The 11 Best Garment Bags for Brides, Tested and Reviewed

Brides / Marcus Millan

Whether your special day is held locally or afar, proper clothing storage is essential. After you’ve spent all that time and money finding your perfect wedding outfits, you’ll want to ensure your garments are protected, wrinkle-free, and looking brand new.

“Safely packing your wedding attire for travel and preserving it after the wedding day is crucial for the longevity of your garments,” says bridal salon sales director Gabrielle LaJudice. “High-end pieces require special care.” Your wedding dress may be at the top of the list when it comes to important clothing items, so you'll want to do everything possible to preserve it before the big day. That's where a garment bag comes in.

If you’ve never used a garment bag before, it can be confusing to know where to start. LaJudice recommends looking for garment bags with high-quality fabrics—but no plastic. “It can wear the quality of the fabric and appliqué very quickly and cause discoloration,” she says. “Use garment bags that are UV protected with a resilient cloth that won't cause wear and tear to the garment."

In order to keep your outfits and special pieces looking fresh and new, we researched the best garment bags on the market today. We then tested a few for ourselves. We made our final selection based on ease of use, capacity, materials, and overall quality.

Read on for the best garment bags for brides.

Target

Lightweight, convenient, and stylish, this option from WallyBags will get your clothes to the bridal suite hassle-free and wrinkle-free. While testing, what stood out to us was the hanger clamp that securely held all the hangers with clothes in place. The bag was able to carry six hangers holding dresses, pants, shirts, and jackets, and based on our test, it probably could have held about four more. That means you can dedicate a single bag to all of your bridesmaids' dresses—how convenient is that? Plus, we determined that the fabric seems durable and able to withstand transportation.

Price at time of publish: $60

Size: 60" x 22" x 3" | Weight: 1.9 lbs

Away

Keep your pieces dry and protected from the elements with the Away garment bag. Designed to fit perfectly inside any Away suitcase, this bag is made with water-resistant nylon and classic leather details, clips into your luggage, and features interior and exterior pockets for storing accessories or jewelry. After testing, we determined that this bag feels super high-quality. We found that the material was sleek and the zippers felt very sturdy and well-made.

We especially loved the size of this garment bag. While it's meant to be a stand-alone bag, we found it to be easy to carry as a tote, duffel, or looped through a luggage handle. We packed this bag with a floor-length dress, a pair of heels, and a pair of loafers, and there was still tons of room left over for other items.

Price at time of publish: $195

Size: 22.5" x 3.35" x 20.5" | Weight: 2.25 lbs. without shoulder strap, 2.7 lbs. with shoulder strap

Amazon

With multiple interior and exterior storage pockets, Zegur's anti-crumple piping structure helps to ensure your suits stay protected, wrinkle-free, and undamaged even when thrown around an overhead bin. The bag features multiple carrying options like in-hand or over-the-shoulder and can be attached to rolling luggage handles so your arm never gets tired. We were amazed by this garment bag when testing it out. It fit a suit jacket, pants, button-down shirt, a belt, and dress shoes with plenty of room to spare. The bag had a hook that was so easy to use and attach hangers to. We would definitely use this bag to travel for both business events and, of course, weddings.

The quality of the bag also felt great. It seemed durable and like it could withstand damage and natural elements that you might encounter while traveling. Our favorite part of the bag was the organization of the internal space. When traveling for a wedding, we found that there were numerous places to put any cufflinks, bowties, suspenders and any other accessories that go along with formal clothing. There was even enough space for two pairs of shoes.

Price at time of publish: $85

Size: 22" x 22" x 4" | Weight: 3 lbs.

Nordstrom

Tumi is one of the most widely known and respected brands for high-quality, premium luggage, so this is definitely a splurge you can feel confident in. This convenient and easy-to-carry garment bag features durable nylon material with chic leather trim. While we do wish it was a bit longer to better fit floor-length wedding gowns, we determined that it was very easy to use and pack. Once folded, we were able to fit this in both a carry-on bag and a checked bag, making it ideal for destination weddings or honeymoons.

Price at time of publish: $175

Size: 18 ¾"W x 12 ½"H x 1"D. | Weight: 1.1 lbs.

Amazon

This tri-fold, 66-inch, extra-long garment bag easily fits up to four dresses or two full suits and helps keep them wrinkle-free during transportation. It’s designed for travel in mind and easily fits in overhead bins or under seats. Reviewers rave about how their dresses were so protected that even the gemstones on fabrics went unscathed. In other words, this will protect the precious embellishments and rhinestones on your wedding gown!

