Leaving on a jet plane.... with my dress?!

So you've got your dress! A crucial piece of the wedding planning is  checked off! Now you're non stop thinking about your dress -- how awesome this dress looks on you! How great you feel in it! How excited you are to walk down the aisle wearing it! 

Now that you got it, and visualized how you'll look in it... let's talk about how you should pack it!

When planning for a destination wedding, keep your dress in mind.  It's ideal to choose a dress that travels well. Something light, airy and comfy.  We suggest using fabrics that handle traveling like: lace, silk charmeuse or chiffon, while still creating the bridal vision you see yourself in on your special day!

Image from our friends at Bicoastal Images. Check them out in Cancun!

Make friends!!  When purchasing your dress tell the salon that you're traveling to a beautiful beach for your nuptials!  Most shops offer cardboard to fit in the bodice to keep its shape.  Some amazing dress shops will even pack your dress for you! I know of some local shops here who offer this! Another great tool when packing your dress is to use acid free tissue paper between each fold. Be sure to match your tissue paper to your dress color.  To add even more protection place your dress in a dry cleaner bag before putting it in the garment bag (haha garment bag -- read further to hear this story!)

Wedding Butlers' biggest tip is to always bring your dress as carry on.  Many airlines have tight restrictions when it comes to carry on items.  If this is the case, ask some members of your group or you fiancé to forego their carry on so there's more room for you!  Depending on the season the flight attendance may have no problem hanging your dress in the closet but keep in mind there is limited room and flight attendance typically use the closet for their own bulky winter gear.  As a last effort you can put your dress bag in the overhead bin but please, please I beg you, place it on top of the other carry on items. While being polite ask others to avoid that bin so they don't put their luggage on top of your dress.  Last thing you want to is have more wrinkles and worry about your dress for the duration of the flight!

Lastly, the resorts and venues we work with offer dress steaming for the wedding couple.  Take advantage of it but don't leave it to the last day!  I always advise brides to take their dress out of the garment bag when you arrive to your room (tell your man to keep his eyes off the dress!) Just by letting the dress out of the bag will help release a lot of wrinkles.  Humidity helps too, so turn on the hot shower and let the bathroom get muggy and hang your gown in there (don't let it get wet!!)

Image sources: Pinterest

This blog reminds me my sis-in-law's wedding held at a mountain side resort.  Exciting times, right? Right!

The quick thinking bride did not want her future hubby to catch a glimpse of her dress so she safely stored it at her parent's house.  What happened next she didn't learn about until the speech section of the reception!  A few days after placing it in the guest room closet, the bride's brother came for a visit. While there he was asked to bring a dress (from the closet) home to his girlfriend... maybe cities away!

Some guys aren't as delicate as they ought to be.  He flung that garment bag into the back of his grubby jeep, after dragging it along the grass.  When he reached home, he grabbed the bag and tossed it around the house rather than hanging it up.  More days go by before his girlfriend looks at the garment bag to realize this isn't her cocktail dress!! Oh no, this is the bride's gown! Tulle and Crinoline and Beads!

Luckily we managed to get the dress back to the closet it belonged in after having it specially cared for to remove the grass stains, add missing beads and steam out the wrinkles. 

There was no way we were about to stress this bride out days before her wedding by informing her of the road trip her dress went on; that was a story to be saved for the toast to the bride from her brother during the reception! Luckily she was a great sport about it! :)