50 Must Have Items: The Wedding Day Emergency Kit

First, let's make something clear: none of the items in this kit are going to help with a true emergency. This isn't a trauma kit. It's a collection of the little things that can solve the annoyances, mishaps, forgotten items, wardrobe problems, and unexpected needs that have a habit of showing up on wedding days.

These are the kinds of things I stock in my own wedding day emergency kit and make available to my couples. If you have a wedding planner or coordinator, there's a good chance they'll arrive with many of these things already tucked away somewhere. If you don't, use this list to put together your own kit so you have your bases covered.

The Wedding Day Emergency Kit Basics

You probably don't need me to tell you that Band-Aids and pain relievers are useful things to have around. But wedding days are long, there are a lot of people involved, and inevitably somebody forgets something.

1. Spray deodorant (a bridesmaid or groomsman may forget)

2. Band-Aids

3. Q tips

4. Feminine hygiene products (some of each type and size)

5. Eyelash glue (for eyelashes and necklaces)

6. Nail glue

7. Nail file

8. Tums and gas-x

9. Tylenol/ibuprofen/midol (or all three)

10. Mints/sour candy

11. Hairspray

The Things You Might Not Think About Until You Need Them

This is where an emergency kit starts earning the space it takes up. Some of these aren't really “emergency” supplies at all. They're simply things that make common wedding-day tasks much easier, like a crochet hook for pulling tiny bustle loops over buttons or retrieving the ribbon loop on a gown. Others are there for the little problems that inevitably pop up: blistered feet, a spot on someone's dress, a dead phone, or a boutonniere that still needs pinning.

12. Lint brush

13. Boutonniere pins (even pocket bouts can use the extra support)

14. Bobby pins

15. Crochet hook (for fastening tiny bustle loops or retrieving the wrist ribbon on a wedding gown)

16. White chalk (for small wedding dress spots)

17. Disposable gloves (non-latex is best)

18. Extra phone chargers

19. Batteries

20. Safety pins (large and small)

21. Sewing kit (with black and white thread.)

22. Spot stain remover (for those small stains on something other than the white wedding dress)

23. Scissors (many types and sizes)

24. Extra ponytail holders and clear elastics

25. Wrinkle releaser

26. Steamer

27. Makeup remover wipes

28. Lotion

29. Facial tissues

30. Blotting paper

31. Extra hair dryer and curling iron

The Planner’s “You Never Know” Supplies

And then there are the things I carry because I've learned that weddings have a remarkable ability to create problems you never would have predicted while packing for them.

This part of my kit goes beyond personal-care items. These are the tools and supplies that can help when something needs to be repaired, secured, weighted down, plugged in, lit, assembled, or otherwise convinced to cooperate. Some of these probably aren't necessary for a couple putting together a basic wedding-day kit, but they're worth considering if you're handling your own setup and décor.

32. Stitch gun (so many things can be fixed or stuck together with this!)

33. Duct tape

34. Masking tape

35. Gorilla tape

36. Electrical tape (yes, really. All the tape.)

37. Extension cord

38. Lighter or two (the long barrel kind)

39. Candle sticky wax dots and/or Stick-Um

40. Both a Phillips-head and flat head screw driver

41. Allen wrenches

42. Denture adhesive (because Grandma and Grandpa deserve an emergency kit, too!)

43. Moleskin (for blisters)

44. White Umbrellas-for rain, sun protection, or just to keep bride hidden until the ceremony

45. Two-way radios (ok, this one may be pretty specific to a planner or coordinator, but it’s in my kit, so…)

46. Tablecloth weights (for windy outdoor weddings)

47. Pens (for the marriage license and guest book, in case they’re forgotten)

48. Extra table numbers (just basic. You’ll want extras that match your other ones)

49. Disposable white dessert plates (for when catering doesn’t provide them-I’ve seen it happen)

50. Protein bars and water

You Probably Won't Need Most of It, And That's the Point

A good wedding day emergency kit is one of those things you hope spends most of the day sitting untouched in a corner. I certainly don't expect to use all 50 of these things at every wedding. But when a boutonniere won't stay put, a tablecloth won't stay down, someone's shoe is giving them a blister, the cake arrives without dessert plates, or the marriage license is ready to be signed and nobody can find a pen, having the solution already on hand keeps a tiny problem from becoming a wedding-day distraction.

That's really what an emergency kit is for: not preparing for disaster, but making the little unexpected things easier to handle so everyone can get back to enjoying the wedding. Of course, one advantage of having a wedding coordinator is that you don't have to be the person wondering whether anyone remembered the Gorilla tape.