Price at time of publish: $42

Size: 17" x 13" x 1" | Weight: ‎2.49 lbs

CalPak

Made with water-resistant ripstop nylon, this deceptively spacious tri-fold bag features mesh pockets, and adjustable straps, and it folds down into a super compact and portable size that makes travel a breeze. It also comes in several pretty colors to suit your vibe. After testing this popular pick from CalPak, we determined that the bag seemed nice and lightweight. Despite packing a lot of items, the fabric and construction remained sturdy. Plus, we love that this garment bag offers fun colors and patterns, something that many other garment bags don't have. It's perfect for brides who want to show off their style and personality for the big day!

Price at time of publish: $98

Size: 48" x 23" | Weight: 1.45 lbs

Amazon

Water-repellant and super durable, this German-made, 1 lb garment bag is lightweight and flexible. It comes with a lightweight and solid titanium hanger, and the smart interior design makes it easy to pack 3 entire outfits with accessories. You can also fit a 15” Laptop in the back pocket!

Price at time of publish: $280

Size: 42” x 21” x 1” | Weight: 1.1 lbs.

Samsonite

Want to give your shoulders a break? Wheel around your dress, suit, and shoes in the Samsonite garment bag. Hangers can face either direction to double your hanging capacity, and the oversized wheels offer smooth maneuverability. Note: this bag will need to be checked.

Price at time of publish: $285

Size: 26.25" x 23.5" x 11.5" | Weight: 14.22 lbs

Amazon

For less than $20, this 63” garment bag is an absolute must for budget buyers. It’s made from premium quality, water-resistant, breathable, and rip-resistant fabric and is spacious enough for trumpet and mermaid dresses with long trains!

Price at time of publish: $17

Size: 63" x 22.8" x 5.9" | Weight: 8.78 oz.

Amazon

For the incredible budget price of $26, this 70” garment bag is such a steal. Easily fit your wedding gown, men’s suits, party outfits, accessories, and even long trains in this XL bag. We also love that the front of the bag is transparent, so you can easily see everything that’s packed inside.

Price at time of publish: $26

Size: 11.22" x 8.03" x 3.54" | Weight: 1.19 lbs.

Etsy

This highly customizable garment bag from Etsy is perfect for adding your own flair. Choose from several options in size, color, design, and name or lettering. You can even add an “established” year to memorialize your wedding date. We can picture the adorable wedding photo ops already!

Price at time of publish: Starting at $20

Size: 24" x 40" / 24" x 54" / 24" x 72" / 36" x 72"

When shopping for your new garment bag, you’ll want to consider a few key factors. First, identify your intended use and how much you plan to pack inside. The size (dimensions) of your garment bag will determine how much you can pack, but you can also consider other storage features like hidden compartments, external zippered slots, added shoe storage, etc.

Size is especially important if you plan to use your garment bag for a destination wedding. A pro tip: select a garment bag that is big enough to fit a wedding dress, suits, shoes, and surrounding wedding activity outfits. You can use this as your carry on (some airlines will allow you to hang your garment bag in the plane’s closet—just don’t forget it when you’re exiting the aircraft!).

You’ll also want to consider the garment bag’s material, which is especially important if you are in a rainy or snowy environment. You’ll want to ensure the bag is weatherproof and/or water-resistant, so the contents of your bag don’t get wet or ruined. Look for language like “wrinkle-free” in the item description to ensure your garment bag has systems in place to protect your items. Budget is also something to consider; garment bag pricing varies greatly. If cost is a concern, trust that our budget picks are still excellent choices.

You can usually hang your wedding dress on a hanger inside the garment bag, folding it over once or twice depending on the style of the bag. “Always put your finger behind the zipper when opening and closing your garment bags,” says LaJudice. “Delicate fabrics are of course easy to snag when opening and closing garment bags. This is such an easy trick to stop any potential damage.”

Yes, it counts. Most garment bags are suitable to carry on planes, but you’ll have to check your airline’s specifications.

Bifold garment bags fold once in the middle and are the most common type of garment bag. You can attach the bottom part to the top to carry it as one piece, and they tend to be much bigger and more spacious than trifold bags.

Trifold bags have two folds, and are typically more lightweight and compact than bifold bags. That also means they can also carry less. However, they are great for travel because they fit so easily in overhead bins and can easily attach to your other luggage.

Meet the Expert

Gabrielle LaJudice is the Sales Director of Kinsley James Los Angeles, a premier bridal salon. She oversees all Bridal orders and customer experience. She has many years of styling experience both in Bridal Haute Couture, ready-to-wear, and wardrobe design for film.

Chelsea Frank has been a lifestyle writer for nearly 10 years. She’s contributed to dozens of online publications, researching and writing on a number of topics from clean beauty and fashion to travel and wellness. She’s also an anxious soon-to-be bride, so she’s with you!