The Honeymoon Wardrobe

The Honeymoon Wardrobe

Longer than a normal trip, more swimming, and most of it photographed. Eight maxi dresses, eight swim pieces from $90 and eight pieces of jewelry.

A honeymoon wardrobe has a constraint most trips do not, which is that a lot of it gets photographed and some of those photographs get kept. That changes what is worth buying. Things that look good in person and flat in a picture are a poor purchase, and anything that only works in one light is worse.

It also tends to be longer than a normal holiday and involves more than one setting, so the same pieces have to cover a beach, a dinner and usually a town.

The dresses are the core of it and the eight here run $300 to $540, all maxi length. Baobab's Pia at $300 is the lightest and the most casual. Third Form's Bia strapless satin is $360 and Arcina Ori's Santina crepe is $400. STAUD's Alessandra pleated is $450 and ROTATE's slit crepe is $470. ARAKII's ruffled crepe is $490, GEORGIA HARDINGE's Deity plisse metallic knit is $530, and SIEDRÉS' Raye crepe halter at $540 is the dressiest.

Swim is where a honeymoon differs most from a normal trip, because there is more of it and it is more visible. The practical advice is the same as for any warm-weather trip and the volume is higher. More suits, worn more often, with less drying time between wears.

One-pieces and separates do different jobs. A one-piece is the better choice for a boat, a long lunch and anywhere else involving other people, because it reads as clothing when you walk away from the water. Separates dry faster and give more combinations per item packed.

The eight here run $90 to $200 and split evenly. Left On Friday's Weekender at $180, La Porte's Brooks at $188, Bond-Eye's Ava at $195 and Baobab's Selena at $200 are the four one-pieces. Ay Que Calor's Lea at $90, Éterne's Thea at $95, Tropic of C's Solana at $100 and Meridian's Tropic at $110 are the four bikini bottoms, which is the half of a two-piece that wears out first and is worth having spares of.

Jewelry on a honeymoon is doing more work than usual because it is in the photographs and because it is often the thing that turns a beach dress into a dinner one. The practical constraint is salt water and sunscreen, which both damage plated pieces over time and neither of which anyone avoids on this kind of trip.

The sensible approach is a small number of pieces that can be taken off and put back on in a minute, rather than layers that need arranging.

The eight here run $170 to $420. Shannon Bond's Tadasana necklace at $170 is the plainest and the most everyday. louis abel's Aurea polished ring is $220 and annika inez's small spoon ring is $325. Alexis Bittar's Bonbon crystal teardrop earrings are $245 and jane win's free small pendant coin is $268. Ranjana Khan's Novalie pearl clip-on earrings at $380 need no piercing, Ramy Brook's Lila cuff is $395, and Ben-Amun's large crystal drops at $420 are the most photographic pair.

Our honest take

Pack more swim and fewer dresses. That is the specific mistake this trip produces, because people buy for the dinners they imagine and then spend most of the time in the water.

Two one-pieces and three bottoms will outperform four dresses on any honeymoon that involves a coast, and the bottoms at $90 to $110 are the cheapest items in this entire edit.

On jewelry, take the plated pieces and accept they will not last forever. Salt and sunscreen will dull them and that is a reasonable trade for not worrying about losing something valuable in the sea.

If you take one thing away, buy the second swimsuit before the fourth dress.