Wedding Dress/ Airlines

Hi, I am posting this here because I think the travel section would be best to get the Answer I need. Any help or ideas would be great. 

I already have my wedding dress and now I am worried about how to bring it across to England. I am still waiting on my Fiance Visa but should have that by the end of the week. I would call the Airline it's just that I dont know who I will be flying with yet. I cant book a flight until the visa comes through.

Will I be able to carry my dress on board with me? Will I have to pay extra? If I am not able to carry it on then what other options are there? Has anyone else done this before? Not really sure how to go about this. I love my dress and would hate for something to happen to it. I am getting close to leaving now so this is something that has just come up?

I shoved mine in my duffel and it came through fine. That said, I didn't exactly dress like a Disney princess for my wedding.

Good luck 

You can carry it on, it just has to fit in a container that meets your airline's regulation on carry-on luggage. I carried mine on my Continental flight in November. It was in a soft, hanging bag type thing that folded in half and had a strap so I could carry it on my shoulder. It was pretty big, but since it was soft (and not in a huge flat box) it was fine. It was kind of funny because I was really careful with my dress the entire time leading up to the flight. By the time I got on the plane I was so sick of carrying this heavy thing and because I was stressed to get it into the overhead I literally just jammed it into the overhead bin. The dress was fine, just a bit wrinkled!

I carried mine onto BA and they were kind enough to hang it in their closet.  It didn't get wrinkled, although the flight back it was a bit worse for wear and in my hold luggage.

I carried my big poofy white wedding dress from the UK to the US on in a rolling carryon case- it was the only thing in there and was in a garment bag, so came through okay.  I did get it pressed a few days before the wedding in the US, but it wasn't horrifically wrinkled or anything from the trip.

I flew American from the US to the Virgin Islands to get married, and the Flight Attendants put my dress in their little closet.  This was pre- 9/11 and pre-insane carry on restrictions, though.

I think the majors (BA, Continental, United, etc) would most likely be accommodating in terms of hanging your dress, etc.   Be very nice to the ticket and gate agents, and ask them if there's any way they can help you keep your dress from getting wrinkled and they may be able to talk to the flight attendants for you.

Everyone on Continental was interested in my wedding dress, but no one offered to hang it up for me! It was fine though. I think I was more nervous about it then I should have been.

A few years ago on (I think Continental), I flew mine over.  They did not charge me extra and they hung it with the flight crews jackets so it wouldn't wrinkle.  I thought that was really nice of them. 

I took mine on a domestic flight (I think it was Southwest) in a garment bag, and they made space to lay it flat in the overhead compartment.  It was a little wrinkled, but not too bad. 

although not a wedding dress, I brought an expensive Japanese guitar back from Japan last year, if you let the people at the check in desk know, they can talk the crew about either gate checking delicate items or getting it put in the cabin crew closet, or like my guitar, giving it a seat and an extra long seat belt as the plane wasn't crazy full.

This was with Virgin, no complaints!

Thanks for all the help and ideas. 

I carried mine on three flights (and one run through Phila Int'l Airport--NOT FUN ).  The USAir flights between Pittsburgh and Ireland (via Philly) I think it went in the overhead storage or hung up with the flight attendents' coats.  The Shannon-Manchester leg was on a small twin prop plane and the flight attendants rather bemusedly put it across some empty rows of seats.  It was in a large garment bag and survived the journey no worse for wear.  Good luck.