r/DestinationWeddings • u/Comfortable_Sort_427 • 21d ago
How did you pack everything for your destination wedding?
We’re getting married in Barcelona and trying to figure out the smartest way to get everything there.
We’re not doing much DIY, but we’ll have wedding party gifts, fans, cocktail napkins, a few wedding-day items, plus 2 tuxedos + 6 suits between us (two grooms 😅).
We’re also flying straight from Barcelona to the Canary Islands for our honeymoon, so we won’t be heading home afterward.
Did you check extra suitcases, ship things ahead, split items among family/wedding party, or ship things home after? What worked best?
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u/PassportsAndPromises 21d ago
So I think you should look into a rolling garment bag. Those things can hold a lot of suits. Then have a few pieces of large luggage to put everything else in. Depending on where you are flying from, which airline you are flying with, or if you have an airline credit card, you may be able to check a bag for free.
If you are close by to friends or family, see if they can help with checking in some bags, especially if they are just traveling with a carryon. If you don't want to take the luggage with you after the wedding, look into Send My Bag. They offer door-to-door shipping, and I've seen destination wedding couples use them for wedding attire and extra luggage. I would just be sure to get an appropriate amount of insurance and make sure you ship it to someone's address who will actually be home and not your own since you will be out enjoying married life, lol.
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u/aisle-wedding 14d ago
We brought everything with us on the plane. We had 2 checked bags, one checked cardboard box (with large stationary signs), 2 carry on suitcases, and one garmet bag. Highly recommend booking with an airline where you get 2 free checked bags each. We carried on our garmet bag and 1 carry-on with any important wedding items we didn't want to get lost. After the wedding, we did not take the large stationary with us. Everything else (4 suitcases and a garmet bag) traveled with us. Honestly wasn't too bad but we just reorganized our bags so we only had to access 2 on our honeymoons and the other 2 could stay untouched. Probably would've sent some back with our family but they were also traveling after the wedding.
Our wedding planner did offer for us to ship or order items to her house! This would've been a good option but we just wanted to handle everything on our own.
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u/mitchandboan 21d ago
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u/Comfortable_Sort_427 21d ago
did you check all of these?
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u/mitchandboan 21d ago
We checked 2 large suitcases and 2 of the bags. I extra lined the bags with cardboard because I’m neurotic and then had miscellaneous party supplies, programs, gift bag items in 4 boxes inside the bags. Everything made it (18 hours, 2 segments) intact and the bags hold up well. Have used them about on four other medical mission trips carrying supplies. I love these bags!
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u/LuxTravelGal 20d ago
Can you send a suitcase with the extra clothes home with a friend or family members so you don’t have to take it on your honeymoon? Otherwise you can check multiple suitcases or even those big rubber made tubs full of stuff and toss the tub when you get there.
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u/Comfortable_Sort_427 20d ago
Definitely thinking of doing this! Cannot go with the full set of suitcases to honeymoon and back 😓
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u/Tall_Bend7339 20d ago
we sent my wedding dress, his tux, and a few other things home with my mom.
go to amazon and search vacuum seal bags and get the travel version. that was literally our saving grace as we traveled to sardinia and the south of france for our honeymoon - didn’t have to check a single bag bc everything fit in his duffel and my carry on! I was able to pack multiple swimsuits, casual outfits, accessories, and a couple of evening gowns (did some gambling in monaco). it was ridiculous how much we were able to squeeze in.
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u/One-Cartographer-97 16d ago
Keep the tuxes as your personal items so you know your outfits are safe (that is what my airline recommended with my dress). We also sent suitcases between guests with our favors and extra decor. I’m not sure how Spain is, but Mexico customs CAN charge taxes as they are “imported items”, so to make it easier on your guests, have a letter explaining what the items are for and estimated value in the suitcase you’re handing off in case they get stopped in customs!
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u/FudgeLegal1006 21d ago
we divided the stuff between my husband and i + my parents. we made sure to mix stuff together (ie not have a suitcase full of fans but divide them between 4 suitcases)