Transporting Wedding Dress on Flights??

[feline figaro]

Hi Ladies

Can i ask how you transported your wedding dresses over to America??

I was thinking of sending mine over a month beforehand to Carolyn Allens to get it all ready so when we arrived i could then pick it up but am now not so sure it ll be the best thing to do.

Im worried that it ll get held back by US customs & due to that it ll not arrive at Carolyn Allens if they decide they want to charge more fees upon it . Or that it ll get damaged in transit or will just get lost.

I ve read someone saying that they ve asked Virgin & have been given the Thumbs Up for taking their dress on board the flight which would be great . BUT i remember reading a while back someone being told the same thing but when they went to board their flight the airline (VIRGIN)went back on their word & did nt allow her to carry it on board.

Ideaily id want my dress in the cabin with me as stewardesses apparently hang them up for you but knowing my luck it ll have to go in the hold.

Thankyou

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

Most airlines will put it with all the first class coats if you explain what it is. Good luck!

 

[caryndisneydiva]

you could also buy a seat for it! i ended up (after some "negotiating") putting my dress in it's own window seat.

 

[Beep]

Hiya,

I've done such a lot of research and soul-searching on this! Virgin told me that you cannot take the dress on board unless it is in the correct cabin sized bag and weighed less than 6kg. Someone posted that they asked about their dress at check in when they flew out on a planning session and was told they could take as long as security agreed. She checked and security said no problem

I know someone else (a couple of years ago) that took their dress in it's bag and was told it had to go as checked luggage. She had to buy another suitcase and check it in.

BA told me under no circumstances would they allow a dress unless it was in a cabin sized box - no exceptions. This is the option I am going for as they have a hand luggage allowance of 21kgs.

US customs will charge you if the value of the item is over $100. This bothered me because I've bought my dress in the UK and really object paying customs when it is for me and no-one else! It also bothered me about what would happen if it got to Carolyn Allens and there was no-one to pay the customs charge.

If you ship it back from the US you will get stung with 12% customs and 17.5% VAT.

Sigh...

 

[orangetiggs]

I just posted about this in my planning session trip report. I travelled with virgin atlantic and asked the check in desk, they said they will accept it in the dress bag as long as baa(the security) will allow it through so i checked with them and they said it was down to the airline and once i said virgin said it was down to baa she told me they have alot go through. I still wanted to double check so i checked with the boarding staff at the gate and they said i could take it on the plane in its dress bag.

Thats what i am going to do in aug

 

[finch75]

I took mine on in a box as hand luggage with Virgin - it weighed less than 6Kg and was my only piece of hand luggage.

 

[Fantasia Sam]

I travelled with someone in May last year to her wedding in WDW and she had hers in a box and it was her one piece of hand luggage and Virgin had no problem with that.

Mine I stuffed in one of those "freebie" suit carriers you get when you buy a men's suit in say Next or M&S it comes with handles. Back then I was allowed two pieces of hand luggage and honestly I wasn't going to tell them that it was my wedding dress because from what I had read prior to my wedding you have more problems when you ask than when you appear un-knowledgeable LOL

But OMG I would not ship my dress for the same reason I had no intention of putting it in the hold - I wanted my dress with me at all times just in case.

 

[feline figaro]

I just posted about this in my planning session trip report. I travelled with virgin atlantic and asked the check in desk, they said they will accept it in the dress bag as long as baa(the security) will allow it through so i checked with them and they said it was down to the airline and once i said virgin said it was down to baa she told me they have alot go through. I still wanted to double check so i checked with the boarding staff at the gate and they said i could take it on the plane in its dress bag.

Thats what i am going to do in aug

This is my only worry as i remember someone a year or so ago being told the same thing by Virgin staff but when they came to flying out for their wedding they were then told "No " they could nt take it on board . They then had to run a round finding a case to put their dress in as they had originally been given the "ok" to take dress on board with them.

On their website it states that its completly against their regulations to take wedding dresses on board in the cabin & yet they tell brides they can. Which is it???

I just hope Virgin keep to their word & let brides take their dresses on board as in all honesty i dont think like Fantasia Sam said id feel happy having my dress out of my sight during the flight

 

[Beep]

This is my only worry as i remember someone a year or so ago being told the same thing by Virgin staff but when they came to flying out for their wedding they were then told "No " they could nt take it on board . They then had to run a round finding a case to put their dress in as they had originally been given the "ok" to take dress on board with them.

On their website it states that its completly against their regulations to take wedding dresses on board in the cabin & yet they tell brides they can. Which is it???

I just hope Virgin keep to their word & let brides take their dresses on board as in all honesty i dont think like Fantasia Sam said id feel happy having my dress out of my sight during the flight

It seems like it depends on who you get on the day at check in. I'm not going to take any chances with mine and will be getting the maxi travel box from The Empty Box Company. I've also got a vacuum bag that's roughly the size of the box and I'm going to use it just to keep the air out. I'm not going to do it too much as I don't want to risk breaking the bones in the dress.

I bought a case for Tim to take on as hand baggage and it is a little smaller than the size of the box and I'm sure my dress will fit

 

[orangetiggs]

when working for virgin atlantic we were told to tell people that they could not carry it on as well

 

[feline figaro]

when working for virgin atlantic we were told to tell people that they could not carry it on as well

Its sooo confusing cos Virgin states one thing & yet the staff tell you another thing

Even the staff contradict each other

 

[finch75]

I think the problem comes if it bigger/heavier/in excess of the hand luggage requirements. If it fits the size/weight requirements and it is your only piece of hand luggage then they don't seem to have a problem (if it looks like hand luggage then how will they know? - you only ever have to show them the bag and weigh it, they never look inside). However if it turns up in a large garment bag bigger and heavier than their requirements then they are going to insist it goes in the hold.

 

[Fantasia Sam]

Isn't it a pain? And I understand from a phone call I just had with Virgin myself today (because I wanted to get an official line on it) they also say no you cannot take your wedding dress on board, but after a little push I did get them to admit that there would be nothing they could do about it IF the dress was to fit in the realms of the hand luggage size and weight resrictions.