How do I get my bridal gown
to the wedding locale safely?

You have a few options... You can ship it via FedEx so the dress is tracked -- but you always run the risk of it getting lost, especially if your destination wedding is held out of the country.

You can also try to arrange with your airline beforehand to use the first class coat closet for your dress. (Just remember that "value" airlines like Southwest and AirTran do not have this option, unfortunately.) That way your dress is actually in your possession from start to finish, as long as you are able to find a sympathetic flight attendant to help you with proper storage.

We drove - 12 hours - to our wedding, and kept my dress spread out in the backseat. (It was carefully hidden in a garment bag, of course, so the groom did not see it.) Even so, my dress still required steaming when we arrived in New Orleans.

I have a close friend that flew her dress from New York to Florida in an American Airlines first class coat closet -- and even though she had the cabinet all to herself, her dress still needed spot-pressing as well. It's best to check with your hotel or resort to see if they offer dry cleaning services on site -- or to at least get a recommendation early and let the cleaners you choose know of the circumstances beforehand.

In our case, as long as we got my dress in to the cleaners by 9 a.m. on Friday, they guaranteed to have it ready by that day's close of business for our wedding on Saturday. They had known to plan for its arrival several weeks in advance (and my dress wasn't overly ornate).

Frommer's has a great wedding group airfare discount article online. Group travel discounts are available on American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, US Airways, and Northwest/KLM, just to name a few...

Don't forget to read last month's destination wedding articles! The topics included "New Zealand Dream Weddings" and "Save the Dates". Have a destination wedding article or summary that you'd like to see published? If so -- please submit it to Robyn here.

Please send Robyn questions that you might have. And don't forget to submit your own article soon! Each of our featured articles are eligible for a prize.

What about the risk
of hurricane season?

If you decide on a tropical destination wedding you must first consider the hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season runs each year from June 1st through November 30th. The East Pacific hurricane season runs each year from May 15th through November 30th. The greatest danger-risk is generally during the later months August through October -- with September often the worst month.

Always have a back-up plan just in case. Hurricane paths can sometimes be very difficult to predict, down to the very last minute. Lovetripper.com gives tips for a Caribbean destination wedding during hurricane season: "In the far southern reaches, the islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao (also known as the ABC islands) and Trinidad and Tobago are below the hurricane zone and should be safer bets during the summer and fall months. You'll also find that some resorts offer weather guarantees. At the Jamaica resorts operated by SuperClubs, for example, you're guaranteed sunshine every day. No sun? You'll get a credit voucher for the value of that day, good for one year on your next SuperClubs stay. And, if a hurricane hits the resort, you'll be reimbursed for the disrupted nights and also get a voucher for a future stay for the same number of disrupted nights for use during the same month the following year."

You can follow each region during hurricane season through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Hurricane Center.

This month's articles are copyright 2001 to

Robyn Pollman has been a "destination wedding pro" at Christian Couples' Wedding Guide. She owns Wholly Matrimony!, and had a destination wedding in the French Quarter of New Orleans in June 1996.

Be sure to check back monthly for more great Destination Wedding and Eloping articles, and visit the April 2001 "destination of the month". Then join the Destination Wedding "Message Board" and Webring -- and read the Destination Wedding FAQ!