So you're going to get married at a stunning location abroad. Congratulations! Now, getting married in another country, for most people, comes at a price. They need to downsize the number of invited people (or they can use it as an excuse to not have to invite people they don't really know that well ;) ), have to look for vendors in a place they're not that familiar with and sometimes it means to not be able to have older relatives attend your wedding (Santorini weddings or the Amalfi coast aren't particularly friendly for people with bad knees or other disabilities that make walking lots of stairs impossible). One thing that doesn't need to suffer is the choice of a wedding gown, but you will need to have a plan in place for how you are going to take your dress with you. You can take it with you as your hand luggage if you fly first class (do check with your airline!), are traveling by car or are flying by private jet. And on Youtube you can find how-to video's on how you can safely pack your gown in your luggage. More on how to bring a wedding dress to your destination wedding.

Keeping it simple

But for some brides there is no need to take extra measures to take their bridal gown with them. They didn't want a big poofy dress to begin with or they choose to go less big because they are getting married abroad in a sunny destination and rather wear something lightweight. Wether you're in the first or the second category, here are some stunning wedding gowns that are perfectly easy to take with you to your destination wedding location.

List of destination wedding proof wedding dresses

Luna Bea Bride has been my personal favourite brand since 2019 and their dresses are perfect for destination weddings. Not just because they are not too difficult to pack, but also because the dreamy fabrics create amazing silhouettes when swept up by a breeze.

Made Bride is a Greek designer dress creator who creates grand dresses that aren't necessarily big. I love their intricate appliqué, dreamy fabrics and stunning silhouettes. But the seagreen ethereal design with a velvet ribbon is my absolute favourite design by Made Bride.

Browsing the BHLDN website is always a good idea. Often times they have a whole section especially filled with items that are perfect for a beach wedding or on honeymoon or you could find your destination wedding dress there. The destination wedding collections carry magical names like "Swept Away Collection". They also carry a beautiful collection of bridal suits, a plus size collection and a selection of festive jumpsuits.

We love Emily Riggs Bridal and their Seraphina and Delphina dresses are perfect in any location as well as at your destination wedding. If you would like to step away from the traditional white they offer beautiful coloured designs as well. Because a lot of their designs have a slender silhouet their designs tend to also travel-proof wedding dresses.

Evie Young's Sierra gown comes in white but also this gorgeous dusty pink colour (which I believe they call Cinnamon), making it a showstopper gown, that will still fit in whatever way you need it to fit for the travel to your destination wedding.

Another designer with lots of travel-proof couture is Temperley London. They offer a very versatile range of modern as well as vintage inspired dresses. They also design jumpsuits and wedding dresses with coloured embroidery (I love a beautiful coloured wedding dress). Their dresses are sold by stockists in the UK, Ireland, Switzerland, Spain, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Canada and online through Net-a-Porter.

Yoora Studio designs are not your standard traditional wedding gowns, they have modern silhouettes and boast out of the ordinary patterns. Furthermore, their collection includes a curvy line (which I always a appreciate as someone whose never been petite or slender). Not only has Yoora Studio beautiful outside-the-box designs and a curvy collection, it is also a very eco-conscious brand. Only working with sustainable, certified materials like organic and peace silk, organic cotton and satin bamboo – viscose. They have studios in Slovakia (Bratislava) and Prague (Czech Republic). Their dresses are also sold in The Netherlands at Ciel Flora, a bridal boutique that only sells eco-friendly (including vintage) wedding dresses.

Leanne Marshall is known for the most gorgeous gowns in flowy fabrics in the most beautiful range of colours. Leanne Marshall dresses can be purchased at many bridal boutiques throughout the US and in a hand full of stores in other countries like Canada, UK, Hong Kong and online through the website of Leanne Marshall.

If you buy your dress online you really have to be careful. But if you go for it, Etsy has also become a marketplace for anything bridal. Truvelle for instance now has it's own studio and is sold online as well as by bridal boutiques in Canada, the UK, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Singapore, USA, Germany and Australia. Take a look at Lillie and Scarlet, which are both available in sizes ranging form a size 0 tot a size 26 or the Signature Truvelle design, with a subtle pastel colour, that is the Carall dress for instance. Truvelle no longer sell their collection on Etsy, but they did start out on that platform. So Etsy can be a great resource for your destination wedding dress, but do make sure you do your research on Etsy sellers before purchasing.

Still haven't had enough of the destination wedding proof wedding dresses? Here are some more tips:

Free people sells bridal gowns as well. For example this Lilian gown by Odylyne the Ceremony, I recently had the opportunity to shoot in a beautiful ancient church in Greece.

Last but not least, I recently took this grey-blue gown by Vagabond Bridal (through Keep Its Find Bridal in Rotterdam) with me from The Netherlands to Portugal for a shoot and because the fitted part of this gown is actually quite short it easily fit into a suitcase without having to steam it or anything like that on arrival.

Things to consider when buying your destination wedding dress

Before you go shopping for a wedding dress, think about how you are going to take the dress with you. In the past airlines were super helpful when it came to traveling with your dress, they would hang your dress in the front of the plane as long as you made a call to their customer service beforehand. But with destination weddings hugely growing in popularity, this kind of accommodative reaction from airlines has become the exception more than the rule. Nowadays budget carriers like EasyJet, Ryan Air and Transavia will tell you to "simply" put your dress in a cabin case that is within the margins of the allowed sizes of the particular airline. Or they'll ask you to book your dress it's own seat on the plane. Less low-budget orientated airlines like Delta or British Airways are likely to be more helpful when calling their customer service about how to bring your dress to your destination wedding. So the transportation of your dress is something to take into consideration when shopping for your wedding dress.

Don't forget to also consider the whether. If you're wedding takes place on a snow-filled mountain top you'll want to pick a dress with sleeves or also choose a cover up that matches your dress. A dress with endless layers of tulle might not be the best choice for wedding in a tropical location during a heat wave. And although a train of several meters long might sound fairytale like, it's probably not the best choice for an outdoor wedding ceremony in the snow or on the beach.

If you want a sleek modern dress, (jump)suit or form fitting outfit, you'll probably be all set with a steamer. Or you can ask your wedding planner or bridal stylist to take care of any creases. Flying first class or if you're already chartering a private plane for your guests might potentially already solve any potential dress shipping problems. Or if you're getting a designer dress, your dress designer might be able to use their other store locations or network to ship your dress to your wedding for you. But in general, the bigger the dress the more sure you'll need to be of how you're going to get your dress at your wedding. Nowadays, there are plenty of amazing wedding dresses that you might call destination wedding dresses as they don't take up that much space. Although I'd always advise you to go with your dream dress and organise things around that dress, if you happen to stumble upon a dress that coincidentally is both your favourite as well as destination wedding friendly it does help of course.

Are you still looking for a destination wedding dress ánd a destination wedding photographer? You'll have to choose that dress for yourself but we can solve the photographer problem for you. E-mail or call us to book us, get more information or make an appointment (face-to-face or though Skype).

 

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