Dainty Details - From Personal to Practical - The Wedding Emergency Kit

My dear cousin Courtney is planning her wedding right now and as I will be a guest and not a wedding planner on her big day, I vowed to help her out in the advice and preparedness departments. She is an avid wedding-blog-reader and has gotten countless ideas and creative inspiration from blogs (100 Layer Cake and Snippet & Ink are her favorite…other than Adore of course!), but has expressed to me a lack of “insider tips” for the bride who truly is DIAH (Doing It All Herself). I want to occasionally post to fill that deficit a little, with some added charm, of course! I’m confident that by sharing a few wedding planner tips and advice based on experience isn’t the same thing as a magician sharing his secrets—there are things you can do as a bride (or groom!) to be more prepared and confident on your wedding day. That being said…I still firmly believe that hiring a wedding planner is the best way to go!

So, today I will share some wedding planner tips about the ever-important Emergency Kit. All brides need one. Sometimes the venue provides one; I’ve seen them in church getting-ready rooms. If you are going to hire a wedding planner, definitely make sure that they will be bringing a very thorough kit. And…if you are a bride or groom putting the kit together yourself, great! Just pass it off to a trusted friend or member of the bridal party on the wedding day. It can be stored in a coat closet, under a table, or even in the bathroom if you have a private bathroom for your event. Remember, this isn’t just for the bride. A well-stocked emergency kit can be called upon for bridal party wardrobe malfunctions, flower fixing, cake tweaking, paper product edits and re-dos…you name it, it might need some TLC come wedding day. A wedding planner will have a much larger kit than a bride will make herself. I’ll focus here on just what you’ll need in your own small personal kit.

First, a list of my MUST HAVES. Put these items in a separate, smaller bag in your emergency kit. These are the items I carry in a hip bag when I am the wedding planner. I use them all day long. Small pair of scissors, bobby pins, safety pins (several sizes) and straight pins, double-sided tape, and oil-absorbing sheets (they are in the face-wash aisle and they are awesome). One new fabulous tool in my Must Haves is the helix bobby pin from Goody. For the messy bun, which always needs fixing and re-messing as the reception goes on, this fancy hair-thing is the best!

Here are my BASICS. Extra paper and pens (for escort cards, buffet labels, favor tags, placement cards, table numbers…whatever you used paper for, include some extras), green flower tape (Michael's carries it), a lighter, a small sewing kit, extra ribbon if you used any in the décor anywhere, a brush, a couple extra hairbands, a lint-roller, toothpicks, a small mirror, a Clorox bleach pen and the basic toiletries: hairspray, deodorant, Advil, antacids, gum or mouthwash, hair powder (I love Shampowder and I use it and share it all the time at weddings: Buttercream Cosmetics), band-aids, chap-stick, and your makeup for re-touches.

Add in some feminine products if necessary, and a flask of whiskey (Just kidding. Kind of.) And Abracadabra! You have yourself a boy-scout-worthy emergency kit for your wedding day! And you did so much work on it…why not pass it off to a bridesmaid or friend that is getting married next? This is a great gift idea for couples, especially from a maid-of-honor or best man. Nothing says, “I’ve got your back!” like a hand-crafted emergency kit!

Happy Planning!

Christy

PS. I am personally obsessed with Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers. I have been for over a decade now. It’s a great addition to the kit because it is a chap-stick with a great red-ish tint to it and it is small and cheap. Love it! DP Obsessed.