Would appreciate ideas on how to get a wedding dress back to the US from Italy
 

DD is getting married in Sorrento, Italy. She and her fiancé will arrive from NY with her wedding dress "in hand". I will arrive from WI. Because they will honeymoon immediately after the wedding I said I’d get the dress back to WI. for the reception which will be held the following month.
The wedding is Sat. afternoon and everyone plans to leave Italy Sunday morning.
I’m waiting to hear if the wedding planner can make arrangements with someone in Italy to ship the dress home (UPS guessed/estimated that shipping costs would be $300-400).
I’d appreciate suggestions anyone can offer for ways to get the dress back home. I don’t relish the thought of having it on my lap for the 3 flights home--which I'm afraid will happen if the wedding planner doesn't come through!

why not buy a big suitcase and bring it home with you.

Instead of paying $300 to ship it back, I concur with the idea to buy a $50 suitcase, pack only the dress in it, and then spend another $50 on professional cleaning and pressing upon your return.

There is a good chance you'll want the dress cleaned and pressed anyway after it gets back to you.

Would prefer not the check it due to the slim chance the bag would be lost. It wouldn't matter expect she will wear the dress for the reception to be held "back home". There will be a photographer at both events to take "wedding" photos so wearing the same dress is important--grooms family won't be in Italy.

You hand carry it on the plane with you.

As Maid of Honor, I did this for my dear friend, you're a good Mom.

I should have also added there are many places the flight attendant can stow it for you, you won't have to "have it on your lap".

Either in a garment bag compartment or an overhead bin. Don't worry about getting it wrinkled, it will be a mess from the wedding itself and you will need to have it dry cleaned for the 'back home' celebration.

I would place it in a Pack-Mates bag that you can shrink down to a smaller size and just hand carry it on board with you.

Best wishes and congrats!

CAn you maybe bring it as carryon and have them hang it in the cabin for you? I believe most airlines have a place to hang suit bags etc.

....$50 on professional cleaning and pressing....

If this is a silk dress with petticoats and any embellishment (embroidery, buttons, etc.) proper cleaning and pressing will be into the hundreds of dollars and you might have to send it away if you're not in a major city; please don't take it to the corner drycleaners. If you can get away with it, don't clean it at all -- oil/food can usually be mopped up with baby powder and watch out for that red wine! (not exactly on topic but concerned about your dress.)

And like Tiff, I would carry it with me -- the FAs will be very helpful; maybe you could call ahead and have it noted on your reservation?

Have the dess shop use a "bust form" -- it's a cardboard deal that goes over the hanger to keep the bodice in shape, and a plastic garment bag over that, and then the white bridal bag. This way it will be secure, easy to carry and won't wrinkle.

Oh, a wedding in Sorrento!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll pass them on to DD so she's sure that the dress is packed properly with a bust form. The dress is a silk tissue taffeta (Justina McCaffrey)--and is naturally a little wrinkled looking!
I guess I'll hope for a combination of less than full flights and FA's in a mood to be very helpful.
When booking the flights the TA didn't sound too hopeful about there being room to hang the dress in first class. But, I'll ask that she make a note on the reservation. Thanks again for all the suggestions.

I wore Vera Wang when I got married and believe it or not, slipped out of it and left it on the floor during my honeymoon. The next day, I folded it horribly and stuffed it in the back of a town car for a 1hr drive back home. Different from flying back from Europe, but it must be professionally cleaned and steamed anyway, I wouldnt be that worried about carting it home. I'm sure the flight attendents may have a suitable place for it.

Good luck,
Natalie

Tiff and others-Between demo life vests,crew bags,customs forms /doc kit,F/C passengers bulky coats,extra wine and beer in bins,etc-THERE REALLY ISN'T EXTRA ROOM ANYMORE!!Most of the airlines have taken out the coat closets on their planes for extra seats so expect that the wedding dress will either go in an overhead compartment or be jammed to death in the one or two coat closets that "might" be on board. Good luck-hope that the planner comes through with the preshipping idea.

