The Ultimate Wedding Day Emergency Kit Guide

Planning a wedding takes a lot of time and effort. There are so many little details that go into creating the most special day of the happy couple’s life. The bride and groom spend so much time planning to ensure that their ceremony and reception go off without a hitch, but there’s no way to predict what will actually happen throughout the day of their wedding. That’s why many bridal parties pack a wedding day emergency kit to help everyone sail through the big day! It can be overwhelming putting one of these kits together, which is why we’ve created the ultimate wedding day emergency kit guide just for you! 

What Is a Wedding Day Emergency Kit?

A wedding day emergency kit is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a bag filled with items you may need in case of an emergency on the day of the wedding. You pack this bag full of items you hope you won’t need to give yourself some peace of mind on the big day. This wedding day survival kit should include items that can help everyone in the wedding party – not just the bride.

Trying on a wedding dress

When Should You Build Your Wedding Day Emergency Kit?

We recommend that you start building a wedding day emergency kit about two months prior to the big day. This gives you enough time to think about items you may need to add without giving you so much time that you’ll forget about it entirely.

Who Is Responsible for The Wedding Day Survival Kit?

You want to make sure that the person in charge of the wedding day survival kit is trustworthy and responsible. We recommend putting someone in your wedding party in charge of the bag to take the stress off the bride on her special day. Normally, this person would be the Maid of Honor. That being said, we know that some brides won’t feel comfortable unless they oversee their own survival kit, so it’s really up to you! Just make sure whoever is in charge will remember to bring it on the wedding day!

What To Include in Your Wedding Day Emergency Kit?

Now for the fun part – choosing the items to go into your wedding day emergency kit! Here are 35 items we suggest to everyone: 

