Wedding Gown
Flight Plan
HOW TO PACK AND
GET IT ON BOARD
Do carry-on to avoid
the stress of lost lug-
gage. Transport it in
an extra-long garment
bag and consult the
airline for carry-on
requirements. First
class or priority
boarding might be
worth the cost!
FOLDING TIPS
First, hang the gown
in the garment bag,
so it is easy to handle.
Then fold the sides
of the gown into each
other toward the cen-
ter. From there, take
the bottom of the train
and roll it up until the
skirt is neatly encased
in the garment bag.
Zip it up carefully.
During my nine years living in
New York City, I’ve cultivated a
finely tuned team of beauty pro-
fessionals who help me look and
feel my best. So when it came
time for my wedding—a summer
destination event in Italy—it felt
wrong that these women would
not be the ones making me look my absolute best on my big day.
After all, there’s a true camaraderie with someone who pulls the hair from your
upper lip—shouldn’t she score a wedding invite? That led to more questions: Should I
add the cost of transporting them to my wedding budget? Or trudge back and forth
from Milan for trials till I found my entourage?
These are common concerns for brides opting for destination weddings, says my
planner, Rachel Birthistle of the Lake Como Wedding Planner. “Using someone new
can be stressful, and brides often fly in their own teams,” she says. “Many women are
used to having individual artists for other services, such as brows, eyelashes, nails,
spray tans, as well as hair and makeup.” Birthistle says the first step is research. “Estab-
lish in advance what services are readily available and which to consider flying in,” she
says. You might also book highly experienced hair and makeup teams who will be more
costly but can put you at ease.
Second up: Don’t forgo the trial. Squeeze in as many tryouts as you can during trips
for site visits or catering tastings. Alternatively, ask beauty pros for their travel schedule
space on your biggest day,” says Birthistle.
Consider the unique (but still helpful) option of a trial
via FaceTime. Send photos via video chat so the artist
can familiarize herself with your hair, face, nails, etc.,
and then ask her to use a model with similar skin
tone or hair texture to re-create the looks you want.
For day-of emergencies (like a last-minute zit),
Birthistle suggests organizing a “little black book” of
local pros to contact if something arises (pun not
ON CAMELBACK
IN MOROCCO
“Guests wander Marrakech’s
medina,” says James Wales
of travel company Black
Tomato, “then head to the
Agafay Desert to see the
bride ‘come down the aisle’
on camelback at sunset with
the High Atlas Mountains
behind her.” Bridal culottes
a must. Black Tomato
can set up the honeymoon.
blacktomato.com
INSIDE LANGJÖKULL
GLACIER, ICELAND
“Adventure-loving couples
unafraid of a little cold can
plan a chill ceremony,
riding off in a super jeep
into a blue, white, and
neon-pink sunset,” says
Iceland adviser Alys
Colayera of Black Tomato.
Travel operator
Pink Iceland can arrange
the cool I do’s!
pinkiceland.is
NEAR A WATERFALL IN
PATAGONIA
Set within Argentina’s Nahuel
Huapi National Park, the
Peuma Hue lodge appeals to
nature-lovers who want to
say vows in the wilderness
with a Magellanic woodpecker
or silver fox in attendance.
Fun is sleeping late in a
luxurious yurt before kayaking
all day. Travel pros Swoop
Patagonia know the area well.
swoop-patagonia.com
The Entourage:
Sussing out your
beauty options
103
brides.com august + september 2019
ILLUSTRATIONS: KATE DONOVAN
