“Where should I get my elopement dress,” and, “do I pack or wear my wedding dress for my Colorado elopement?” are two of the most frequently asked questions we receive. These are both great questions! We put together this guide to streamline your wedding planning process and help you navigate the world of wedding dresses!

There are so many beautiful bridal shops all over the US. This is a really great place to start looking for elopement wedding dress! I recommend trying on a few dresses to get an idea of what you like and how you want to feel on your wedding day. Will you go with classic and timeless? Boho and textured? Edgy and chic? The options are literally endless when it comes to choosing a gown! A bridal shop might be a good place to start your search as they typically have bridal consultants who can help you navigate these waters.

Our Favorite Online Elopement Wedding Dress Shops

Lulu’s

One of my all-time favorite wedding dress shops! Lulu’s has affordable gowns that look and feel really nice. They also have tons of different styles to pick from, so whatever vibe you’re going for they are sure to fit the bill. They carry shoes and accessories too, so think of them as your one stop wedding shop! I have used quite a few dresses from Lulu’s for styled shoots, and they are excellent quality without sacrificing budget. I would definitely say their gowns run true to size, however, I strongly encourage our brides to get professionally measured before they purchase online. PS: One of our favorite things about this shop is that they have wedding jumpsuits! If a gown isn’t your thing, Lulu’s has you covered!

ASOS

ASOS is a super cute store that has a ton of trendy wedding dresses with a wonderful range of sizes for every single gown. They also have a ton of different styles, sleeve lengths, and dress length so you can get exactly what you are dreaming of! Like Lulu’s, ASOS is also very affordable with high quality gowns. The sizes do tend to run a little small, again, I strongly recommend our brides have a professional fitting before purchasing their gowns online. You can usually schedule a professional fitting at your local dress shop!

Baltic Born

Another super affordable wedding dress site. Baltic Born is a super cute shop with tons of flowy and lace gowns. Perfect for your hiking elopement! These gowns pair really well with hiking boots (what dress doesn’t though?!) and the delicate lace of some of these gowns will add something really special to your Colorado elopement!

Mr. Pretty  Skirt

Your wedding dress certainly does not have to be white! I repeat, your wedding dress does not have to be white! I think it is so fun when brides choose a colored gown or skirt like black, blue, or gold. That’s honestly the reason I love Mr. Pretty Skirt so much is that they offer so many incredible gowns and fun wedding skirts in every color of the rainbow. They also have so many different styles and lengths to pick from, making it a really great online shop for your wedding!

Rue De Seine

I know that you’ve heard of Rue De Seine! This has got to be my all-time favorite wedding shop for the modern-bohemian bride who wants to look equal parts badass and timeless. Their lace is absolutely gorgeous and their gowns work beautifully in every single landscape. From desert to sea and everything in between! We love the way they can be paired with a cowboy hat and cowboy boots for a modern-western twist. Or you can pair your Rue De Seine wedding dress with your hiking boots and a bouquet-dorned backpack for your Colorado mountain elopement! The possibilities are endless with their gowns and we are a little obsessed with all of them!

Our Favorite Eco-Friendly Elopement Wedding Dress Shops

Borrowing Magnolia

A dream shop for brides who know what they want but don’t want to pay retail price! Here you’ll find every kind of popular designer including Mori Lee, Vera Wang, and Sottero & Midgley at up to 80 percent off the original price. With thousands of dresses available, you can narrow down your search by using filters like fabric, train, size, sleeve, silhouette and more. This is definitely a very sustainable way to shop for your wedding dress!

Reformation 

Reformation has a number of sustainability practices put in place — from knowing who’s making your dress, utilizing deadstock, recycled, and vintage fabrics, reducing waste (they are 100% carbon neutral), and tracking the environmental impact with the RefScale that tells you how much CO2, water and waste you save by shopping Ref.

Poshmark

Okay okay I may be slightly obsessed with Poshmark, but I seriously love their selection and I LOVE that virtually everything is second hand an usually a very good price. I have found so many wedding gowns on Poshmark that have been in incredible condition. You definitely have to do a little more research on the gown you want to buy before you buy it. But I think it is totally worth it! I have seen Rue De Seine, Lulu’s, ASOS, and designer gowns on Poshmark and they have been a great deal!

Your Local Thrift Store

You might get lucky and snag a gown at your local second hand shop! We personally love thrifting, it is one of our favorite date nights. We have seen some pretty incredible gowns at our thrift shops and some of them definitely have potential! You could have a gown altered or, if you’re sew savvy, you could even do some of the altering yourself! This could be an awesome way to have a totally one-of-a-kind wedding dress.

There are so many places to buy your elopement wedding dress these days, and having a computer in our pockets makes it even easier. We love seeing what dress our brides wear for their elopement. Each one has been totally unique from the last and we absolutely love that your personality can really shine through your wedding dress!

Should You Pack or Wear Your Wedding Dress?

This is such a good question and it is totally up to you! A few questions to ask yourself: “Can I easily hike in my wedding dress?”, “am I okay with adventure ombre (dirt) coloring the bottom of my dress?”, “will my dress even fit in my backpack?” We also recommend long hikes or multi-day elopements, that you pack your dress and change at your ceremony site. This way you can stay as comfortable as possible while you’re hiking and you can preserve your dress if you’re doing a multi-day elopement. We usually recommend any hikes less than three miles that you can totally hike in your wedding dress, so long as you are comfortable!

Our number one goal is to make sure that you are comfortable. So if your dress is a little motion restrictive, we recommend packing it. There are multiple ways of doing this, however, we’ve found that these to options work the best for most people.

Option 1: Put your dress in a plastic bag (and even a garmet bag, too), roll it up neatly, and stow at the top of your backpack so it doesn’t get squished by other items.

Option 2: If your dress comes in a plastic bag and a garmet bag, you can keep it on it’s hanger and hook it to the outside of your pack on a loop. This works best if you fold your garmet bag in half and hook it at the loop near the top back of your backpack. I made a video on Instagram about how to do this, you can check that out here!

Let’s Chat About Your Elopement!

One of our favorite things about being and elopement photographer and videographer is that we get to meet the coolest couples in the world and help them plan their Colorado elopement. We love this job so much and are so stoked for you and your partner to honor your relationship by choosing to elope. If saying “I do” to your best friend surrounded by the jaw-dropping mountains sounds like your jam, get in touch with us today!

Happy adventuring!

Bailee & Jake