You’re busy planning your wedding and thinking about your dress, the wedding party’s outfits, flowers, cake, food, and seating arrangements. If you’re having a destination wedding, your list is exponentially longer!
The last thing you need to worry about is what you need to pack. To help you, we’ve created the ultimate guide for packing essentials for your destination wedding.
Follow this checklist, and you won’t forget anything for your special day away from your hometown.
Pack These Items in Your Carry-On Bag
Let’s start with your carry-on bag. Do make sure that you are following all TSA regulations when it comes to toiletries and liquid items as well as bag size.
You may have some of these items in your bag and some of them digitally on your phone, tablet, or laptop.
Here’s a handy checklist for what to pack for your wedding:
- Your smartphone and charger
- One extra outfit, pajamas, and undergarments (in case you get delayed)
- Small toiletries (again in case you get delayed)
- Your jewelry, including wedding bands (do not pack in your luggage), and wedding day jewelry
- Your id and passport and vaccination info if needed (be Covid prepared for your destination)
- Plane tickets and boarding passes (you can have these on your phone, too)
- Directions and hotel information
- Your marriage license and birth certificates
- Information and contracts for your vendors
- Important phone numbers (include the US Embassy if you are traveling out of country)
- Your wedding dress and veil (Your groom should bring his wedding attire as well) and wedding shoes
- Travel insurance information
- Cash and credit cards
- Camera if you aren’t using your smartphone
- Jacket (planes can get cold)
- Your wedding vows
- Breath mints and gum
- Water bottle
Pack These Wedding Items in Your Suitcases
Now it’s time to pack the bride’s suitcases.
- Dress, shoes, and accessories for the rehearsal dinner
- Your hair accessories for wedding day
- Anything else you need for your wedding day
- Garter if you’re using
- Something old, new, borrowed, and blue
- Gifts for bridesmaids and your groom
- Your wedding vows
- Bridal Lingerie
- Undergarments
- An outfit for every day and outfits for evenings out (do include outfits for the days up to the wedding as well as your honeymoon if you are leaving right after your wedding)
- Swimsuit, hat, sunscreen, and coverup
- Lingerie
- Shoes
- Jacket
- Contacts and/or glasses, sunglasses
Do pack a separate bag inside your suitcase with the following:
- Makeup (for your wedding and honeymoon), makeup remover, and any face lotions and potions
- Perfume
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss
- Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash, Deodorant, Body Lotion, and Lip balm
- Comb, brush, Flatiron, Hair styling gel, hair spray and hair dryer if your accommodations don’t have one
- Feminine products
- Prescription medicines
The groom will want many of these same things as well as:
- Gift for the bride and groomsmen
- Cufflinks and wedding day accessories
- Toiletries as mentioned for the bride as well as shaving cream, razor, aftershave, and hair gel
Pack These Emergency Items
It’s always a good idea to plan ahead, especially if there aren’t any stores nearby.
- Advil/Tylenol
- Tums
- Nail kit, polish, polish remover
- Sewing kit
- Band-Aids
- Bobby Pins
- Tissues
- Bug spray
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve read the ultimate guide for packing essentials for your destination wedding, you are ready for the wedding of your dreams.
You know what to pack for your wedding, and you are ready to go without any extra stress on what to pack for your special day!