I’m a photographer that specializes in photographing couples who incorporate skiing & snowboarding into their wedding or elopement! I’ve helped countless brides plan their ski wedding day, as well as guided them on how to ski a wedding dress. This blog post includes all my best tips to find a dress you can ski or board in, and how to look great while hitting the mountain!
Finding the Right Wedding Dress to ski + snowboard in
However you decide to incorporate skiing or snowboarding into your wedding day, you might want some awesome photos of you skiing or boarding in your dress. It might seem daunting, but you’ve got this! There’s a few things to consider when looking for the perfect dress to wear when you hit the slopes. This guide is here to help you find the perfect dress and give you some ideas on how to complete your bridal look!
First in foremost, you want to make sure you can move in your dress. When you’re trying it on and getting it fitted, make sure it is not too restrictive, especially around your shoulders, hips and legs. Cross your arms, stretch, squat, sit down and stand back up. Put on both your boots and skis/board to make sure your dress can accommodate your stance. You don’t want the fabric to be too stiff, because you want to be able to navigate around in it. Be mindful of the fabric, depending on your tolerance to the cold, you may want to avoid sheer or lightweight fabrics. A thicker fabric will be warmer and will not get soaked through when snow gets on it.
To ensure that you won’t be tripping over the skirt of the dress, take you ski or snowboard boots to your fitting so it can be altered properly. The shorter it is, the easier it will be to ski or board in. Later I’ll talk about staying warm and wearing layers. If you plan to have layers underneath the dress, also bring them to your dress fitting so your seamstress can ensure their adjustments take into account what you’ll be wearing the day of.
If you are interested in having a slit in your dress and not planning on wearing pants underneath, you’ll want to be mindful that it does not go too high. When you are skiing or boarding the slit in the skirt of the dress will cause the fabric to split and fly behind you, exposing your legs and potentially more. So if the slit starts mid to upper-thigh, the dress might become a little more revealing than you initially planned.
If your dress has a lace skirt and you also have velcro straps on your boots (like the bride below), the lace might snag on the exposed velcro. Make sure to cover up the exposed velcro with something (tape, a piece of velcro from a craft store, etc) that’ll keep the dress from catching on it and destroying the lace (and from annoying you!).
If you want a train, you will have to make sure you can easily hold on to it while getting on the lift, or that it can be bustled. In the picture below, these snowboarding brides bustled their trains and held the hem while they were boarding to ensure it didn’t get stuck.
If you are skiing with a train like the bride below, it’s not necessary to bustle it while skiing. It’ll naturally flow behind you! You’ll just have to be mindful of holding it as you get on the lift so nothing gets stuck.
Depending on how your wedding day is structured, you may want to consider having a second, inexpensive dress just for skiing in. If so, these are some great options that I have found. (I am not sponsored by the company linked below, I just think these work well!)
Staying Warm in your wedding dress
People always ask me “How do those brides stay warm skiing in their wedding dress?!” The answer is layers! I always recommend bringing layers that go with your outfit that you feel comfortable and confident in. Some wedding days, especially in the Spring, are pretty warm and the bride will forgo layers and just be in the dress. Even if your day is colder, you can still totally get some action shots in just your dress. You can always give me your coat and do a run without it, then put it back on for the lift ride!
Below you’ll find my tips on staying warm, from head to toe!
PANTS
Just because you’re wearing a dress, doesn’t mean you can’t also wear pants! Look for thermal pants to keep those legs warm. You might get some snow splashing on the back of your legs, so pants will keep that snow from hitting your bare legs. If your dress has thin fabric, wearing a lighter color like white, light grey or nude would work best so they won’t be seen through. Here are some ideas for thermal pants:
Kari Traa Lokkee Base Layer Pants (REI)
Nude Fleece Lined Tights (Amazon)
White Merion Wool Base Layer (Amazon)
TOPS
Depending on the cut of your dress, you might be able to fit a thermal top underneath. White would work best so that it won’t be seen. You can also talk to your seamstress about modifying the thermal top so it won’t peek out.
A fur stole, shawl or cloak is a great way to stay warm while still lookin’ fancy. And you can take it off easily once you go inside or start to overheat. Here are some of my favorites to keep you warm:
Caracilla Faux Fur Stole (Amazon)
Faux Fur Trimmed Cloak, pictured below (Amazon)
Cashmere Shawl (Amazon)
Dora Plaid Scarf Wrap (Amazon)
JACKETs
You can always bring your regular ski jacket and take it off for some portraits. You can also get a stylish faux fur jacket that goes with your dress, like this:
Stand Collar Faux Fur Coat (ASOS)
Fluffy Faux Fur Coat (Amazon)
Cropped Collarless Faux Fur Coat (Amazon)
GLOVES + BOOTS
I absolutely recommend heated gloves and heated boot insoles for some extra warmth. Not necessarily just for skiing in your wedding dress, but in general! They are SO much warmer than just throwing a bunch of Hot Hands into your old gloves and on the bottom of your socks. The bride on the left is getting her heated boots on!
