I know you want a flawless wedding. Who doesn’t? But the truth is that there’s no such thing as a ‘perfect wedding’ – even when planned by the most in-demand international wedding planners like David Tutera, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, Funmi Victor-Okigbo. There’s no wedding that goes without a hitch. The only thing is that at some weddings the emergencies started and then became noticeable by all guests. At some weddings, the same emergencies may have occurred but were stopped before guests could notice – because they had a wedding emergency kit on-ground.
While you can’t be certain that nothing will go wrong on your wedding day, and while you can’t stop any unexpected disaster from arising, there’s something that professional wedding planners do to stop any such occurrences from escalating and spoiling your big day – they arm themselves with the wedding emergency kit, and you too can do the same. In this post, I’ll tell you what a wedding emergency kit is, why it is a must-have and then show you a checklist of items you need to make your own. Swipe/ scroll down to read on.
What is a Wedding/ Bridal Emergency Kit and Why Should You Have One?
In summary, every item in a wedding day emergency kit or bag is meant to help the bride/ couple survive any unexpected disaster that could occur on your big day. It’s like wearing a bullet-proof vest or like having a fire extinguisher in the house, in case a fire outbreak occurs. No one waits until a fire breaks out before having a fire extinguisher in the house. Similarly, ugly surprises (aka bad stuff or emergencies) do happen at weddings and could ruin the moment. The wedding emergency kit, also known as a bridal emergency kit, is a bag containing a colection of items for quenching fires (i.e. unexpected emergencies) at a wedding. Every professional wedding planner knows not to wait until something goes wrong (at a wedding) before looking for how to fix it.
Now, let’s imagine you at your reception venue, and all eyes are on you. What would you do if, suddenly, one or more buttons or zippers fall off your wedding gown? What would you do, if a drink spills on your dress? What would you do if a sudden, banging headache starts on you? What if you suddenly have a serious stomach ache or even a running stomach while the wedding is on? Think of the so many What-If that could suddenly show up? No one expects of those unusual emergencies, but then, they do happen.
SOME EXAMPLES OF COMMON UNEXPECTED WEDDING DAY EMERGENCIES: We’ve seen and also heard of brides whose wedding dress tore in a noticeable corner; brides who cried during their vows and their makeup got ruined, and also their fake eyelashes stuck out threatening to fall off OR one fake nail fell off. Imagine, if there was an extra eyelash glue or nail glue somewhere, or there was a needle and thread to quickly sew up her dress. There are stories of brides or grooms who had a bad headache or sudden running stomach (diarrhea) in the middle of the wedding reception.
What about when a bride suddenly lost her earring hook or got menstruation period stains and there was no pad/ no extra panty. We’ve heard of bridesmaids running helter-skelter looking for hair-pins to secure the bride’s hair. Those are just a few examples of unexpected things that cause anxiety during a wedding, but having a bridal emergency kit or bag would have saved the day, and quickly sorted things out.
WHAT IS A WEDDING EMERGENCY KIT? A bridal emergency kit, sometimes called the wedding emergency kit or wedding day survival kit, is the secret to why big, society weddings never have public mishaps. It is a bag packed filled with the necessities and essential things a bride may need on her wedding day, in case someone forgets to bring something, in case something needs to be fixed. The entire emergency kit items should fit into a clutch purse or small handbag. Wedding planners also refer to this emergency kit by other names – the ‘bridal first aid kit’ or’ wedding day emergency kit’ or the ‘wedding day survival kit’.
List of Items to Have in Your Bridal/ Wedding Day Emergency Survival Kit (Checklist)
What should you pack inside your bridal emergency kit or bag? Below is a list of items you need to quickly fix any beauty/ fashion mishaps, minor health issues or other types of emergencies that could arise on your wedding day.
Keep the following essential items handy in a bag or a purse.
- Hairbrush /comb
- Mobile phone (be sure to turn it off before the church ceremony or reception)
- Nail File/ emery board
- Hair spray
- Handkerchief
- Makeup
- Breath mints
- Portable mirror
- Perfume, travel size
- Legal documents needed
SEE ALSO: How to Guarantee that Your Wedding Day Will Go Perfectly As Planned | ASLO: Top Wedding Reception Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Appearance/ Beauty & Fashion Emergency Kit
11. Baby powder or white chalk (useful for getting out last-minute spills on a white dress)
12. Hair pins and hair elastics (aka rubber-rings) – for adjusting hairstyles
13. Hair Brush, comb and hair spray
14. Hair dryer
15. Pack of safety razors – in case some of your bridesmaids forgot to shave their eyebrows
16. Transparent nail polish (also helpful for stocking runs)
17. Cotton balls/ swabs
18. Extra earring backs/ hooks – always seem to disappear at the most inconvenient time
19. Extra pair of flat, comfortable shoes for the bride to change into
20. Pressing Iron
21. Baby wipes
22. Makeup: eye pencils, mascara, lipsticks; concealer to cover a blemish or pimple so it appears as close to your skin tone as possible. [Check out how to do a perfect makeup yourself].
