The Adventure Bride’s Guide to Wedding Attire
You’ve done it! You’ve said “YES!” when he popped the question, you’ve probably said “YES!” to the dress, and you most likely have a good idea as to where you want your dream adventure wedding to take place. But you still have questions; and don’t even know who to ask (or maybe even what to ask) when it comes to the specifics of your hiking wedding.
That’s where I come in! As an adventure wedding & elopement planner & photographer, no detail is too small, and no question is too silly to bring up! The question “What do I wear for my adventure wedding?” is a real pain point for a lot of brides! You want unique photos that stand out from everyone else’s weddings, and you see other couples on Instagram making it look so easy, but you have NO idea where to even start.
So, let’s jump in!
First, you want to consider where your wedding is taking place. Is it excessively hot or cold? Are you going to be at the beach with lots of sand, or up in the mountains with snow? Those questions can obviously give you some pretty good clues for general attire and footwear.
If you’re getting married at a beach or someplace more tropical, a simple style dress would be best. Fitted at the top and flared at the bottom to move in the breeze would be optimal for the best photos. If you’re doing something REALLY crazy fun like underwater photos, make sure you coordinate with your photographer and get their stamp of approval on whatever dress you choose. Super flowy skirts, while pretty, can be a safety hazard in the water; and flowy sleeves or excessive bodice ruffles can float up and block your face in your pictures. For the groom, a pair of dark pants and a light colored shirt are most attractive, and can give a nice rugged look to his photos for the day. His outfit can obviously be enhanced by a boutonniere, or suspenders, or bowtie, etc. if you’d like to coordinate colors to match your bouquet or dress color! Sandals are probably going to be easiest (even if you choose to get photos done with another style of shoe) to protect your feet from hot sand and pavement, but also not weigh you down when moving along the beach. I’m also going to put a plug in for barefoot sandals at this point in my post. They are SO. FREAKING. CUTE. and if you’ve never seen barefoot sandal wedding photos, go look them up, because they are absolutely adorable. They come in so many different colors and styles, beads, sparkles, sequins, chains, thread…That would definitely add a unique touch to your beach wedding photos!
If you’re getting married on a mountain, or your location requires a bit of a hike, I’d recommend purchasing a bridal buddy. You’ve probably seen these nifty skirt gathering helpers advertised to help brides more easily use the restroom before their big day. Well, while these are not the MOST attractive accessory, they are SUPER helpful to keep your dress out of your way while you hike; and prevents the bottom from getting muddy before you even start your photos or ceremony. These can also be bought on Amazon. For the groom, mountain or forest attire is a bit easier. If he doesn’t want to sweat in his wedding outfit, it is easy to carefully roll it into a backpack for the hike and change behind a tree once you get to your location. Hiking boots or rain boots might be your footwear of choice in this scenario as you may have mud or small brooks to cross on your trek to your wedding location. (Again, you can always pack different shoes to put on for photos when you get to where you’re going!)
Finally, you need to consider where you’re going and what that place will look like during the time of year your big adventure wedding day is scheduled. Is it going to be winter and covered in snow and ice? If so, you may want to choose an off-white or even a colored dress in order to really pop in your photos. Is the place you’re going going to be super green in the middle of a forest in the summertime? If so, maybe choose to wear all white and get your pop of color through a dye job on the bottom of your gown or through your bouquet. The same goes for him!
There are lots of ways to express yourselves through your attire during your adventure wedding, and your planner and photographer can help you decide on special details that are you unique to you as a couple. So, to summarize, the main things to worry about with your attire are 1) weather/temperature 2) color coordination with time of year and 3) appropriate footwear and helpful accessories for the adventure.
That’s all I have for you guys today! Thank you for reading! If this post helped you, feel free to find me on Instagram or TikTok and let me know what topic you’d like to read about next! If you’re planning an adventure wedding or elopement, feel free to reach out with any questions on the process. Even if we don’t work together, I’d love to see your photos, cheer you on, and follow along with your hiking wedding journey! Till next time!
