Planning a wedding is tough, let alone a wedding that is also a vacation and honeymoon at the same time. Destination weddings are fun and memorable but can also be trickier to plan and execute. As a bride, you have a lot on your mind. And packing for your wedding can be nerve-wracking. What do you need to bring? Is your passport still valid? The list goes on. So, here are a few travel tips and tricks for you, destination wedding brides out there!
What To Bring
Secure important documents
This tops the list for obvious reasons. Your passport, for one, must be valid for 6 months before your return date. Other paperwork includes birth certificates, marriage contracts, and divorce documents, if applicable. Before leaving:
Give your credit card company a heads up about your whereabouts so your card won't get blocked.
Bring your checkbooks. If you have travel insurance, keep your policy number handy.
Bring your vendor contracts if there are questions about deposits and balances.
Other vital paperwork to bring:
● Receipts for wedding favors or welcome bags (you might need them when crossing borders)
● Photocopies of any vaccination documents, health insurance cards, and prescriptions
● Travel Insurance
● Wedding planning binder containing the details you've already arranged. It would be better to have printouts of all email communications with vendors.
● Phone number of the closest embassy
● Marriage certificate — if you had your legal ceremony at home and will be having a religious ceremony in another country, sometimes the proof that you are legally married is required
Mind the essentials: your outfits!
List down the most important things to bring. Your wedding bands, of course, and your wedding apparel — your gorgeous wedding dress, your shoes, accessories, and undergarments. It is best to have travel organizing bags for your items, labeled accordingly, to make your life easier. Pack all your essential documents and wedding apparel in your carry-on bags. You don't want to risk getting your baggage lost, delayed, or damaged.
Here's a list of what should be in your wedding apparel suitcase.
● Wedding dress and accessories
● Veil
● Wedding day shoes
● Wedding day jewelry
● Wedding day clutch or evening bag
● Hair accessories
● Undergarments
● Emergency kit
● Getting ready attire (button-down shirt, robe)
● Makeup
● Nail kit
● Perfume
Don't forget your wedding favors
Your guests went out of their way to celebrate with you, and gift bags are a great way to show appreciation. You can give the entourage monogrammed gift bags for hangover kits or destination souvenirs. When packing gifts, wedding decor, and other little things for the day, you can use luggage you're okay with letting go. Your hotel would most likely help donate it for you after the event.
Pack an emergency kit
Bring your regular meds and an emergency kit containing painkillers, bug repellents, sunburn creams, over-the-counter medications, antiseptic, and band-aids. Assume that you will be going around a lot before the wedding day, so make sure to always apply (and re-apply!) sunscreen. You won't be all red on your wedding day. Make sure to bring tools for quick fixes — a sewing kit, scissors, safety pins, bobby pins, tapes, and ribbons.
What Not To Bring
● Avoid bringing expensive jewelry and gadgets. Your days will be busy, so don't risk losing your favorite bracelet or your costly laptop. Pack only the essentials — pieces of jewelry you'll use on the wedding day and a piece or two for other activities.
● Don't pack bulky items such as towels. After all, your hotel will provide them during your stay. Another bulky item is a hair dryer. Another reason not to bring it is the possible voltage difference between your destination and home. Voltage converters are not reliable and can potentially fry your electronics.
● Don't bring uncomfortable shoes. Ensure that the pairs of shoes you're packing have been broken. You don't want to spend your days in your incredible destination limping or getting stressed out because of blisters and abrasions on your feet.
● Pack light. You don't want to be bogged down by heavy luggage on your special days. Organize your luggage using Bag-all's packing cubes to ensure that your bags are in tip-top shape at all times.
Final Thoughts
Your destination wedding will be one of your most memorable experiences. And a great way to ensure that you will have the best time is to keep things organized and well-planned. You deserve a stress-free trip so you can focus on looking, feeling, and being your best on your wedding day.
Make your trip to your destination wedding neat and organized with Bag-all's travel and organizing bags. Bag-all has a stylish bag for you, from your wedding dress to your phone charger.
Post Written By: Bash Sarmiento