As your wedding day quickly approaches, you may be wondering what you should pack in your wedding day emergency kit. There are so many lists out there that can be a bit overwhelming, especially as a bride who may not know what to expect – so what do you really need?
Having coordinated hundreds of weddings over the years, we’ve learned that there can often be a lot of scrambling when unexpected emergencies come up on the wedding day. And because of that, we’ve refined, tweaked and fine-tuned a list of wedding day emergency kit items for brides to have on hand throughout their wedding day.
You might be surprised by a few on our list, but trust us when we say you will be SO grateful to have them if needed.
We’ve included our favorite, must-have items for brides (and even Maid of Honors and Mother of the Brides) below.
01. Personal Care
- Deodorant
- Makeup Wipes
- Blotting Sheets – for oil control.
- Tweezers
- Clear Nail Polish – helps stop a chip from getting worse.
- Nail Polish Remover
- Nail File
- Nail Clippers
- Mints – our go-to are these breath strips.
- Dental Floss Picks
- Eye Drops
- Lip Balm
- Baby Powder – for freshening up and preventing chafing, especially during warm weather events.
- Bug Spray – during the summer months, we cannot tell you how grateful we are to have this in our emergency kit for outdoor ceremonies and especially tented wedding receptions.
- Sunscreen – similar to bug spray, it may not seem necessary to wear sunscreen when you have a quick 20 minute outdoor ceremony. But trust us, you and your bridal party will be glad you have it when the time comes.
- Heel Grips – provides extra comfort and prevents blisters, from the ceremony through the reception.
02. Beauty Essentials
- Hairspray
- Bobby Pins – bridesmaids are always asking us for extra bobby pins throughout a wedding day.
- Hair Wax Stick – whether it be for frizzy hair, from the wind or even dancing the night away, we love these hair wax sticks to keep fly aways at bay throughout the entire day.
- Hair Brush
- Comb
- Teasing Comb
- Straightener + Curling Iron – it’s always a good idea to have a straightener and curling iron on hand just in case you or your bridesmaids need a last minute touch up after hair and makeup have already left.
- Setting Spray – keep your makeup fresh all day
03. Fashion Fixes
- Safety Pins – one of the most used items in our own emergency kit.
- Lint Rollers – to tidy up those groom + groomsmen suits before their walk down the aisle.
- Boutonniere Pins – we like to secure boutonnieres with two pins for a stronger hold, and florists sometimes only send one per bout, so it’s always a good idea to have extras on hand.
- Fashion Tape – to help keep those necklines lying flat.
- Chalk – for unexpected stains on a wedding dress, just chalk it!
- Travel Steamer – probably the most used emergency kit item our brides and their bridesmaids use on wedding days. Even if dresses are steamed ahead of time, wrinkles are bound to happen while transporting dresses and you’ll be grateful to have a steamer for those last minute dress checks!
- Crochet Hook – a lifesaver for wedding dresses with a lot of buttons.
04. Hygiene Products
- Tissues or Handkerchief – even the non-emotional brides can be emotional on their wedding day. From a first look with their groom or father of the bride, to walking down the aisle – you’ll want to have something on hand to keep you and your bridal party’s makeup looking fresh. We love these Happy Tears handkerchiefs for yourself, but they can also make great gifts for your bridesmaids, mother of the bride, or even father of the bride!
- Hand Sanitizer
- Tide Sticks – stain remover on the go because someone ALWAYS gets something on them.
05. First Aid Supplies
- First Aid Kit – someone always needs something out of our first aid kit.
- Tylenol, Advil, Aleve – these are a given, and we always like to have all three in our emergency kit in case someone has a preference, or even an allergy to one or another. These travel sizes are perfect.
- Pepto + Dramamine – you never know if anyone in your bridal party will have nausea or an upset stomach that can sometimes come with wedding day jitters. We love these smaller travel bottles.
- Non-Drowsy Allergy Medicine – whether it be seasonal allergies or an allergic reaction, we always suggest having some sort of allergy medicine on hand.
06. Sewing Kit
- Travel Sewing Kit – everything you need to save the day when something rips or pops off.
- Fabric Scissors – let us place an emphasis on FABRIC. Ever have to cut ribbon or fabric and it was incredibly hard to get a nice clean cut? Fabric scissors are multi-purpose and worth having in your emergency kit.
07. Beverage & Snacks
08. Misc.
- Super Glue – a lifesaver for any unexpected breaks or tears, from shoe heels to jewelry.
- Cute Umbrella – rain happens, even on the best-planned of days. We always suggest having an umbrella on hand for yourself and your bridesmaids, and this cute one will make for gorgeous photos of you and your groom even if the day itself is gloomy.
- Mesh Pouches – we like these mesh see-through bags so we can organize like things with like things, and so it’s easy for you and your bridesmaids to see what’s in each. These water-proof travel bags are great too!
- Portable Charger – keeps your phone charged for photos or coordinating with your bridal party, and will still fit in a small purse.
We sure hope you found this wedding day emergency kit list for brides (Maid of Honors and Mother of the Brides, too) helpful!
Xo,
The JDWC Team
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