23. Transparent nail polish and coloured nail polish in the bride’s shade
24. Nail glue and a nail file to quickly fix a broken fingernail | Eyelash Glue to quickly attach back detached eyelashes. Some brides cry during their wedding and in the process have parts of their fixed fake lashes remove. [You can check out how to fix fake lashes here].
25. Matching lipstick or lip gloss in the bride’s shade
26. Extra underwear-slips, new pants, and undergarments – you’d be surprised how many bridesmaids forgot to bring one.
27. Sewing kit: buttons, needle, and threads that match the outfits of the couple, their bridesmaids and groomsmen. Also, white and black needles, all threaded and ready to use
28. Safety pins and straight pins
29. Small scissors – to cut tags or hangar straps from new dresses.
30. Shoe polish that matches shoes of the couple, their bridesmaids and groomsmen
31. Pairs of extra Socks – one or more groomsmen may have forgotten to bring one.
32. Drinking straws (for drinking without messing up lipstick)
33. White chalk (to cover any stains on the dress)
Health/ First Aid/ / Toiletries
34. Antacid: chewable antacid/ gelusil, Andrews liver salt | Imodium (to treat emergency diarrhea) | Anti-allergy medicine;
35. Pain killers: Panadol and/ or paracetamol, for relief from stress-induced headaches
36. Plasters/ band-aids, preferably in bride’s skin tone: to cover up blisters
37. Contact lens solution and cases
38. Deodorant: to freshen up after a long day of dancing
39. Insecticide sprays, Insect repellent cream (for outdoor ceremonies or events – ensure that it either smells nice or has no smell at all)
40. Body Cream
41. Sanitary pads and tampons
42. Toothpaste and new toothbrushes
43. Mints/breath spray – to erase offensive mouth odour from food such as from garlic.
44. Pack of tissue papers – for spills or tears
45. Razor blades and shaving sticks: In case one or more groomsmen forgot to have a clean shave
46. Extra handkerchiefs for wiping off sweat
Other Essentials To Have In a Wedding Emergency Kit
47. Extra copies of the church and reception program
48. Extra phone recharge cards (call credits)
49. Phone Chargers | One or two electricity extension cables/ wires and extra adapters
50. Some cash – just in case
51. Disposable cameras or Digital cameras with extra memory cards and batteries
52. Driver’s license or I.D. cards
53. Staplers with pins; sellotapes/ masking tapes/ Duct tape (to quickly fix hems of any ripped dress)
54. Extra copies of directions to the reception venue
55. Important phone numbers of Key family members (of bride and groom), Bridesmaids, groomsmen, and parents of little bride and page-boy, Wedding vendors, Car hire company/ person
56. Notebook and writing pens
57. Small torchlight/ flashlight
58. Umbrella – in case of unexpected rain or really hot sun
59. A time-piece (watch) – to keep a tab on the time
60. Extra neckties, bow ties and cuff links [See How to Tie a Tie Perfectly (Different Styles)]
61. Extra toothbrushes and toothpaste
62. Crochet hook (to hook up tiny buttons at the back of a wedding dress)
63. White chalk (to hide /cover lipstick stains on a wedding dress or shirt collar)
64. Blotting sheets – a long day (and nervous sweat) can result in a shiny face. Blotting sheets will keep the bride looking picture perfect all day and night, without caking on powder.
65. Bottles of Water – your bride may be too busy or nervous to drink, make sure she doesn’t get dehydrated.
66. Snacks – to keep the bride energized, in case she gets hungry
Tips for Putting Together Your Wedding Emergency Kit
It’s actually the role of the chief bridesmaid/ maid-of-honour to put together a wedding day emergency kit, but you can’t leave that to guess-work. Do it with her or do it yourself. Get a transparent folder and fill it with all the items listed above, to create your own wedding day emergency kit.
Who Should Be in Charge of Keeping the Emergency Kit on the Wedding Day?
Buy a small bag or clutch purse and pack the listed items inside. You can also use a bag you already have for this. Let your chief bridesmaid/ maid-of-honour take charge of the wedding day emergency kit, and let the rest of your wedding party (bridesmaids and groomsmen) know who to contact, just in case of emergency.
