February 23, 2023
Tips on How to Pick your Elopement dress for your Adventure Elopement
Traditionally, wedding and elopement dresses are thought of as delicate, pristine, and perfect but that doesn’t mean your dress can’t take a beating and still look gorgeous while doing it. Plus, how badass would you look hiking in your elopement dress?
One of the biggest questions I’m asked by eloping couples is “what about my dress?”
From start to finish, your wedding day tells a story and your dress is a part of that story so don’t be afraid to get it dirty. Every switchback you hike and every puddle of mud that you walk through is one of many details that make up your elopement story.
After your wedding day passes, the only things you’ll have from it are your memories, photos, and your elopement dress to look back on. Whenever you pull your dress out, you’ll have a tangible reminder of the best day of your life.
The fade from pristine white to a muddled brownish red is a visual reminder of the bold choice you made to celebrate your marriage in a way that uniquely and truly reflected you. Every switchback you hiked and every puddle of mud that you walked through is a detail of your wedding story.
Tips for choosing your Elopement Dress
Pick Something Comfortable
I know that gorgeous and heavily beaded strapless gown is appealing but remember that if you’re planning on hiking in your dress and wearing it all day, you need something a bit more durable and maybe with sleeves to keep you from having to pull your dress up every 5 minutes.
Think about where you are eloping:
Depending on where you’re eloping, you may want to look at different styles of dresses. If you’re eloping in the Redwoods, you’re likely encounter some rain and mud. You might want to forgo the train or any kind of fabric that gets heavy when saturated with water or mud to avoid being weighed down.
Avoid form fitting gowns:
Trumpet, Fit and Flare, and Mermaid style gowns are absolutely stunning but they restrict your movement quite a bit and the most important thing is your safety! It would really be no fun to constantly trip over your dress and have to take baby steps instead of normal sized steps. If you’re set on a fitted gown, maybe look at a sheath style which allows a bit more room to move. You can also have 2 dresses, one for your activities/hiking, and one for your ceremony because why not? It’s your day and if you’ve always envisioned yourself in a fitted silhouette, you shouldn’t (& don’t) have to choose between bad ass adventure and gorgeous photos.
Look for dresses with a slit:
While A-Line and Ball Gowns are a great choice, I’ve noticed that the majority of my brides choose a dress with a slit so that they have their entire range of motion. This way they can enjoy all of their activities without having to worry about getting tripped up by their dress.
Take your hem of your dress up 1-2 inches more than what’s recommended
Since you’ll be doing more on your wedding day than a traditional bride, it’s important to make sure that your feet won’t accidentally catch the bottom of your dress and trip you up.
Bustle
Everyone loves a dramatic train on a dress (I know I do) but it can also be a lot to lug around if you’re planning on hiking or doing physical activities but, that doesn’t mean you have to forgo the drama of a train. Ensuring that your dress has a bustle allows you more freedom to adventure during your elopement but you’ve still got all the beauty of a train.
Where to Buy your Elopement Dress
There are endless places that could choose from when picking out your elopement dress. So to make it a little easier on you, I wanted to share some of my favorite places to buy elopement dresses.
