Key West Destination Wedding Packing Tips
Throwing a wedding in your home city is one thing, but throwing it in a different state, country, or on an island like Key West is another. Destination weddings have become a popular way for brides and grooms across the globe to celebrate some place different and give guests a ceremony they’ll truly never forget. However, planning and hosting a wedding outside of where you live does come with its challenges.
Sailing away to enjoy a destination wedding in Key West
If you are sailing away to throw a destination wedding in Key West sometime soon, there are plenty of ways to prepare.
From essential items to transportation, these tips will help you plan accordingly so that your Key West destination wedding is just as organized, stunning, and memorable as you imagine.
What To Bring
A standard “what to bring” checklist is a great way to start planning for a destination wedding. Depending on the scale and budget of your celebration, the items may vary, but there are certain things every destination bride needs to make her event a success.
Important paperwork
Travel documents, insurance paperwork, rental car reservation details, hotel booking information, vendor/supplier contracts and payment information are all necessary to have with you. While it is true that most of these things can be accessed digitally, and while - yes - destinations like Key West do typically have good cell phone reception, you don’t want to get into a situation where your need for an important document comes up just as the island is experiencing a major outage which can sometimes go on for hours on end. If your ceremony will involve any kind of printed items such as a Ketubah signing, pack those carefully to bring along, and any paperwork required by the Monroe County Courthouse to obtain your marriage license upon arrival.
Travel basics and essentials
Since you very likely won’t have a lot of extra time to source everyday essentials on a tightly packed itinerary while you’re in town, be sure to bring a variety of destination-appropriate clothing (for Key West, this would include shorts, capri pants, tank tops, light flowy shirts, hats, and sandals), plus toiletries, a travel sewing kit, any books or hobby items you might want to enjoy in your downtime, prescription medicine, sleepwear, and most important of all…reef safe sunscreen (the Florida Keys are protected by the only barrier reef in the US ; help us protect it by using zinc or titanium-based products, not oxybenzone which kills coral).
Dress ; Hair and Makeup products
Of course, you’ll need to pack your wedding dress or other ceremony outfit, your shoes, undergarments that will not show, accessories that go with your ensemble like veil, tiara, belt, cuff links, and jewelry. For your hair and makeup you’ll want to bring whatever hair tools you regularly use (even if you’re hiring a stylist for the day of the event, you’ll still have other parties and outings that you’ll want to look your best), a light robe you can wear while getting ready, and a range of products like hair gel, hairspray in varying “hold” strengths, moisturizer for everyday skincare, aloe vera for after-sun care, makeup remover, and any inspiration print-outs for looks you want to do while you’re here.
Electronics
This is going to include everything from your mobile phone to your laptop, your camera, your iPad/tablet, and any related batteries, chargers, memory card, external hard drives, and carrying cases. If you’re planning to hook up your laptop to the venue’s projector to display a slideshow, be sure to bring the necessary adapter to connect your computer to the necessary port on the other machine. I also always highly recommend in investing in a portable pre-charged battery that can charge your phone and other USB items on the go. You never want to get all the way out to the reef during a welcome party on one of the island’s many catamarans, only to find out your battery is on 10%. If you’re traveling from another country, be sure to research what kind of power cable you might need to grab so that your electronics will charge in our outlets. And unless you’re getting married up the Keys (out of Key West proper), don’t bother bringing a drone….the island is so small that anywhere you’d be getting married would be too close to the airport and therefore illegal to fly.
Décor
If your local Key West wedding planner is not taking care of this for you, or if you’re hosting a DIY wedding, then you’ll need to bring all of your decorations with you. Wedding stationery (place names, order of service, thank-you cards, seating plans), party favors, guest book, table plan sketch and venue layout diagram, and any sketches to give to vendors about how you want a specific table to be laid out when they are setting up, are all going to be helpful. If you’re bringing any additional personalized décor such as a custom-made sign, don’t forget to pack the required hanging hardware or A-frame sign that it will rest on, as these items will be tough to find upon arrival.
Although it's likely that your wedding day furniture and supplies will be provided by the venue or rental house, bringing anything specific you think you might need will soothe nerves and make you feel as prepared as possible for the big day.
How To Travel With Your Dress
Your wedding dress (or dress-ES for my double-rides, or matching suits, for my two-groom-weddings!) is/are arguably the most important item that you’ll pack. It sounds simple enough, but I’ve actually had several clients tell me that they were so focused on packing everything else that they almost pulled away from the house without the dress/suits, and I had one client who actually DID leave her dress behind! She had to have a friend break into her house, retrieve the dress, and fly to Key West with it! So, as silly as the suggestion sounds, it DOES happen.
