2024 Elopement Dress Guide

Try On a Variety of Different Dresses

You might already have a vision for your wedding dress. I sure did when I first started looking! But our recommendation is to keep an open mind and try on a variety of dresses.

Go into a bridal shop (even if you’re not planning on buying), and try different silhouettes and fabrics. Often, the stylist at the bridal shop can give you great recommendations and pleasantly surprise you with a style you never imagined loving!

It can be so helpful to see yourself in a variety of styles so you know without a doubt what you love the most! You can then use that knowledge to find your dream dress.

When I first started dress shopping, I knew two things: I wanted a lace dress with long sleeves. I absolutely did not want strapless, and I didn’t want a train. But sure enough, I ended up with a non-lace, strapless dress, with a ridiculously long train. And it was perfect. And we hear this sentiment echoed quite often!

Keep your options open and don’t worry if your vision ends up changing.

Think About Comfort

Trust us, it is so important that you choose a dress that you’ll be comfortable in all day. Even more than you would on a traditional wedding day, you are going to really wear your dress on your elopement day. The last thing you want is for you to be wishing you could change out of it all day.

When looking at dresses, make sure the fabric is comfortable and not itchy or too heavy. Make sure the bodice of the dress isn’t too tight, so you can take full and deep breaths while hiking and exploring.

When you go in for alterations, let your tailor know what your plans are for the wedding day. They will be able to help you get a great fit without sacrificing your comfort.

Think About Movement

When you have an adventure elopement, there’s a good chance that you’ll be hiking, climbing on rocks, crossing streams, running through the snow, or maybe riding up a dirt road in a Jeep. It’s important that your dress doesn’t hold you back!

When looking at shapes and styles of dresses, think about how they will be to move in. Depending on the material, dresses that hug your legs and hips (such as trumpet-style dresses) could limit movement in your legs. And some long-sleeved dresses might limit movement in your arms.

When trying on wedding dresses, think about how well you can move in them. Do you have full motion in your arms and legs? Can you lift and easily move your arms? Can you lift your legs to hike up a hill? Can you bend over or squat on the ground to pick up your backpack? Can you sit in it to ride to the top of a mountain in a Jeep? We recommend practicing these motions when trying on dresses!

Accept that it’s Going to Get Dirty

Your dress is going to get dirty and that’s okay. Go into your dress search and your elopement day with this in mind. By the end of your elopement day, you will likely have what we call “the dirt ombre” at the bottom of your dress. And who knows, throughout the day, you may find yourself evacuating bugs from your tulle and pulling pinecones or sticks out of your train.

We think a dirty dress is really cool and is a perfect representation of just how much you adventured. Plus, you only get to wear the dress once, why not really wear it?

Shorter Hikes

Whether or not you hike in your wedding dress is completely up to you! But often, if it’s a shorter hike, it’s totally possible to hike in your wedding attire. For most dresses, it’s easy to drape the train or skirt over your arm to keep it from dragging or tripping you. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a little bit of help from your partner! Or if you have a bustle, you can pin your train up before starting the hike down.

Even if you plan to hike in your wedding clothes, most couples will bring a backpack with water, snacks, and anything else they might need (such as vow books, rings, jackets, and ceremony permits).

Longer Hikes and/or First Looks

For longer hikes, sunrise hikes (when it’s cold), or hikes to your first look, it usually makes the most sense to pack your dress and then change once you’ve reached your destination.

In this case, we recommend attaching a garment bag to a hiking backpack for the journey up. Once we reach the destination, we search for a large rock or tree to get dressed behind. If you’re extra worried about changing in the outdoors, you could pack a lightweight blanket to tuck yourself behind.

Often, the hike down is a little bit easier, so most couples will finish the hike in their wedding attire. But you could always change back into your hiking clothes before the trek down, if you’d like!

Travel by Plane

If you are traveling by plane to your elopement, we can’t stress enough how important it is to pack your wedding dress in your carry-on! Please please please do not pack your wedding dress in your checked luggage. We recommend that your partner does this, too. If you couldn’t live without it on your wedding day, don’t put it in your checked luggage!

On the way to Brittany + Justin’s elopement, their luggage was lost by the airline and they didn’t have any of their checked luggage for their entire wedding trip. But luckily, they at least had their wedding attire.

Our favorite way to pack your wedding dress is to keep it in the garment bag and loosely and gently fold or roll it up to fit in your carry-on sized suitcase. This should help avoid too many creases or wrinkles in the fabric of your dress. If you plan to pack anything else in that suitcase, put it in first so nothing is squishing your dress.

If you’re worried about wrinkles, pack a portable steamer in your checked luggage (if your dress fabric can be steamed). Then hang your dress up as soon as you arrive at your destination.

Travel by Car

Traveling with your wedding dress by car is a bit simpler than traveling by plane! If you have the space in your car, keep your wedding dress in the garment bag and either lay it or hang it in the trunk or backseat. Make sure it’s on top so nothing can squish it.

If you don’t have the space to lay your dress out, we recommend packing it like we described above for plane travel. Keeping it in the garment bag, gently roll or fold it so that it will fit in your suitcase. Make sure you don’t put anything else in the suitcase that could squish your dress.

When you arrive at your destination, take your dress out of the suitcase and hang it up. You can also pack a portable steamer to get out any stubborn wrinkles (if your dress fabric can be steamed).

Follow these same directions for your partner’s attire!