Destination wedding help!!

ok...so im from la, california...and that is where i want my wedding...however i reside in rochester, ny currently. so if i want to buy a dress in rochester since i wont be in california that much to shop for it...try it on multiple times...final fittings...etc... will i be able to take the dress on the plane with me?? im sure it will be too big for a carry on, and i don't know if i trust the airline people...i haven't traveled once where my luggage didn't get mutilated...

has anyone on here had a destination wedding where they couldn't interview their dj's and photographers and stuff in person?? this is getting to be stressful...

I didnt have a problem bringing my dress on the plane at all. They were very helpful, stored it in the first class closet. My friend had her's stored ina first class seat. Just ask they are very accommodating normally.

I had a destination wedding and didn't get to interview anyone in person (it was in italy) every thing turned out fine. I fyou are thorough with your phone interviews, get everything in writing and frequently check in by email and phone it will be just fine. No need to worry!

An answer for your dress problem... Are you getting the dress at a chain, like David's Bridal, they might be able to arrange to have it mailed to a location near your wedding. If not, maybe you can get the dress and have all the alterations done and mail it to your hotel or another bridal shop to have it pressed for the wedding. Talk to the bridal store and see what they could suggest.

We had a destination wedding. It was the best thing we could have done.

I will caution, it's not a good thing for a bride who needs lots of control over the details. We hired a service, and trusted them to take care of things.

I carried my dress on the plane with me as my carry on, and the staff put it in a closet onboard for me. The securitty screeners knew it was my wedding gown--sd they see them come through all the time.

i personally haven't had a destination wedding, but while i was on my way to my honeymoon, several brides carried their dress on. the flight attendants just reserved an over head bin specifically for the wedding gowns. i'd talk to the airlines to see if they'd be able to do that for you.

I'm in MD, marrying in MA. I've made a lot of research on the internet and have interviwed all of my vendors over the phone. I sent deposits without knowing the peopel, but I did check for professional references (ask other vendors, they will tell you about their colleagues).

I eventually met them in person. but yes, it's possible. I'm getting married in 26 days.

Good luck

im getting married in jamaica...my dress isnt super puffy buts its bigger than a tradidional "beach dress." you better beleive that sucker will be on my lap!

Will you be visiting California ahead of time at all, such as for the holidays, showers, etc.? If so, I would recommend that you find a dress that you like, but either order it from a chain or find another store that carries that brand/style in California as well. Have it shipped to the store in California for fittings. Then when you go to California for Christmas or whatever, try it on and have it altered and then pick it up there and store it at a relative's home, bridesmaid's home, etc. until the wedding.

If the gown is exclusive and you can't find a comparable bridal store in California, you might still be able to get the store doing the bridesmaids' dresses to do your alterations, or find an alterations shop that you could ship the dress to as I described above.

I think that's really the best solution, but if you end up having to travel with the dress, you should leave early enough that you could schedule time to get the dress steam pressed or something when you arrive at your destination. If it were damaged in transit, you could have it covered by insurance which would reimburse your loss but not be able to replace it in time probably.

For vendors, is there someone on the destination end that you could ask or pay to do some of the legwork for you and relay information via digital photos, e-mails, phone/text messages, etc.? A relative or bridesmaid might be glad to help with this, or a wedding planner could be hired to handle these tasks.