Do What Pro Wedding Planners Do and Survive Any Wedding Day Emergency
No wedding planner that knows his/ her onions goes to a wedding without an emergency kit. Since not every bride wants, or can afford a wedding planner, what they do is to copy what works for the pros, and that’s why in this post I want to show you how to put together your own wedding day emergency kit that will take care of several common wedding day disasters.
The emergency kit is for everyone at the wedding, not only for the couple and their wedding party (bridesmaids and groomsmen).
Why a Bridal Emergency Kit is a Must-Have?
Planning a fab and flawless wedding is about being prepared. You have to be prepared for any kind of disaster and emergencies (that could possibly happen) on your wedding day. In this post, I’ll show you how to prevent or stop any ugly situation from spoiling your wedding – the same technique that the pro wedding planners use when organizing celebrity style weddings that appear hitch-free.
In spite of the tight planning, things always go wrong in every wedding, because there are some elements beyond your control, such as it suddenly starts raining, you (bride) spill red wine on your white wedding dress, a button might fall off your gown, your lipstick may have stained your groom’s shirt, gate-crashing drama by uninvited guests, invited guests having issues or getting hurt, a vendor may get stuck in the traffic jam and the wedding is almost starting, another vendor may have forgotten to bring something, the venue (air conditioner, toilet, power generator, etc.). Anything can go wrong on your wedding day, and we know the sort of things that usually goes wrong – we also know how to stop them from spoiling your wedding fun, and we will show you how, as you continue reading.
- SEE ALSO: Pre-Wedding Planning Questionnaire for Newly Engaged Couples – don’t start without this!
- Nigerian White Wedding Planning Checklist
- Nigerian Traditional Wedding Planning Checklist
No matter how much time and effort you put into planning a wedding, there are just some things that will keep you awake at night, thinking, “what if this and that goes wrong….” Unfortunately, some last-minute wedding disaster is totally beyond your sight and control. Luckily, you can quickly stop any such problems from getting out of hand to spoil your fun or to be noticed by guests if you prepare and plan ahead on how to solve them (if and when they happen).
A wedding emergency kit is a tool that helps keep down emergencies during wedding ceremonies or receptions. It’s also called the bridal emergency kit. Ask any celebrity wedding planner and they’ll tell you that even Kim Kardashian’s seemingly perfect weddings were only perfect on the outside, on TV – but that her wedding planners were behind the scenes quenching fire to ensure that not a single guest would notice any ugly thing. In such weddings, the guests don’t see the ugly side because the wedding coordinators cover it up and real fast before it escalates – before the guests in the public see it.
Why Something Always Goes Wrong In Nigerian Weddings?
So, yes, it’s a fact that something always goes wrong – 99% of the time, in 99% of weddings worldwide 0 not only in Nigeria. And, something will go wrong on your wedding day – but if you don’t prepare to have a plan in place, ahead of time, to stop any wedding day disaster advance, every one of your guests will notice and your wedding day fun will be ruined.
When you have 150 guests, you never know when someone might need an antacid or paracetamol. So, what should you do when you’re faced with your very own worst-case scenario, at your wedding? Are you going to get off your seat and cry or scream?
TIPS TO AVOID WEDDING EMERGENCY:
- Top Advice to Planning a No-Ugly-Surprises Wedding in Nigeria
- Costly Wedding Mistakes & How to Avoid Them – PART 1 here and PART 2 here
- How to Deal with Wedding Planning Stress and Anxiety
Wedding Planning Emergency Kit: A Must-Have to Survive Unexpected Wedding Day Disaster
Wedding planning is also about planning for emergencies. Now you know the list of things to put in your own bridal or wedding day emergency kit. Once you have your wedding emergency kit packed to stop / control/ take care of any little eventual mishaps, and avoid them from causing ugly scenes. Think little of them for what they are (“little” mishaps) and remind yourself to just enjoy the day. Have fun and focus on remembering a happy day, knowing that you have made solid plans for any eventualities.
There you have it on the list of items to pack in your wedding day emergency kit for your Nigerian wedding. Be sure to print out the list and take the time to put together the list ready for your big day. Is there anything you think I should have also included in the above list? Let me know in the comments below. Also, have you witnessed any type of wedding disaster that could have been avoided if they had a bridal emergency kit? Share the story with me in the comments section down below.
ijeoma felister says
Good morning ma,u are indeed an eye opener God bless u more but pls always keep d ball rolling God will continue to empower u d more Amen thanks
Stella Anokam says
AMEN! Thank you very much for all that prayers for me, Ijeoma. May the Lord bless you in return – much more than you ever dreamed of. Thanks for your feedback, and please come LIKE US on facebook.com/naijaglamwedding