I recently flew Alitalia from Boston to Rome and there was a couple on the flight going to get married in Italy (no, not Tom and Katie) and the bride had the dress right on the seat next to her, all wrapped up. The nearly all-male flight crew was teasing the groom-to-be because the bride had the dress between them and they felt that these two should be sitting next to each other kissing, etc. It was quite funny!

From mid-April, all passengers getting on a plane in Western Europe will be limited to one piece of carry on baggage, measuring 56 centimetres by 45 by 25.

Your dress will not conform to these rules, and although there are some exmptions bring discussed, they're unlikely to include wedding dresses.

So if the wedding's after mid-April, you'll need to check it or ship it.

Its not convenient but having the dress with you is probably the safest route to go. The same way luggage get lost, so do parcels from companies such as UPS.

Although I do not have valuable input re transporting the dress, I just wanted to concur with Fidel re professional cleaning. I had my wedding dress (after the wedding) cleaned and pressed at a local drycleaners for $100--big mistake! It was natural silk and the way they pressed it caused the material to wrinkle on the bottom. I ended up calling a highly reputable lady who used the same system as Smithsonian Institute to clean and preserve the dress. I spent $350. How do I know she was legit? Aside from the many recommendations, she told me to open the gown on a yearly basis to air it out (making sure I use tissue to hold the dress to avoid getting skin oil on the dress) and inspect for any damage--this is contrary to my dry cleaner's recommendation to never open the box. And if damage is found to send the dress to her. So make sure your daughter finds a reputable company to have her dress pressed. I think I found mine through theknot.com (although I'm not sure now--its been 7 years).

Anyway, good luck! And congratulations to your family for this happy event!

Oh, it's good to know there's no more "coat racks" on the plane.

So the shipping is around $350, plus who knows how much for the Planner to bundle it up (guessing $100 minimum). At that point I would recalibrate my anxiety level about packing it in a checked suitcase. Or how about buying it a seat?

Fidel-just make sure that the "dress" does not order a red wine!!!

After hearing many complaints about shipments arriving very late from Italy to the U.S., I would personally choose to keep the dress with me. (See my old post re: shipping boxes from Italy.)

Couldn't you fit the dress into a case you can stow overhead?
:)>-

I think the dress should order me a couple glasses of red wine!
Paying the planner to ship the dress would be less than 1/3 the cost of purchasing a seat for it. I'd ship home all the dresses of the wedding party in the box.
If the planner isn't able to do this I'll contact the hotel and see if they might be able to assist.
DD says she'll wear it on the flight over if necessary because it isn't leaving her sight!
Thank you to everyone for the advice--I do appreciate the suggestions.

So sorry, only sharing what my personal experience has been in this situation.

This could be a dress with a 20 foot train, or it could be a simple slip dress. In reflection, without this knowledge it is difficult to say, isn't it?

DD is a size 0. Dress is tissue taffeta, strapless with pick ups. No train. She describes it as "strapless with a poofy skirt". I'm not sure about an underskirt--there may not be one.
Hope this information helps.

That does help immensely, kp.

I have seen a wedding dress after it has been worn and walked thru the streets of Italy. You will have to have it dry cleaned. Look now for a professional dress cleaner that specializes in high end items such as wedding gowns.

Please consider my idea of a vacuum packed bag that you can shrink down to an accetable size for carry-on. I travel with these bags all the time and they are a treasure.

I see no reason why a dress of this size and style could not be in a carry-on during your trip home. You will not be concerned with keep it wrinkle free as you would on the flight over. I took care of this for my friend on both the flight over and the way home. (The way home was much less stress, lol) You should be able to shrink pack it and keep it safe under the seat in from of you or in an overhead bin. (And save $350 to boot).

Have fun - weddings in Italy have such an enchantment about them.

Thanks everyone for the good advice. I think I'll bring both a carry on and checked bag--with packing materials and a space saver bag in the checked bag. That way I'll be prepared for anything.
I usuallly travel with only one bag--but this is a special trip.

We were married in Santorini. I carried it on with me from the states to London where we stopped-over for several days and then onto Athens, Santorini, Athens and back to the states. The flight attendants on each airline / flight were happy to hang it for me as soon as I stepped on the plane(s). If you are worried about lost luggage, I would just carry it and they should hang it for you. :)