Who doesn’t want to attend a tropical destination wedding? Now that I have hit 27, It seems everyone around me seems to be getting engaged or married. My first close friend from college got engaged last year and recently had her destination wedding in the Bahamas. I was so excited for this experience and it was definitely an unbelievable one. However, one challenge can always be – what do I pack? I compiled this list with some examples of what I brought to help you out if you have a tropical destination wedding of your own coming up! I also included some helpful reminders to keep in mind on your checklist to have the best experience possible.
Things Not to Forget
- Your Passport! If you are going abroad, you do NOT want to get all the way to the airport with all of your things, and find you can’t get on the flight.
- Call your Debit/Card card company: If you are going abroad, you want to alert your credit/debit card company of your travels so you do not have your card cancelled trying to make a purchase. If you have Bank of America like me, this can easily be done through the BOA App.
- Bring some Local Currency: Again if you are going abroad, you may end up having to take a taxi from the airport to wherever you are staying, and if you are splitting with a group it is always helpful to have cash on hand, especially for tips!
- Call your Phone Company: If you are planning on using your cellphone abroad, you want to make sure that you call your cellphone provider and see if you can add on a travel plan. If you have Verizon, I highly recommend TravelPass. Once you add Travel Pass onto your phone, it is on your plan forever, and essentially you will be charged a certain amount per day (depending on where you are, i.e. in Bahamas it was $10/day) and can use your phone completely as normal! If you choose not to use your phone, you can simply keep it on airplane mode and not be charged – so easy!
- A Portable Phone Charger: This was super helpful. Alongside your regular phone charger, If you are going to spend long days on the beach, or even at the wedding, it is so nice to have an extra charger to take with you so that you phone won’t die and you can put up as many pictures as you want! 🙂
- Tide-to-Go Pen: Always good to have for any spills that might happen eating or dancing at the wedding!
- Camera: I personally use my phone camera as it is great quality. However, if you want to take some really nice pictures, don’t forget your camera!
- Present for the Bride and Groom: For destination weddings, often times you do not need to bring a gift as the gift is attending the wedding (which can come at a high cost!). The Bride/Groom typically will let you know this beforehand. However, I would still always suggest bringing at least a card. If this is a close friend or relative, you may still want to bring a gift, so this is something not to forget and leave until the last minute!
Toiletries
For toiletries, it is always good to check beforehand if the hotel/accommodations have what you need already. This is especially helpful because airlines have restrictions on how much liquid you can bring onto a plane i.e. if you have a large bottle of hair shampoo and conditioner, this may not fly (literally).
- Travel size shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and face wash from CVS. One of the great things about CVS is their travel section that has mini versions of everything. I often times do not like the shampoo and conditioner provided at hotels, it makes my hair have knots and does not work well for me. If you want to bring your own to make sure you don’t have this problem, go for the travel size! Additionally, if you are tanning in hot weather, having lotion is key so you don’t end up flaky! You will definitely want to buy sunblock and potentially aloe when there (unless you can find a mini version of these as well!).
- Neutrogena Makeup Remove Cleansing Towelettes. These little wipes are my saviors! They are the easiest way to get makeup off quickly without irritating your skin.
- Blowdryer/Hair Straightener/Curler: Make sure to check if the hotel already has a blow dryer, as this is one less thing for you to bring. If you are planning on styling your hair for the wedding (I curled mine) make sure you have the right styling tools!
- Razor. Double-check that your airline allows this (some don’t using carry-on) but this is definitely good to bring if you are wearing a dress at the wedding!
- Makeup. For makeup, I would narrow down to the specific makeup you think you will actually wear on the trip. Make sure you don’t over pack in this arena, as I have often done. A couple items not to forget include is lipstick (if you want to wear a special color at the wedding), and Chapstick (I love mini Vaseline) to keep your lips from getting dry in the hot weather! Finally, I LOVE BareMinerals Complextion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Cream. It is great to put as a first layer under your makeup to stay hydrated, make your face glow, and it has SPF 30!
What to Wear
- Swimsuits! Of course on a tropical wedding, you may be spending a lot of time on the beach or by the pool. I personally like to bring a different bathing suit for every day I know I will be swimming, so that I can leave them to dry while I am wearing my next one. Additionally, they are tiny so easy to pack a bunch! I absolutely LOVE my new Same Swim bikini, it is definitely my new favorite. I also really love Triangl bathing suits. Take a look at my favorite bikini here:
- Hat: If you want to keep your face safe from the sun with a stylish accessory, I recommend throwing in a cute hat! Mine is from Aldo. A tip for packing these so they don’t get bent is putting a shirt in the hat to keep it open and not squished on the plane!
- Sandals: Of course these are a must for the beach. Mine in the picture above are Schutz x Revolve Erlina Sandal in Osyter. The only annoying thing about these sandals is taking them on and off – so for sandals you need to take on and off quickly, I’d suggest a more simple pair. I brought two pairs, so I could switch it up.
- Sunglasses: You do NOT want to forget these for the sunny days to protect your eyes! My favorite are my original Ray-Bans, they go with everything!
- Beach Cover-ups/Beachwear for Day: What I like to do so I don’t over pack, is pick one outfit per day that I will wear while away, and stick to that outfit (This can be very challenging, I know!). For our trip, aside from the wedding day, most of the days were spent by the pool or beach, so for each of these days I brought a beach cover-up or cozy romper or jean shorts/top combo. My romper below is my new favorite, the Tularosa Amelia Romper from Revolve.
- Nighttime wear: Same as above, for each night (not including the wedding night) I aimed to pack one outfit. Looking at the weather ahead of time, it was going to be very warm even at night, so I mostly packed maxi dresses or skirts with tops, but I did bring one pair of white jeans and one cardigan, just in case! I absolutely love this maxi dress from Flynn Skye below, (mine was in the color White Rose which is sold out, but they have many other beautiful colors!)
- Comfy Outfit for the Plane: I always wear sneakers, leggings, and a cozy top. I tend to get cold on planes, so good to have your legs and arms covered so you don’t get chilly!
- Clothes to Sleep In: This is something I always forget because it matters the least to me (Haha). Don’t forget to bring some shorts and a t-shirt or tank to sleep in (I brought 2 of each as I don’t mind re-wearing them multiple nights).
- Wedding Guest Dress and Heels!: Finding a dress for a tropical destination wedding, especially when it is mid-winter here in Boston, can be difficult as no stores are selling summer clothing. This is why I went head-first into the internet and some of my favorite online retailers to find the best dress. I also heard my friend had luck finding a dress on the sale rack at Nordstrom (not a bad option at all!). Both me and my friend’s dresses pictured below are from Revolve! Mine is the Lovers + Friends Caspian Shift dress in Coral from Revolve, that I paired with some tan heels I got from J.crew awhile back.
I hope this post was helpful for any of you who have a destination wedding coming up! Looking forward to seeing pictures from your trips!