Let’s get one thing straight first: the perfect elopement dress is the one you absolutely LOVE and feel amazing in it. One of the most beautiful things about an elopement is that there are no rules – and that applies to your wedding dress, YES! Adventurous brides can (and should) get super creative.

But with this amount of freedom, things can get overwhelming. This guide is simply here to give you some tips on things you should consider when picking your elopement dress.

Wedding Dress x Elopement Dress

Why do I even need to be specific and write an article on elopement dresses when there are tons of articles on wedding dresses? Well, a wedding day and an elopement day ARE NOT the same at all, so here are some things you should take into consideration to find the perfect elopement dress.

Weather

When you choose to say ‘I do’ in the great outdoors, you’ll be exposed to whatever Mother Nature decides – rain, snow, wind, we can’t control any of that. So ask yourself these questions before picking your dress:

– what’s this time of the year like? Are there chances of snow or rain?

– will this dress be completely transparent if it rains?

– will I be sweating all day in this?

Movement

Even if you aren’t having a crazy adventurous elopement, chances are you’ll still be walking a lot more than if you were having a traditional wedding. So make sure you can move a lot in your dress! You’ll be walking, taking big steps, and most importantly – having a blast! You don’t want to feel constricted by what you’re wearing, you want to feel the exact opposite!

If you’re going to a store, make sure you do a couple of loops around the store, take some big steps, as if you were climbing, dance around, and just move a whole bunch! If you’ll be buying your dress online, make sure to read lots of reviews, and even contact the store and ask them questions!

Weight

Elopement dresses are typically lightweight. For the reasons described above, you won’t want to feel like your dress is dragging you down, or making you walk slower than you normaly do. I actually made that mistake! My wedding dress didn’t have a huge train, but it was definitely heavier than I thought. And by the end of nearly 4 hours of dancing, I was so tired of caring that thing around, lol!

The Landscape

This one may come as a surprise to you, but if you’ve seen an epic picture and thought “wow, that outfit is perfect for this place” – it wasn’t an accident. You’ll want your elopement dress to complement the landscape you’re in, and not compete with it! Ask for your photographer’s help. Chances are they’ll be an expert in that location, and they’ll want to help you out – I know we do 🙂

Durability

This one is especially important if you’re planning to do lots of hiking in your dress! You don’t want your dress to be destroyed in the first hour of your day. Invest in a good brand, good fabric, and make sure your dress can take anything!

“So do people always hike in their dress?” you ask… no. Not always, but sometimes! It truly depends on how long and strenuous the hike is, and most importantly, your preference! If you can’t imagine yourself hiking in a wedding dress, then don’t! Pack it in your backpack and get dress at the top of the mountain, and feel super fresh for your ceremony!

Budget

This one is entirely up to you! Elopement dresses will range from $300 – $3,000 and up. But since you won’t be spending an arm and a leg on a venue, food for 200 + people, and loads of decoration, I would say invest in your dress! This is a once in a lifetime day, and you’ll want to feel and look AMAZING!

Elopement Dress Shops

Here are a few of our favorite online shops for you to browse around and get some ideas:

• BHLDN
• Wear Your Love
• Etsy Elopement Dresses
• Lulus Bridal
• Made With Love
• Daughters of Simone
• Baltic Born
• Dreamers & Lovers

Get Creative!

As I mentioned before, there are no rules. So have fun with the process, explore your options, and don’t be afraid to innovate! Who says you have to wear white? Who says you have to wear a dress at all?

After all of these tips, I really think the perfect elopement dress is:

#1 – the one that you can comfortable in all day

#2 – the one that makes you feel amazing

That’s it, really. I truly hope this guide helps you with the basics, so you can have the best wedding day and feel comfortable all day long. But your elopement dress is meant to compliment you as the person you are, and not make you feel like you’re someone else. So only YOU will know what really is a PERFECT elopement dress.

Don’t go yet, check out:

• Winter Elopement in Yosemite
• Eloping in California – Everything you Need to Know