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Destination Wedding Gown:
Traveling with Your Wedding Gown Tips and Tricks
Whether you are headed halfway around the world or just to the next town, you want your wedding gown to look fresh and unwrinkled for your wedding ceremony. Our Certified Wedding Gown Specialists™ can help you pack your wedding gown for travel or press your wedding gown when you arrive at your destination.
If you are a DIY person, you might want to invest in a portable steamer, but remember to cover the head of the steamer with something absorbent such as a white sock or a wash cloth so you do not risk water spots on your wedding gown.
Either way, here are some tricks to help you and your wedding gown travel safely!
traveling with
Your Gown
Traveling by Car
Since most bridal shops protect your wedding gown with a garment bag and stuff it with a bust form plus lots of tissue to keep your wedding gown from being crushed while it is in the garment bag, the most your wedding gown should need after your ride in the car is a Quick Fix (see below).
If you do not have a bag, stuff the bodice (the upper part of your wedding gown) with as much tissue as possible, and buffer the folds of your wedding gown’s skirt with still more tissue. Use one large sheet (a fitted sheet works best) to cover the front of your wedding gown and another one to cover the back. Then pin the sheets together.
Hang your wedding gown so the bodice is facing the car door, and the bust form plus the tissue will protect the bodice from wrinkling. Lay the rest of the wedding gown on the car seat.
Traveling By Plane
There was a time when you could carry your wedding gown on board in a garment bag and hang the bag in a storage closet. Today most airlines insist you fold the garment bag into the overhead bin, and your wedding gown is sure to wrinkle. For more protection, you could pack your gown in a large box or suitcase and check your wedding gown with your luggage. Or you could buy a plane ticket for your gown–and there are those who do!
Would you rather travel by airplane with your gown in a wedding chest that will protect your gown, can go through security with you, and fits into the overhead bin on board? Ask the Certified Wedding Gown Specialist™ near you for help and be sure to check with the airline for the dimensions of the overhead.
Click here to find our Certified Wedding Gown Specialist™ near you.
Traveling by Ship
The advice for traveling by ship is the same as for traveling by car because you can carry your wedding gown with you when you go on board, and most cruise ships offer pressing services.
PACKING AT HOME
Line the box or suitcase you are using with tissue and lay your wedding gown– face (front side) down–over the box so that about one-third of your wedding gown is over the box, one-third is at one end of the box and the other one-third at the other end of the box. Make sure you have your wedding gown centered in the box. The part that is face (front side) down should be spread out flat so there are no creases or folds.
Beginning with the side seams, fold the skirt lengthwise over bunched tissue until the skirt is no wider than the box. Then add more tissue and fold the bottom of the skirt into the box. Add still more tissue and fold the top of your wedding gown into the box. The top of the gown will now be facing up. In other words, visualize yourself doing the impossible: laying on your stomach with your legs folded over backwards while your head and shoulders are laying on top of your legs–facing up!
Use still more tissue to stuff the bodice and to cushion anything else such as bows or sleeves. If prongs are holding the crystals on your wedding gown in place, be sure to put tissue over the prongs so they do not cause snags. When you are finished, the dress should not move or “dance,” as the Spanish say, even if you shake the box. Save the dancing for your wedding day!
Quick Fixes for Pesky Wrinkles
- Hang your wedding gown in the bathroom. Then turn the shower to hot, close the door, and let the shower run until the room is filled with steam, which will relax most creases.
- Invest in a portable hand steamer you can use whenever you travel. Guard against spotting water-sensitive fabrics such as silk by covering the head of the steamer with a sock or wrapping it in a small towel.
Professional Pressing
Of course, the surest solution to the wrinkle problem is having your wedding gown professionally pressed once you arrive at your destination. Click here to find a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist™ near you. Many of our Certified Wedding Gown Specialists™ offer free pressing if you also use their services for cleaning and preservation after the wedding.
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Click here to find a Certified Wedding Gown Specialist™ near you!