfect wedding dress – it’s a stunning sleeveless number with hand-made lace panelling, delicate embroidery with beads and pearls, and a trailing train that’s fit for a princess! It’s not only the dress of your dreams but you’ve chosen a dreamy pair of Jimmy Choo’s and just the right jewellery to compliment it. The excitement is palpable and we bet you can’t help sneaking a peek at it every night before bed?

By this time you also would have spent a fair amount of money on your wedding day ensemble, so you’re undoubtedly going to want to ensure that it stays as immaculate as it was when you put down all that moolah! Destination weddings are simply amazing but transporting your dress to a foreign country can feel a little stressful. To help we’ve listed 10 foolproof ways to ensure your incredible dress emerges unscathed from the journey.

1. Don’t ship it

To start with, whatever you do, don’t use an international courier company to ship your dress. There’s just so much that is out of your control, in this case, think delays, temperatures and the risk of unexpected damages. Even if you do use a reputable company and pay a little extra for fast and safe delivery, it’s just not worth it if unforeseen circumstances crop up. If you have no other option, ensure that you ship it with plenty of time to spare. Get a tracking number and follow that precious package every step of the way. Oh, and yes, you must insure it!

2. Buy it a seat on the plane

Now this one might seem a little over the top, but if your dress really does mean that much to you - and you’re worried about placing it in an overhead compartment on a 10+ hour international flight - buy another seat! Yes, we admit, this one may be for the prima donnas but your wedding dress is certainly an invaluable item and at least you’ll have some peace of mind knowing that it will emerge in perfect condition.

3. Bring your dress on as a carry-on item

Checking in your dress is never a good idea. It’s as risky (if not more) than shipping! Firstly, it could be getting smashed, crushed and misshapen in that suitcase. It could easily be damaged, lost, or even stolen. It’s not that often that suitcases go missing, but it certainly does happen, and that would be an unspeakable disaster right before the wedding.

We suggest you bring your wedding dress in a garment bag on the plane. It might be a good idea to call the airline ahead of time and find out what their onboard luggage policy is like. Different companies have varying policies regarding carry-on dimensions.

Also, give yourself extra time to go through security. The garment bag might look out of the ordinary to the security staff who may want to scan it again or take a look inside. It the dress doesn’t fit the conveyor belt scanner then it may need to be searched by the staff.

4. Mind where you keep it on board

If the flight has a closet, you’ll want to hang it in there, ideal! If not, you will have to lay it flat in one of the overhead compartments. For sanity’s sake, ensure that nobody crams their luggage on top of your dress. If you can find an empty compartment somewhere, that’s almost as good as hanging it in a closet. If the flight is full and you can’t find any space for your dress to travel solo in its own space, just make sure you lay it on top of any other luggage in the compartment.

If your dress is made of a particular kind of material that doesn’t wrinkle easily or isn’t particularly fragile, you could fold it with garment protecting fabric and slip it into a suitcase. Consider packing a handheld steamer to smooth out any minor creases, just in case. At Botanica Weddings we provide steamers at all of our venues but it’s always nice to be prepared.

5. Keep it safe around the pre-celebrations

Once it’s “ready to go”, keep it in its garment bag at all times, and in the cupboard. Don’t be tempted to bring it out to show people, especially around food and drink. It’s better kept as a surprise, anyway, but more importantly, you don’t want to risk staining or burning it. And you don’t want it to reek like wine or your dad’s celebratory cigar on your big day. Keep it tucked away like a precious diamond.

6. Transporting it to the venue

Transporting it via car to the venue won’t be too difficult. Bring it in the garment bag and hang it on one of the handles on the roof inside the car. If that’s not possible, hang it by the head post in the front seat of the car. Once you get to the venue, carry it to the room where you’ll be getting your hair and make-up done and hang it up in the cupboard. We recommend assembling your whole wedding outfit as soon as you get to the venue, it’s important to make sure nothing has been forgotten or needs any last minute repairs.

7. Wrinkles and Damages

We hope you don’t have to face this, but if you didn’t bring a steamer and you accidentally crease your dress while travelling, here’s an emergency solution. Find somewhere nice and high to hang your dress in the bathroom. Close all windows and doors and run a very hot shower (and bath), letting the steam fill the entire room. After around 10-15 minutes, once the steam is as thick as you think it will get, bring the dress into the room and hang it up somewhere secure. Leave it there to steam for around 20 minutes then remove it and hang it back in your room in a well-ventilated space. This should remove some mild creases, but of course, it depends on the severity as well as the material and style of dress.

If the dress does get damaged during travel you can take it to the nearest qualified tailor and have it repaired and drycleaned. Botanica Weddings staff can help you with recommendations for our best last minute dry cleaners and tailors.

Botanica Weddings: Your Experts On Call

Having a wedding in Bali can be the stuff dreams are made of. But without a good planner, it could quickly turn into a disaster. If you’re thinking of having your wedding in Bali, consider contacting Botanica Weddings. We can help with your dress transportation and everything else! After planning hundreds of destination weddings we know just what it takes to make everything run seamlessly.