With more of us traveling for work, weddings, or special events, how can you make sure your special outfits arrive ready to wear?
Photo © Getty Images / Thomas Barwick
Destination weddings are one of the fastest-growing travel trends, with busy couples combining their nuptials with a holiday for themselves and their guests, often overseas – an idea that can end up costing less than a separate wedding and honeymoon.
Family reunions are also going inter-state and international, with guests flying in for special events that require fancy outfits to match the occasion. And, in the post-COVID world, the corporate sector has reverted to in-person meetings, often overseas, instead of online video calls.
So, if a wedding dress, business or evening suit, or formal dress has to travel with you, here’s how to pack and transport your outfits so they’re crumple-free on arrival, even if you’re not.
- Check or carry-on?
- Preparing to travel with a wedding dress or suit
- How to pack a suit when you travel
- How to pack a dress shirt
- How to pack a wedding dress
- How to make your clothes look great when you unpack
Should I check-in or carry-on my wedding dress or suit?
Carry-on, carry-on, carry-on! You’ve spent a lot of money and effort on these clothes, and you absolutely need them to arrive at the same destination as you, at the same time, and in great condition. Don’t risk them getting lost, delayed, damaged, or stolen by checking them in on a flight.
Plus, can you imagine what your suit or wedding dress would look like after a few trips around the baggage carousel at Arrivals?
As you’ll probably have accessories, such as a bag, shoes, and jewelry, to go with your outfit, take those as carry-on too.
Preparing to travel with a wedding dress or suit
It’s a good idea to let your airline know in advance if you’re traveling with a bulky item such as wedding dress, suit, or hat box, to be sure there will be room in a closet or storage locker. Most airlines will do their best to accommodate you, but they can’t promise there will be space.
Otherwise, you might consider upgrading your seat to ensure hanging space in a more premium cabin, buying a second seat (if the airline allows this), or paying more for early boarding to guarantee room in an overhead bin close to your seat. You don’t want to get this far and then have another traveler’s bag crush your clothes.
Remember, your wedding dress will be counted in your allotment for carry-on luggage and may be subject to size and weight restrictions, or you might have to pay a fee.
How to pack a suit when you travel
Whether you’re traveling with a suit for business or pleasure, use a proper garment bag to transport it. They are usually sturdy, with hangers for jackets, pants, and shirts, and often fold in half to be zipped up and made more portable. On board the flight, you can unzip the bag to allow the suit and shirts to hang down if there’s a closet available.
If you don’t have a garment bag and must pack your suit in a case or duffel bag, you have a couple of options.
- With the suit on a hanger, put it inside a plastic dry-cleaning bag, fold it in half and put it on the top of the other clothes in your luggage.
- If you’re travelling with a smaller bag, turn the shoulders of the jacket inside out and fold the jacket in half vertically so the lapels touch, then lay it flat and fold it into thirds.
- On arrival, unfold and turn the shoulders back out again.
If it’s not a long-haul flight, you could also consider wearing the suit pants, and either folding the jacket in half to be laid flat in the overhead locker on top of any luggage or laid flat over your lap.
Planning a destination wedding? Find out how travel insurance can cover lost or stolen baggage, sudden illness, or other travel mishaps.
How to pack a dress shirt
Shirts are tricky to pack because they are usually made of cotton which easily creases, even after a short amount of time. However, if you fold it the right way, you can minimize wrinkles.
- Lay the shirt flat on a table, buttoned, front side down.
- Cross the sleeves across the back to form an X, and then fold each sleeve up so the cuff touches the collar.
- Fold the shirt in thirds lengthwise, bringing the shoulders in towards the center. Then, fold the shirt up from the bottom one third at a time.
- Place it in your luggage on top of the other clothes, or pop in a packing cube of its own.
How to pack a wedding dress
Most wedding dresses come in a special garment bag that the dress hangs inside, usually with a zip to keep it safe from dust and dirt. When traveling with your wedding dress, this garment bag will come in handy. Your dress must go through security, on a dirty conveyor belt, as well as into an airplane overhead locker or closet which might not be clean, so make sure the bag is waterproof and sturdy enough to withstand being moved around.
Ask the sales assistant to show you how to fold the dress to keep it as wrinkle-free as possible. Also, check that the garment can tolerate steaming or ironing and ask for any fabric-specific tips on how to get rid of wrinkles on arrival.
How to make your clothes look great when you unpack
Unpack your dress, shirt, or suit as soon as you arrive at your accommodation and hang it up to let any wrinkles fall out naturally which will usually happen overnight. If time is of the essence, your hotel room may have a steamer or iron, or a concierge service that can arrange that for you. If that's not going to be possible, you could travel with a portable steamer (be sure to use filtered water).
If you’re not confident about using a steamer or iron on your dress or suit, or letting anyone else either, a good trick is to run a hot bath or shower, and to hang the garment in the bathroom for 10 minutes as the steam fills the room.
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