Fortunately, with the dress well in hand and on its way to your destination wedding, there are a few simple ways to keep it looking absolutely perfect:
Book an appointment with the Steam Queen
Local Key West vendor, The Steam Queen is famous for looking after wedding dresses and other formal attire, and for their complimentary delivery service. Booking an appointment to have your dress steamed will leave it looking like new, with no creases or travel trauma.
Cover your dress while traveling
The material on your dress is far too delicate to be packed like any other garment. Shield it completely with a clean plastic garment cover to prevent dust, wrinkles, or other damage from occurring. You’ll be happy to open up the dress on the big day to find it in perfect condition to walk down the aisle!
Take it as a carry-on
If you pack your wedding dress in your main luggage, it runs the risk of getting lost or stolen mid-travel. For maximum safety, take yours as a carry-on.
Most airlines will be happy to accommodate it as an oversized piece of luggage and some will even be so kind as to hang it up in the front of the plane instead of making you shove it into the overhead compartment.
Call your airline ahead of time to find out what their policies are with regard to flying with a wedding dress, as - naturally - some are going to have different requirements.
Find a compact, secure carry-on bag to transport your dress, and keep a close eye on it while traveling. This will preserve its quality and ensure you look your best when the big day arrives.
How To Transport Favors And Gift Bags
Good news—transporting wedding favors to Key West is not as difficult as it might sound. Your favors can get packed tightly and securely into boxes or hardy suitcases to keep them safe. Anything particularly fragile should get wrapped in bubble wrap or some other form of padding, the box/case clearly labeled as “FRAGILE”, and/or packed as hand luggage where it can be handled with care.
Asking members of your wedding party to each take a few boxes in their carry-ons is a smart way to avoid extra luggage fees, reduce the amount of things you personally have to carry (which can get heavy and cumbersome), and it ensures everything arrives safely because each person only has a few small parcels to keep track of.
You will, however, have to ensure that you bring everything needed with you.
Key West doesn't have major stores within a short drive, and even Amazon Prime can take up to a week to deliver…Next-Day and 2 Day options are almost nonexistent.
4 Wedding-Ready Tips For The Key West Destination Bride
You can never have enough advice when it comes to throwing a destination wedding. These mammoth events require extensive planning to execute, but with the right tips, you should have no trouble.
1. Prepare for delays and lost items
Unfortunately, traveling does come with the risk of delays or lost items. But you can prepare for this outcome by packing wisely, departing earlier than necessary, and using luggage trackers. That way, if anything does go missing, you can quickly find it again.
Another way to avoid lost items is to use conspicuous, colorful luggage and distinct name tags. The more easily identifiable your luggage is, the more likely it is to return to you after your flight.
2. Visit in Advance (if possible)
A pre-wedding trip to your destination is not essential, but it will help you gain a much better perspective of what’s needed when the wedding date comes around.
You can scope out the landscape, get inspiration for your décor, flowers, and your bridal bouquet, and make important vendor and venue connections in real life.
It’s also a great time to schedule an Engagement Session, so we can work together for an hour or two before the big day, I can get to know your personalities and preferences in your photos, and you can get more comfortable in front of the camera posing together as a couple.
3. Go Local
When it comes to throwing a destination wedding, hiring local food suppliers, photographers and other vendors is the way to go. Not only will this be much easier from a logistical perspective, but in a destination like Key West with higher-than-average room rates for accommodations, and more remote flight options that almost always require a connection in another city, it can be much more cost effective as well. Even bringing vendors from Miami poses a threat….I can’t tell you how many weddings I’ve covered in my years in the Florida Keys, in which a last minute backup person was needed because a vendor was stuck on US1 in traffic. There is one road in, and one road out, and if there is anything to impede transportation, your vendor will have absolutely nothing they can do to go around. If you are using décor or a photographer from home, your costs are going to be much higher.
Local suppliers can provide you with the same services without the hassle and extra cost. Plus, local produce and services can bring a more authentic feel to the event.
4. Take Out Wedding Insurance
Wedding insurance is always a good idea, but when you’re getting married outside of your hometown, it becomes even more important. The right wedding insurance package will cover lost, stolen, or damaged items, liquor liability, guest injuries, vendor issues, and damage to the venue.
Some packages will also cover cancellation fees. All in all, wedding insurance adds an extra blanket of security to your celebration and allows you to focus on simply having a good time.
In short…plan ahead for peace of mind
Your wedding day should be one of the best days of your life. You don’t want to spend it fretting over travel documents and souvenirs!
Destination weddings may be a little more complicated than regular ones, but when pulled off in the right way, they are truly spectacular. Hopefully, these tips and tricks can serve you well on your mission to get married in a stunning spot like Key West!
Karrie Porter is a Wedding Photographer in Key West, Florida. Since 2001, she has been documenting her clients’s events with the vibrant style, creative perspective, and energetic personality she’s known for. Learn more HERE