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What couples should pack for a destination wedding, from travel documents and the wedding dress to carry-on liquids, rings, backups and day-of essentials.
Pack a destination wedding in two layers: a carry-on with everything you can't replace (passports, rings, vows, the dress or suit, medication and marriage paperwork) and a checked bag with everything you can. Check your passport against your destination's entry rules, keep liquids within airport security limits, and call the airline before you fly with a wedding dress. The rest is a list: outfits for each event, day-of essentials, and small backups for what tends to go wrong.
Documents are the one thing on this list you can't buy at the destination. Many countries want your passport to be valid for some time beyond your trip (six months is common in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa, while others ask for less), so check the exact rule for your destination on the US State Department's country pages or your own government's equivalent, well before you book.
The US Transportation Security Administration says a wedding dress can go through the checkpoint in a garment bag, and that officers can screen it by hand, wearing gloves, if it won't fit through the X-ray. TSA also advises calling your airline first: some planes have a closet that can hold a dress and some don't, and the airline will count it as a carry-on item.
For flights from the US, TSA's 3-1-1 rule allows containers of 3.4 ounces (100 millilitres) or less, all in one quart-sized bag per passenger. Many other countries use a similar 100 ml limit, but rules differ between airports and change as new scanners arrive, so check the rules for each airport on your route, including the return.
Rings. In a pocket or a small pouch you can see, not in checked luggage. Vows and any readings. On paper as well as your phone. Makeup and skincare you rely on. Replacements can be hard to find abroad. Chargers and a plug adaptor for your destination. One change of clothes, so a delayed bag doesn't ruin the welcome dinner.
A destination wedding is usually a weekend, not a day. Lay out one outfit per event, with shoes and accessories, and photograph each set so you don't forget a piece. What a destination wedding weekend looks like walks through the usual events.
Your own small version of a wedding day emergency kit is worth the space: safety pins, a sewing kit, blister plasters, pain relief, stain remover, tissues, a lint roller, hair ties and bobby pins, a phone charger, and any medication you need. Ask one person in the wedding party to carry it.
Cash in the local currency for tips and small payments. Tipping customs vary a lot by country, so ask your planner or venue what's usual. Gifts for the wedding party and parents, if you plan to give them there. Signage, place cards and your seating chart. If you're printing locally, send the files ahead. If you're bringing them, pack them flat. Welcome bag items, if you're assembling bags there. Destination wedding welcome bag ideas covers what's worth bringing and what isn't. Every guest's room and phone number. If you keep your guest list, RSVPs by event and seating chart in Forever Farrah, they're on your phone at the venue instead of in a spreadsheet at home.
On flights from the US, TSA allows a wedding dress through security in a garment bag. Whether it goes in the cabin, and whether it counts as your carry-on, is up to the airline, so call them before you fly.
Most couples avoid it, because checked bags are sometimes delayed or lost. If the dress can't come in the cabin, some couples ship it ahead with tracking instead.
A passport that meets your destination's entry rules, plus whatever the local registry needs if you're marrying legally there. Requirements vary by country, so check official sources or the embassy.
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