Most girls I know have a certain special item of clothing they can’t bear to travel without. A go to dress; some comfy shorts; that perfectly battered pair of trusty Converse that are just about to fall apart… Well, for Jennifer Salvage that item happens to be a little bit more unusual. You see, Jennifer travels with her wedding dress.
It all started on March 19th 2008, when Jennifer and Jeff said their vows as so many happy, loving couples do every day, all over the world. The bride was prettier than a picture, clad in a traditional, elegant, white gown. What was a little less traditional was the fact that this dress had been flown 7000 miles, driven across one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world and carted up a sacred volcano in order to reach the ceremony.
Wedded bliss began with three separate and incredibly iconic photo shoots around Easter Island as Jennifer’s avid photographer husband looked for that perfect shot – the one that immortalizes that special dress a girl wears for one special day. I guess they say ‘start as you mean to go on’ for a reason as six years later, Jeff still hasn’t stopped photographing his girl in her wedding dress as the travel-mad couple shoot Jennifer wearing it in all sorts of exotic locations all over the world.
So far, the dress has travelled approximately 182,900 miles and survived over 180 photo shoots. It’s clocked up some serious air mileage, making it’s way from Chile to Thailand; from China to Iceland; from Peru to the Vatican and to numerous other countries in between. In fact, it’s planning to spend winter 2014 Down Under. I’m guessing Jennifer always travels with a sewing kit…
This amazing, travelling, wedding dress is made even cooler by the fact that Jennifer is more action woman than blushing bride – she was the first woman to hike the International Appalachian Trail alone. And she ain’t toning it down just coz she’s wearing a dress. This lacey symbol of ultimate femininity is brought smack bang up to date and into the 21st century with Jennifer posing in it after or during challenges the stereotypical Disney princess bride would shy away from. Challenges such as scaling peaks, trekking canyons, riding horses, kayaking and even coming over all Snow Queen and trying her hand at dog-sledding… Didn’t Ginger Rogers say ‘I did everything Fred Astaire did – just in heels and backwards’? Looks like Jennifer just went one better by doing it all in her wedding dress.
As they trot the globe together, this adventurous couple can spend every trip reliving their wedding day through these iconic pictures. After all, why just have one special day when you can have hundreds?
Pictures courtesy of Jeff Salvage from One Dress, One Woman, One World. Sign up to the email list or like them on facebook to hear Jennifer’s story through her memoir ‘When it Clicks, One Woman’s Journey from Solo Hiker to “Model” Wife’.
Alex Saint is a writer based in Bristol, England – a place she calls home due to its friendly, diverse atmosphere and never-ending list of fun things to do. She loves tattoos, quirky fashion, pugs and, of course, travelling.
Keep up with the Saint sisters and their adventures in Bristol, London and beyond at www.saintsonaplane.com and @saintsonaplane or Alex herself @alexsaint13
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