Linair

A friend has an upcoming flight in business on JFK-TLV (777-200) and was wondering how big the closet in business class is. Is it big enough to hang up a wedding dress?

carla568

Having just folded my cocktail length dress for next week because it was too long for the garmet bag, I would recommend you gently roll/fold your dress and not rely on closet space. I always see crew fill up the bottom of the closets with their roller bags.

nole1

I wouldn't hand an unprotected dress (let along a wedding dress even if in a garment bag) to the FAs and ask them to hang it and not expect it to be damaged in some way. I would talk with the bridal shop and ask them the best way to pack it and even see if they would be willing to help with the packing. They will also probably want to find someone in Tel Aviv that can help with getting the dress ready to be worn once unpacked.

Kawliga

The FAs did a great job with mine, but it was a tea-length dress. For a full-length gown, especially one with a long train, she should have a contingency plan as mentioned here.

Antarius

There are also always empty bins up front on the widebodies. So another possibility is to lay it flat.

Just a thought. I definitely agree with the above posts saying that it should be protected. I wouldn't trust it to anyone to hang without doing so.

atsak

Get the wedding dress coffin that is used after the wedding to keep it and see if it fits in 25 years. Transport it in that in the overhead, and politely ask everyone not to put anything on it. Worked for my (now) wife just fine that way and the dress arrived in very good shape.

njvandy

My sister flew UA from EWR-TLV with her wedding dress 3 years ago. The dressmaker had dealt with this request many times before and packed her dress into a special box designed to fit into a checked suitcase.

awayIgo

That sounds good in theory, but maybe I am not nice. I need things from my suitcase during my fight ( to TLV) I am a senior and will lift my suitcase down--into my business seat when needed . I would not be happy if someone wanted to utilize the assigned space of multiple passengers for their dress. That means my suitcase would end up--who knows where. It also means I wouldn't have access during the flight,

I get and understand wanting the gown to arrive perfect BUT... BTW I am confident there are many places in Tel Aviv who could steam/iron whatever is needed the dress

AndyPatterson

Bridezilla? Apologies if not! Yes, the closets do get filled with crew suitcases, sometimes stacked in several layers. Good luck trying to hang even an overcoat, let alone a bridal dress, in those closets, alas.

ysolde

Scary though it sounds, your friend may have to find another way. I had a destination wedding, almost twenty years ago, and the bridal shop worked with the hotel where the wedding was taking place. The bridal shop in NYC had my wedding gown and veil delivered overnight to the hotel (admittedly across the country, not on the other side of the world). They all kept track of the gown's whereabouts such that it was never "out of sight" at any moment. When I arrived at the hotel (the Four Seasons in Las Vegas), the dress and veil were hanging in my closet, beautifully pressed, and the hotel's wedding planner sent up a seamstress to make sure there were no last-minute alterations needed. It could not have worked out better.

atsak

Yes, we offered to assist the other passengers who might otherwise need to share the space to get their luggage if needed etc. Everyone was completely understanding and just worked around it. The flight was full but was a widebody so luggage space was not an issue (Toronto to Glasgow).

awayIgo

Just curious--if it was a night flight and someone needed your help in the middle of the night, are you saying you would have had no problem with them waking you for assistance.

Please, I'm glad it worked for you--but it was selfish in many ways.

Antarius

It's a 777-200 with only 37 seats in the front. There are typically 20 bins with barely anything in them around. You won't have an issue securing a bin to yourself.
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atsak

It was a night flight. And yes, that would be fine of course, I was inconveniencing them obviously. I appreciated it was inconvenient for other people. I accommodate other people at my inconvenience quite regularly, particularly if I'm asked nicely. For example, if I have a cart full of groceries and the person behind me has only one or two items and asks if they can go first, I always would oblige. I'll swap seats sometimes too (not middle for aisle as I'm a giant but no problem to another part of the plane). If someone had said no that was of course a potential risk but everyone was quite gracious. Sometimes, you can ask people to make an exception to what they're entitled to. They don't have to grant it but they often will, if asked nicely and without a sense of entitlement to be accommodated. It's one thing to ask for an exception to be made as courtesy, and entirely another thing to demand it.

QueenOfCoach

Wedding dresses can be voluminous. A giant fluffy ball gown would not fit in the closet. A tea length white dress in a garment bag might. People stuff all kinds of things in the closet, so an unprotected dress could get really squished.

Best advice is above: Get the dress shop to pack the dress in a box that will fit in a suitcase, then carry it that way. If it's too big for a carry on bag, then ship it ahead of time with an insured trustworthy carrier. Line up a service at the destination to steam and press out the wrinkles.

Remember, someone shipped the dress to the dress shop. They know how to pack wedding dresses.