You spent months searching for the perfect wedding dress — only to wear it for one special day. Zoe Aust had a different idea. Aust, 27, was determined, she said, to get her “money’s worth” from her gown.
After her wedding on December 31, 2017, at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park, New Jersey, she and her husband, Nick Aust, 24, quit their jobs and cashed out their savings to embark on an unconventional honeymoon.
She had an epiphany while talking with a family member about wearing her wedding dress only once: “Why not bring along the dress that makes me feel so beautiful to the most beautiful places in the world?”
The couple documented their travels on their blog and Instagram account, “Marry Me In Travel.” Aust, who purchased a Watters Ferrera gown at a trunk show at the Bridal Garden, a bridal boutique in Evesham Township, New Jersey, captured the attention of many including the style team at Watters. “We loved following their journey and seeing how they styled Ferrera,” said Sydney Watters Dunbar, the company’s style director. “We are always inspired by our brides, but Nick and Zoe took this to a new level.”
How did the idea of wearing your dress on a multiple-destination honeymoon come about?
The concept behind the wedding dress came about much later. Only a short time before we set off to travel, friends and family kept asking to see my wedding dress. One day a family friend apologised for asking and I replied, ‘Don’t apologise! I’ll only get to wear this dress once, might as well get my money’s worth!’ And it all clicked. From the moment we started dating, Nick has made me feel like I can do anything I put my mind to. He’s motivated me to live life outside of my comfort zone. I realised we were taking this big trip, a huge leap out of our comfort zone. I bought a dress out of my comfort zone. So why not add one more thing to the list? Why not bring along the dress that makes me feel so beautiful to the most beautiful places in world?
How did you know that the Watters Ferrera dress was the one?
Before I purchased my dress, I had asked Nick what types of dresses he thought I should try on. He told me a few times, ‘Something out of your comfort zone. Don’t play it safe. You’re the bride! I want you to stand out!’ Standing out isn’t exactly easy for a girl that likes to blend in. But I kept hearing his voice in my head with every dress I tried on. I had a ‘safe’ option in one hand and an ‘out of my comfort zone’ in the other. I really loved them both, but I felt like a bride in the Watters Ferrera gown. I looked at my parents and both of them were crying, then I started to cry. I found my dress!
How long was your honeymoon?
It was definitely a bit longer than the usual honeymoon, but we tend to do things in our own way. We left at the beginning of January 2018 for Thailand. We came back home in May for three weeks to catch up with family and repack for the next journey of our trip. Then we set back out at the end of May for Greece and continued from there until October.
How did you pack your wedding dress for each location?
Before we left I purchased a garment bag from Bed Bath & Beyond. We had no clue how to travel around the world with a wedding dress, but we figured that was a start! The first few flights we were very gentle with placing it inside the garment bag. As the trip went on and the dress showed its resilience, we got creative with packing it. For example, how do you carry a wedding dress on a motorbike in Bali? We had no idea so we put it in a backpack and hoped for the best! The dress continually withstood it all! Plastic bags, backpacks, beach bags and luggage.
What was your favourite destination?
Every place gave us wonderful memories, but there was something special about our “Trash the Dress” photo shoot in Seychelles, Africa. We had talked about taking this trip for two years, and here we were in one of the most incredible places ending the trip we worked so hard to go on. So we decided to run into the Indian Ocean with our wedding attire on. It was an early morning. The sun was just rising. It was this euphoric moment of “We did it.” And we did it our way, not caring what others thought or said. We wanted this, we saved for this, waited for this and we actually finally did it. And the best part was, we did it together. And for anyone wondering, the dress was not trashed in the slightest. It actually came out of the water cleaner than it went in!
Do you plan to wear your dress again now that the honeymoon is over?
We have a lot more traveling to do so who knows! It will take a back seat for now because we really want to focus on helping others travel. We’d like to write about our experiences so others can learn from them and travel a little easier, cheaper and less stressfully! For right now, the dress is resting in New Jersey while we venture to Morocco and volunteer in Sierra Leone.
Will you be keeping your dress?
Absolutely! Not only does it carry memories of our wedding but of our trip as well. Plus, it’s a constant reminder to live life our favourite way, out of our comfort zone!
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