If you want white gloves, these fleece-lined gloves and leather-lined gloves (Amazon) are both stylish and warm! I always keep a pair of fleece-lined ones in my backpack. (Pictured below to the right)
As for your feet, heated socks (Amazon) are awesome! I use heated boot insoles (Amazon) all season long and love them. You can install these yourself, but you can always go to your local ski shop to make sure they are installed correctly.
HATS
Some brides choose to go without helmets (either for just a run or the whole day) which can make things cold! If you are interested in going without a helmet but want some warmth, you have options! You could wear a hat like the brides below. The hat on the left is this one, and the hat on the right is this one (both from Amazon). Other options include cute ear muffs (Amazon), or a headband (Etsy)!
Thinking Outside the Box
If you want to have the look of a dress but the dresses you’ve found aren’t cutting it, think outside the box: maybe pair a white turtleneck sweater with a maxi skirt. You can mix and match to your heart’s desire!
The bride in the left photo below is wearing a lace skirt and matching lace crop top. The bride in the middle photo below on the left is wearing a white maxi skirt, a lace bodysuit, and a faux fur stole. The bride in the right photo below is wearing a (handmade!) dress made of two parts: the first layer is a white jumpsuit with a turtleneck, and the second layer is a lace dress on top, with a belt.
Here are some ideas for mixing and matching:
Lace Body Suits & Tops
Deep-V Lace Bodysuit (Amazon)
Turtleneck Lace Bodysuit (Amazon)
Deep-V Shortsleeve Lace Bodysuit (Amazon)
Puff Sleeve Lace Blouse (Amazon)
Open Back Lace Bodysuit (Etsy)
Sweaters
Lantern Sleeve Turtleneck (Nordstrom)
Nathalia Sweater (Sezane)
Lexia Cropped Sweater (Banana Republic)
Knit Your Love Cardigan (Chic Wish)
Handmade Flowers Sweater (Farm Rio)
Bell Sleeve V-neck Sweater (Amazon)
Off-the-Shoulder Wrap Sweater (Amazon)
Hairstyle + VEIL
Decide if you want to wear your helmet, or are comfortable without it. This will determine how you decide to do your hair. If you’re wearing a helmet, you’ll want to choose a simpler hairstyle that won’t get too messed up for when you take it off for some portraits.
Veil
If you would like a veil in your portraits but don’t want to deal with skiing with it, you can stash it away in a pocket or give it to me hold on to (I always carry a backpack for my camera gear, and for holding on to important stuff like this). If you want to wear your veil as you ski or board, make sure it is very secure. You might even want to add some bobby pins to secure the comb. I always keep extra bobby pins on me for this very reason. The veil will fly behind you, so to make sure it doesn’t fall out or fly away you might want to opt for a shorter veil.
If you want to attach it to your helmet, you can slide it between your goggle strap and your helmet. For some extra security, you can weave the goggle strap between the teeth of the comb.
If you are going to be wearing a veil up the lift, make sure it is a manageable length. A shoulder-length or elbow-length veil won’t be difficult to manage. But if you decide on a fingertip veil or longer, you’ll have to be mindful of it on the lift to assure it doesn’t get sat on or stuck.
For some extra warmth, you can attach your veil to a warm headband! Here is a faux fur headband (Amazon) and a fuzzy one (Etsy) like the bride above has!
Here are some ideas for veils from Etsy:
Or if you’re getting married on a warm Spring day, you could mix it up with a Bridal Cape in lieu of a veil!
bridal MAKE-UP on the slopes
If you want to wear makeup and make sure it looks good while you’re skiing or snowboarding down the mountain, make sure it is waterproof and works well with physical activity. Don’t forget the setting spray! I highly recommend hiring a makeup artist- they will be able to make sure your makeup lasts all day!
Don’t want to wear a dress but want to wear classic white?
You could rock a white snowsuit or white pants with a white jacket!
Verbier Belted Ski Suit (Cordova) This bride added a floral belt to her ski suit!
Some ideas to check out:
Fringe Ski Suit (Etsy)
Luxe Verbier Ski Suit (Cordova)
Last Chair Ski Suit (Backcountry)
Katze Suit (Obermeyer)
** If you purchase anything using the Amazon links in this post, I may get a small commission at no additional cost to you. I do not earn commission from nor am I sponsored by the other companies linked. **
Now that you have some insight to help you with your bridal ski look, now it’s time for the fun part- choosing your dream dress! I truly hope that through these tips you can see that you don’t have to compromise having an adventurous experience and still looking your best on your wedding day!
ABOUT THE Photographer
I’m Gabrielle, the creator and photographer behind Ski the Day. I specialize in photographing ski and snowboard weddings, elopements, proposals, and engagements. As an avid skier and wedding photographer, I aim to be a resource for couples who want to incorporate their love of skiing or snowboarding into the biggest day of their lives. I’m based in Colorado and available for travel worldwide.
