Flying with your wedding dress

Call ahead of time and make sure the flight attendants know you will be asking to put your dress in the captains closet to avoid having to smush it in the overhead. For a wedding dress they typically won’t give you too much heartache.

So I didn’t fly with my wedding dress but I fly quite a bit. I don’t think it goes by airline. Some plane models have a closet to hang things in and some don’t. As far as carrying it on if you have a basic economy ticket and you have a purse and a wedding dress you would have to check it because that is two carryons. But if your wedding dress is your only carry on then you should be able to put it in the overhead compartment at minimum. Hope this helps.

Can you pack it up and ship it? I feel like I would feel better about shipping it then flying with it?

I got a box that was standard carry on size and my bridal salon packed my dress in it! Mine was super light and not too poofy so there were no probs. Maybe that’s something to look into if your dress is easily packed? My airline allowed for a personal item (my backpack) and then a carry on bag so I was well within my allowance to have both those items on my person. If it can’t be packed like that I would call the airline ahead of time to see how they handle wedding dresses and the storage available on the plane you’re flying on.

I’ve heard of people taking it as a carry on but then others put luggage on top of it because they couldn’t hang it up. I’m shipping mine ahead of time.

I didn't fly with my wedding dress but I fly Delta for every work trip (which is often) and as long as your dress is carry-on sized (you could get a fold-able dress garmet bag that folds in half) you can also take a personal item. Every flight I've been on has had very accomodating staff and I'm sure if you asked if there was somewhere to hang it rather than put it in the overhead bin I'm sure they would do what they can. Smaller planes have less space so that will be a factor as well.

I'm flying American to Jamaica and my travel agent said that there is a closet and they will store it for me. However, we are on a vacation plane. If you are traveling to a regular destination, they might prioritize wheelchairs, snowboards, or flight attendant clothes. Call ahead and explain and make sure they have a closet and believe they will accommodate you. You could also lay on top of suitcases in the overhead bins. If you have a huge dress with fragile details, then buying a seat or finding an open seat (with help from attendant) is ideal. Good luck!