  1. Baby Powder: Baby powder is an essential part of any wedding day survival kit because it can absorb moisture and help to prevent chafing.
  2. Blotting Paper: Blotting paper can help to reduce shine on members of the bridal party. It won’t ruin your makeup and makes the photos look fabulous.
  3. Bobby Pins: Once your hairstylist has left, you’ll be on your own for any hair-related emergencies. Bobby pins are an essential because they can help solve almost any imperfections.
  4. Breath Mints: Nobody likes bad breath, especially on their wedding day! Keep a few mints in your emergency kit bag so the bride and groom can share a few fresh kisses on their big day.
  5. Deodorant: This is a must for any wedding day survival kit. Many brides will feel a little extra sweaty throughout their big day, so keep a stick of travel size deodorant on hand for reapplications.
  6. Extra Accessories: This is a big one! Keep a few extra accessories in the wedding day emergency kit to make sure everyone looks beautiful. We also suggest adding in extra earring backs just in case!
  7. Extra Makeup Essentials: Just like the hairstylist, your makeup artist won’t be around for the whole event. Keep a few makeup essentials in your wedding day emergency kit just to be safe. We recommend holding on to the bride’s lipstick, mascara, and concealer at the bare minimum.
  8. Extra Nail Polish: You’ll want to include two types of nail polish in your wedding day survival kit. First, the shades the bride and bridal party are wearing. Second, you’ll want a topcoat as it can come in handy for fixing chips and things like a run in your tights!
  9. Fabric Tape: Fabric tape is another essential for a wedding day emergency kit. If a hem starts to fall or the bodice continues to slip, fabric tape can keep things in place.
  10. First Aid Kit: You just need a few key essentials for your bridal emergency kit. We suggest stocking it with band-aids, antiseptic, burn cream, and gauze.
  11. Floss: There’s nothing worse than getting pictures back from the big day and realizing that members of the bridal party have food stuck in their teeth. Keep some floss on hand and check everyone’s smile before any major photo opportunities.
  12. Hairspray: It never hurts to have a little reinforcement for your hair! Keep some travel size hairspray in your bridal kit bag and touch up everyone’s hair throughout the big day.
  13. Heel Protectors: This is an essential part of any wedding day emergency kit, especially if it takes place outside.
  14. Lint Roller: Make sure everyone in the wedding party is fuzz-free by adding a few lint rollers into your wedding day emergency kit. This is especially helpful if furry friends will be joining the bridal party on the big day.
  15. Lip Balm: It’s always a good idea to throw some lip balm into your survival kit. All eyes will be on the bride and groom (and their lips for that big smooch).
  16. Lotion: Lotion is one of the best items to have in case of an emergency on the big day! Not only is it good for healing dry skin, but it can also tame flyaway hairs if hairspray just isn’t working.
  17. Medicine: This is a big one. Be sure to include any necessary medications in your wedding day emergency kit as well as the pain reliever of your choice! Always good to have these things on hand just in case.
  18. Money: You probably won’t need it, but it’s always good to have some cash on hand for the big day.
  19. Perfume: Keep the bride smelling fresh throughout the day by packing her perfume in your wedding day emergency kit.
  20. Phone Chargers: Your phones are going to be in use throughout the day, so it’s important to make sure you’ve got a few phone chargers on hand. It’s also the perfect excuse to invest in some portable power banks in case you’re not near an outlet.
  21. Portable Steamer: Nobody wants the bridal party to look subpar on the big day, which is why we suggest adding a portable steamer to your wedding day survival kit.
  22. Q-Tips, Cotton Balls, and Makeup Remover: These items will be essential on the bride’s big day. Use them to correct any makeup mishaps and to clean your face throughout the day.
  23. Razor: This may seem silly, but a razor will be useful in more ways than one. Someone in the bridal party may have missed a spot while preparing for the wedding day or they may have some pilling on their clothes that needs to be eliminated. A razor is the perfect solution to both problems.
  24. Sewing Kit: Pack some sewing essentials in your wedding day emergency kit to avoid any disastrous clothing malfunctions on the big day. Scissors, needle, thread, extra dress pieces, and safety pins are the necessities for this event.
  25. Small Lighter: Carry a small lighter in your emergency kit as it will come in handy for a few things! Use it to re-light any candles or sparklers or if any fabric starts to fray, you can burn the end to stop it from unraveling.
  26. Small Mirror: Add a small mirror to your wedding day emergency kit to help fix your makeup and hair!
  27. Snacks: There’s nothing worse than a hungry bride. Pack a quick snack that won’t cause a mess in your wedding day survival kit.
  28. Stain Remover: This is another must for any wedding day emergency kit. Stock up on a few stain remover pens just in case something gets spilled on your clothes.
  29. Sunscreen: Unless you are doing absolutely everything inside – including pictures – you’ll want to have some travel size sunscreen on hand to protect the bridal party from harmful rays. Keep it unscented so they still smell nice throughout the day.
  30. Super Glue: Super glue can work wonders on the big day. It will fix shoes, jewelry, headpieces, and virtually anything else.
  31. Tampons and Pads: It never hurts to throw some of these feminine products into the emergency kit. Even if you don’t need them, someone else likely will.
  32. Tissues: Tissues should be an obvious addition to your survival kit. You’re going to want to have tissues nearby for all the happy tears that will be shed on the big day!
  33. Toothbrush and Toothpaste: After the big meal, you’ll probably want to brush your teeth to give them a refresh when a mint just won’t cut it.
  34. Tweezers: Add some tweezers into your wedding day emergency kit so you can get rid of stray hairs or make small fixes here and there.
  35. White Chalk: If something goes wrong and there’s a stain on the wedding dress, white chalk can usually cover the stain! Be sure to add this into your wedding day survival kit to keep the bride looking her best all day.

We highly recommend adding each of these items into your wedding day survival kit. However, you know your wedding party better than anyone, so we encourage you to stock your bag with any items you deem necessary. Think about everyone involved in the big day and stock up on the more unique items you know your party will need.

We hope that you found this guide to be helpful! Your wedding day will be full of special moments, and we don’t want a single one to be ruined by something innocuous that could have been prevented. Having a fully stocked wedding day survival kit should help to make your big day absolutely perfect. If you are looking for a venue for your ceremony and reception, please consider El Agave Banquets. Fill out our contact form to set up an appointment with our team of fabulous event planners and we’ll get started on the wedding of your dreams!