5 Best Hiking Wedding Dresses, To Keep You Comfortable All Day Long

As experienced hiking wedding photographers, we’ve seen a LOT of hiking wedding dresses and can tell you exactly what works.

By Vanessa & Chad; ‘The Outlovers’, your husband and wife elopement planning and photography team.

Updated for 2026-2027

Having planned and photographed more than 150 elopements, from the mountains of Colorado to the desert of Utah – and having hiked hundreds of miles with our couples- we’ve seen MANY a hiking wedding dress. We know a thing or two about what works… And what doesn’t.

In this blog we’re going to share 5 of the best hiking wedding dresses from REAL BRIDES we’ve photographed, from classic to boho: we’ll share WHY they’re so perfect AND show you where to buy them from.

We’ll also let you in on all our insider secrets and top tips from a photography perspective, to help you choose a hiking wedding dress that will get you those killer pics you dream of.

So, you’re going hiking on your wedding day?

First of all, let us salute you… You’re a BADASS!

Now, let us help you find your hiking wedding dress.

Not all wedding dresses are created equal and, if you’re opting for a hiking wedding, you REALLY want to be sure you pick something suitable. Not doing so can lead to a pretty miserable experience.

So, let’s make sure you choose the right one…

5 Things To Consider When Choosing Your Hiking Wedding Dress: A photographer’s insider secrets

1. Is your hiking wedding dress COMFORTABLE?

This HAS to be your number one consideration.

Yes, you wanna look good. But you wanna FEEL relaxed and comfortable, too. Coz that’s going to shine through in your pics!

If you’re constantly having to pull your dress up, if it’s scratching you under your arms, or if you can’t take a deep breath…

Trust us, you’re going to feel distracted and miserable all day long. We’ve seen it happen before.

So, if you try on a dress for ten minutes and you can already feel there’s a little something starting to bug you… 

That dress ain’t the one!

2. What length of hike are you planning to tackle?

This is essentially an addendum to point No. 1 above.

The longer the hike, the MORE important that comfort factor becomes.

Little things that you might let slide on a short hike, will become really irritating on a longer hike. Again, we’ve seen this happen: brides desperate to change out of their dress because, a few miles in, and it’s really getting uncomfortable.

On the flip side, we’ve had brides hike 10+ miles in their dress, wearing it all day, and feeling entirely comfortable the whole time.

So, if hiking is the main focus of your day, you’ve gotta put extra emphasis on your dress feeling super duper comfortable. Don’t settle!

3. What weather/temperature are you expecting?

You need to make sure your hiking wedding dress is environment-appropriate. And by that, we mean that you’ll be both comfortable and safe.

For example, you might want to consider a heavier fabric like satin and long sleeves if it’s going to be cold. You don’t want to be shivering your way through photos!

Alternatively, you might want to opt for a lighter fabric like chiffon if it’s going to be hot, so you’re not sweating in your pics.

If this is something you feel unsure about, consult with us! We’re experts on the places we share with our couples and can tell you exactly what to expect at different times of the year.

Reach out if you’d like help with YOUR hiking wedding:

4. Does your hiking wedding dress allow for a good range of motion?

If you’re going to be hiking on uneven terrain, or putting in some elevation gain, you have to be able to move well in your dress.

You need to be able to take large strides, big steps up, and ideally be able to sit down in it, too.

So, when you’re trying on potential wedding dresses, don’t be shy! Try out some of the moves in the salon and, if the dress feels restrictive, it ain’t the right one.

5. Do you LOVE the dress?!

This might sound really obvious, but you deserve to really flipping adore your wedding dress. 

You deserve to feel like a badass babe hiking on your wedding day, looking like a goddess.

Yes, you’ve got to check all the practical boxes we’ve been discussing, but if you don’t adoooooore your dress… Keep looking! 

The perfect dress is out there.

Our 5 Favorite Hiking Wedding Dresses, From Classic To Boho

After photographing more than 150 elopements, and MANY of them involving a hiking element, we’ve seen a LOT of gorgeous hiking wedding dresses.

