How do you wear a harness with a wedding dress?
One thing that comes up a lot with our climbing couples is how to wear a harness with a wedding dress. Should you wear a harness under your dress or over your dress? What types of wedding dresses even work with a harness? What else should you wear to make your harness more comfortable?
We love shooting climbing weddings, and as a climber myself, I am excited to share some things we have found that work well! You can easily have an epic adventure elopement, look and feel fantastic, AND pick the wedding dress you always wanted to wear.
Wear your harness under your dress
If you are planning to wear a dress that is a ballgown, A-line or has a less form-fitted silhouette, wearing your harness under your wedding dress is a great solution! The movement of your dress will hide any bulk from your harness and this allows you to wear the harness you are most comfortable in.
One recommendation for this style of dress is to find a dress that also incorporates a high slit. This will allow the rope to come out of your dress close to waist level rather than out the bottom. This creates easier tie-in access and a much safer belay with less risk of fabric getting jammed in your device. The best place for your belay device to be is where it can move freely from your belay loop. Another perk of a high slit is that it will give the climber more freedom of movement and somewhat easier access to your gear loops. Speaking of gear loops - these are the things that make wearing a harness so tricky as they are big, rigid, and make your dress sit unnaturally. Choosing a harness that has fewer gear loops will create a more streamlined look.
Wear your harness over your dress
In order to wear your harness over your dress you will need to look into purchasing a climbing belt style harness - this means a harness without leg loops in the old fashioned “Swami Belt” style. If you are planning to wear a wedding dress that is more sheath styled (think mermaid, trumpet, column or slip styles, anything that is form fitting), this could be the best choice. This will allow you to manage your belay device without worrying about any excess fabric getting in your way. You also will have full access to your gear loops! If you are confident in tying your own, some climbers may even choose to tie their own Swami Belt out of white webbing!
The downsides to the belt style harness comes with comfort and safety ratings. Sit style harnesses are made for comfort, while belt styles are not intended for extended time for the wearer. They also usually do not have the same safety rating as sit-style harnesses. Make sure your harness meets the parameters of how you intend to use it. Your safety on rope is much more important than how your photos will look, so ensure any system that you tie or purchase matches your intended use! Because waist-only is less common, they can be more difficult to find.
Crag style is another consideration with a waist-only harness: the best type of route is going to be slab, rather than overhanging or mostly vertical. Slab style rock will allow more opportunities to stand and release the pressure from the waist only belt.
Wear Pants! (with or without a detachable train)
If you want ultimate freedom of movement and access to all of your gear loops, think about wearing a formal wedding romper or jumpsuit! If this appeals to you but you’re feeling fomo over that flowing train, you could opt to wear a detachable train. Detachables trains connect at the waist (above your harness) and allow for that airy look without compromising your movement or your harness.
Shorts Under Your Harness
Harnesses and bare skin aren’t always a good combination. If you are planning to wear your harness underneath your dress I strongly recommend adding some type of shorts that are long enough to prevent your harness from rubbing while you climb. This will make you more comfortable all day and allow you to wear your harness without worrying about pinched skin. Shapewear, anti-chafing shorts, thin biker shorts, or any low-profile shorts underneath your harness will help your day stay focused on your adventure elopement! Another advantage of shorts is that it provides you modesty if you are going for that epic heel hook move. Nude/skin colored shorts will be virtually invisible.
Outfit change
Some brides also opt for an outfit change. Maybe you wear something climbing friendly for the climbing portion of your day and then change into the dress of your dreams for your ceremony. This option is great and allows for some variety in your photos as well! This bride chose to get a few shots rappelling into a canyon in a flowy, high slit dress, then changed into canyoneering clothes for most of the day, and finally changed into a sheath style wedding dress for her ceremony. It is your day and you can change however many times you want to make you feel comfy and safe.
Short dress
For a lot of climbing freedom you might choose to wear a short dress for your climbing wedding day. This option works with either the over or under harness options. I definitely recommend wearing low-profile shorts (depending on your comfort level) so that you can easily tie in and manage a belay device.
Some other tips:
Try your harness on with your wedding outfit prior to the wedding day. Make sure that whatever you choose does not compromise the safety of your harness or the safety you need to access any of your gear while on rope. The most important thing is that you feel beautiful AND that your ability to have an adventure wedding is not compromised by your outfit choice!
For ice climbing elopements, you can wear nude/white long thermals and cut them to the silhouette of your dress!
