What’s in my wedding day emergency kit?

Wondering, what should I pack for my wedding day? Or do you want to rock at being in the bridal party? This is a list of things to pack for a wedding day that I’ve built up from personal experience and photographing around 50 weddings. This will help from getting ready through the reception.

For every wedding, I don’t just pack my photography gear.

Weddings are typically all day events. I travel all around Indiana and the surrounding states. That’s why I also pack a bag (or two) of food and essentials. I usually grab a few things for the couple or bridal party at any given wedding. The bags kind of evolve for the season and the particular wedding.

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Food and Water

Even if you’re having food delivered – it’s a good idea to pack snacks and water for you and your bridal party. Weddings are busy. And sometimes, people won’t eat from nerves early in the day. It’s good to have protein bars, trail mix, or some other more nutrient dense food on hand. You may want it after your nerves settle or even for the ride home after the reception. And just bring water because – hydration & alcohol. 😉 (I know I’m such a mom now.)

Clothing Fixes

The most commonly grabbed things from my emergency kit are safety pins and Tide Pens. What I’ve found with safety pins is you usually want somewhere around the 1″ ones for suits and most bodices. They’ve come in handy for all kinds of clothing malfunctions and even pinning boutonnieres. I also bring a small sewing kit. Thankfully this hasn’t been used too much. But when it’s needed, it’s a lifesaver.

First Aid & Personal Essentials

Okay, I don’t bring a full on first aid kit to weddings. But, I do bring:

• Ibuprofen
• Midol
• Band-Aids
• pads/tampons
• sunscreen
• bugspray (outdoor summer weddings)
• hand warmers (for colder weather weddings)
• an umbrella

Beauty/Hygiene Products

It’s happened multiple times where a bride or groom realized they forgot to shave on the big day. Nerves can sometimes get the best of people. One groom actually cut himself shaving after his suit was on. I quickly searched for a Tide Pen to get the blood off his shirt before the first look. I also talked one bride out of shaving her armpits 20 minutes before walking down the aisle. Just… slow down, okay? Please don’t bring a razor. 😜

Bring these things though:

• Deodorant – (The small spray kind to share works great.)
• Makeup setting spray
• Extras of your makeup for touchups.
• Floss
• Comb
• Extra bobby pins
• Flats to change in to.

For Bridal Parties

• A small steamer or at least wrinkle release spray is SUPER helpful.
• Dress tape to share
• Hairspray

As a wedding photographer, I also bring:

• Pocket timelines with family photo groupings. I make enough to hand to some key people in the wedding party as well.
• A plain wooden hanger for the bride’s dress as backup.
• An Anchor charger for my phone.
• Printed map directions if I’m super unfamiliar with an area and lost signal.

And that’s it! With this list, your wedding day emergency kit would be pretty well stocked. You’re ready for most hiccups and can rest easier as you get ready for your wedding.