Here are our top 5:

1. A hiking wedding dress with ‘SWOOSH FACTOR’

Kelsie’s beautiful gown made for an ideal hiking dress, thanks to its light, flowing fabric.

She not only hiked in it, but enjoyed a picnic breakfast and some down time fishing and playing with the doggos. Stunning AND comfortable!

From our real bride, Kelsie:

“My dress couldn’t have been more perfect. It was so easy to toss over my arm while we were walking around. The flowy style made me feel confident in my curves while also providing me plenty of room to comfortably hike around.”

To find a similar gown, search for chiffon dresses with long sleeves.

2. A hiking wedding dress with impressive STRETCH

If a flowy, shooshy dress ain’t your thing, fret not! There ARE alternatives that are still suitable for putting the miles in.

Victoria’s dress worked so well because it’s made from the stretchiest lace, meaning that even though it was super form-fitting she could still take huge strides in it: heck, she could even climb up huge rocks and go horse riding!

This particular dress is from Grace Loves Lace, who specialize in gorgeous lace gowns that not only look stunning but are uber comfortable.

You could also look for a stretchy lace wedding dress at Wear Your Love XO.

3. A hiking wedding dress with A SLIT

Another way to ensure a good range of movement in your hiking wedding dress is to consider a slit. 

You might find a dress you love that already has a slit, or you might ask a seamstress if they can add one into another dress.

Just be sure the slit isn’t so high that everything is exposed when you take a massive stride (and/or wear suitable underwear to be on the safe side!).

This bride had no problem exploring, climbing all over big rocks and sitting down in her dress.

You can find lots of very similar dresses on Azazie, by putting a filter for ‘leg slit’ in the features section.

4. A hiking wedding dress that DOESN’T BREAK THE BANK

If you’re going to be hiking in your wedding dress you may decide that you don’t want to spend a small fortune on it. 

That way you won’t be worrying yourself trying to keep it pristine: it can live its best life and if it gets dirty and even torn, then who cares?!

This bride tackled a MASSIVE hike in this dress and looked fabulous the whole way!

She bought her dress from Amazon believe it or not, for less than $300. 

You can also look for cheap dresses at Lulus. And you’ll find a ton more recommendations in this blog: 15 Cheap Elopement Dresses.

In the words of our real bride, Molly:

“I specifically chose my dress because it was light and airy. I wanted it to fit into the scenery while also feeling like the boho bride I always dreamt of being. It didn’t cost me a lot, but I could climb the San Juan mountains with ease and not stress about it getting dirty. The magic of the day and being able to get to a challenging location was way more important than buying a fancy designer dress…. And I felt like a bad b*tch all day in it!“

5. A COLORFUL hiking wedding dress

If a traditional white wedding dress isn’t your thing, don’t be afraid to go for something alternative.

Not only does a colorful dress look beautiful in the natural environment, but – bonus points – if you DO get it dirty it doesn’t even show… So, permission to get as feral as you want in that dress!

This bride rocked her colorful dress, not only hiking in it but cooking a delicious breakfast out of the back of her vehicle!

This dress was from Flora and Lane. You can also look for colorful wedding dresses on Etsy, just be sure to read reviews and look at real customer pictures.

So, you’ve chosen your hiking wedding dress, and you’re out there having the time of your life on your elopement day…

One last thing:

If you’re wondering HOW to actually hike in your wedding dress…

Welcome to the ‘backpack bustle’.

This is a little insider secret top-tip to help your hike go smoothly in your dress!

Whenever you’re moving around and you want your hands free and your dress not trailing behind you getting in the way, you’re literally just gonna scoop the whole train up and feed it through the strap of your backpack by your hip.

So simple, SO effective! You’re welcome.

If you’d like to know more about the logistics of hiking on your wedding day, check out this blog: How To Plan A Hiking Wedding.

Or if you’d like more inspiration for what to wear on your elopement day, from dresses to suits and footwear, this might help: Choosing Your Elopement Outfits.

And if you’d like help planning YOUR hiking elopement, don’t be shy reaching out! If you’re still unsure about date and location at this stage, don’t worry: we’re going to help you figure that out.

Here’s a little insight into what our packages include: