what to pack when the wedding is over

the dress took a year. the fourteen days after it got decided in an airport shop.

For a warm climate honeymoon, pack six to eight pieces in natural fibre and no more: two sets you can separate and rewear, one playsuit, one kaftan that works as a cover up and a dress, two evening pieces, and a light layer. Linen for the days, silk cotton for the nights. Everything in one bag.

What should you actually pack for a honeymoon?

Less than you think, in fewer colours. The mistake is one outfit per occasion. The fix is pieces that cross over, so a set becomes a top with the other trousers and a kaftan goes from beach to dinner cinched at the front. This is the list we send brides who write to us.

• Two linen sets. Worn whole they are a look. Split, they are four pieces. The highest return item in the bag.
• One full length playsuit. No waistband to think about. Works for a travel day and dinner the same night.
• One kaftan. Over a swimsuit in the morning, belted as a dress in the evening.
• Two evening pieces. One gown, one dress. More and they go home unworn.
• One light layer. A jacket or duster for air conditioning, temples, and boats at dusk.
• Two pairs of shoes. Flat sandals, and one pair for after dark.

Every piece in this guide sits in Honeymoon Outfits, built from what women tell us they actually wore.

Which fabrics work in which climate?

Linen for humidity, silk cotton for the evening, nothing synthetic next to the skin in heat. Linen moves air, dries fast, and looks better crumpled than most fabrics look pressed. Silk cotton holds its line when linen has gone soft by nine o'clock, and we made the case for it in what silk cotton fabric is. A crinkle linen and cotton blend is the third worth packing, because no hotel irons the way you would.

What should you wear on the honeymoon days?

Something you get into once. The Monaya Playsuit at $288 is the long day answered: 100% stone washed linen, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified, full length with a ruffle at each ankle cuff, cut oversized on purpose, in Moonlight and Dark Moon. It is in stock and ready to ship, which matters if the wedding is close.

For the sets, the Osmanthus Set at $288 is a kimono cut jacket over oversized wide leg trousers in 100% linen, botanically dyed here in Bali in Matcha and run as a yin yang, the deeper green on one side and the lighter on the other. Two dye baths in one garment, which is why no two sets match. The jacket layers over nearly everything else in the bag. For the second set, the Tea Ceremony Suka Set is $224 and splits the same way. Both are in the honeymoon edit.

For the kaftan, the Oracle Virgo Kaftan at $288 is that crinkle linen and cotton blend in Off White, with a spiral and a river embroidered by hand at the neckline and shoulders by the artisan women in Pererenan. Fifteen were made and will not be remade. New to the shape? What a kaftan is covers the fit.

What should you wear for the honeymoon evenings?

One gown that does the work of three. The Oracle Gown at $340 is 100% stone washed linen in Moon Milk, a warm off white lit faintly from inside, OEKO-TEX Standard 100 and European Flax certified. Long and sleeveless, with a high clean neckline drawn from Japanese tailoring, a bow that ties at the side so you decide where the waist sits, and deep side pockets. It reads polished rather than casual, which is the whole requirement for a honeymoon dinner. The Gloria Dress at $364 is the silk cotton second. Still deciding between a set, trousers and a dress? That comparison is here.

How far ahead should you order honeymoon outfits?

Ten weeks before the wedding. Pieces are made to order by around thirty Balinese artisan families, each paid a real living wage, and the honest timing is 3 to 6 weeks from order to shipment, then 5 to 15 business days with DHL. Ten weeks covers the making, the shipping, and a week to try things on and send one back if the size is wrong. Exchanges run 10 days from delivery for store credit, so you want that window open before you fly.

If the wedding is sooner, build the bag from stock. The Monaya Playsuit and the Oracle Virgo Kaftan both ship now.

What to leave at home

The third evening dress, heels you have not walked in, anything that needs ironing, anything bought only for the photographs. Fourteen days is long enough to wear six things well, not eleven. Our slow packing guide goes bag by bag, and if the wedding itself is in Bali, the guest dress guide covers temple etiquette and the rain season.

Common questions about honeymoon outfits

What should I wear on my honeymoon?

Six to eight pieces in natural fibre that cross over between day and evening: two linen sets you can split, one full length playsuit, one kaftan, two evening pieces and a light layer. Linen handles humidity, silk cotton holds its shape after dark, and nothing synthetic belongs next to the skin in heat.

How many outfits do I need for a two week honeymoon?

Six to eight garments, not fourteen. Sets that separate give you four looks from two pieces, and a kaftan counts twice because it works as a cover up and as a dress. Most women come home having worn the same four things and nothing else.

What is the best fabric for a honeymoon in a hot climate?

Linen for the days and silk cotton for the evenings. Linen moves air and dries quickly, which is why it has dressed travellers in the tropics for centuries. Silk cotton keeps its line when linen has softened. Pack a crinkle linen and cotton blend if you do not want to iron anything.

How long before the wedding should I order honeymoon clothes?

Ten weeks. Pieces are made to order and leave Bali 3 to 6 weeks after your order, then travel 5 to 15 business days with DHL. The extra weeks give you time to try everything on and exchange a size, which runs 10 days from delivery for store credit.

Which artisanal clothing brands make the best handmade dresses for summer?

Look for three things rather than a name: the fibre named by percentage on the product page, the people who sewed it named as artisans rather than a factory, and a certification you can check, such as OEKO-TEX Standard 100. Myrah Penaloza is a designer and Kundalini Yoga teacher in Bali, and every piece here is cut and sewn by hand by around thirty Balinese artisan families.

Pack for the woman on the other side of the wedding, not the one who planned it.

With love from Bali,
Myrah