Bridal emergencies arise at almost every wedding. If you ask almost anybody that has ever had a wedding, at about 95 percent of them, at least something did not go perfectly right. Very often it's a vendor or two that muffs up the day, sometimes the weather fouls up the plans, sometimes it's a clothing mishap, sometimes it's a stain, either wine spilling on a dress or the wedding dress rubbing against a limousine tire or the little ring bearer getting his chocolate covered hands on the bride's wedding dress. Sometimes the maid of honor passes out after skipping a meal or the groom recovering from a bachelor party from the night before the wedding.
The secret to minimizing bridal emergencies that happen at weddings is to perform proper planning. Make sure the bride and groom do their homework before booking a wedding vendor, do your research verify your vendor with the better business bureau, have there been any complaints from bridal parties that have used this vendor in the past, get personal references or see the wedding vendors in action, how organized are they at other weddings?
Proper planning is another area that minimizes emergencies that happen at weddings. Don't put wedding cakes in dangerous areas, near dance floors and high traffic areas, also watch over areas where children can get in trouble such as knocking over a candy jar or bumping into a table full of coffee cups. Keep drinking under control too, don't let those that can't handle their liquor ruin your wedding, make sure their alcohol consumption is cut off of they reach a certain point.
Many other situations arise at weddings too, you can save the day by preparing a bridal emergency kit. While you never expect emergencies to arise on your big wedding day, little things always seem to happen, it's better to be safe than sorry. Bridal emergency kits can be ordered from many bridal shops, but you can create one yourself. Start off with either a duffle bag, tote bag, large basket, or an over-sized purse. You then want to pick up items that will be there, in the event an emergency situation should ever arise.
Your bridal emergency kit should be prepared well in advance of the wedding. Preferably, one to two months before the wedding. Absolutely, have everything you need at least one week before the wedding. The last week before the wedding, there tends to be so many things on the bride's plate that there just is no time left to find the remaining items for the bridal emergency kit.
The bride should assign someone close to her that is a very responsible person, such as the maid of honor, one of the bridesmaids, mother of the bride, or a close friend that is not in the wedding party. Find a strategic location at the wedding ceremony site and wedding reception facility. Work with the vendor to find a safe but easy to access good location for the bridal emergency kit, it may be a spot in the bathroom, a holding room, closet, or extra room at a venue. Your aide is responsible to getting the bridal kit to the agreed to spot at the wedding ceremony and moving it to the agreed to spot at the wedding reception.
Go through the items listed below and identify what items should be part of your bridal emergency kit. When the wedding is over you should decide what to do with the kit. Keep the kit yourself, give it away as a wedding favor to someone close to you, give it to someone else who has an upcoming wedding, leave it with an officiant to help a bride who is low on funds, or leave it with a wedding planner.
Bridal Emergency Kit Items
1 - Acid Relief Tablets or Tums
2 - Adhesive Strips
3 - Advil, Bayer, Aspirin, or Ibuprofin
4 - Backup Bow Tie for the Groomsmen Tuxedos
5 - Baby Oil
6 - Baby Powder
7 - Baby Wipes or Moist Towelettes
8 - Ballet Flats (Sore Feet after Dancing)
9 - Band Aids (Clear Ones Preferred)
10 - Batteries (Backup for Camera or other Video Equipment)
11 - Bleach Pen
12 - Blotting Paper or Whiteout
13 - Bobby Pins, Safety Pins, or Straight Pins
14 - Body Lotion, or Body Oil
15 - Bottle of Water, Seltzer, Mineral Water, Gatorade, or Powerade
16 - Bug Spray or Insect Repellent or Off
17 - Buttons (Extras for wedding dress, bridesmaid's dresses, or tuxedos)
18 - Calculator
19 - Camera (Regular, Digital, or Disposable)
20 - Cash ($20 for Emergency and Roll of Quarters for Phone, Parking, Meters, and Vending)
21 - Cellular Phone (Turned off for Wedding)
22 - Clear Nail Polish
23 - Cold Medicine
24 - Comb
25 - Contact Lens/Contact Cleaner/Eye Glasses
26 - Copy of Directions to Wedding Reception
27 - Corsage Pins
28 - Cotton Balls
29 - Cuff Links (Extra for Tuxedos)
30 - Dental Floss
31 - Deodorant or Spray Deodorant
32 - Driver's License/ Photo ID Card
33 - Ear Plugs
34 - Emory Board
35 - Eye Drops or Visine
36 - Facial Tissue or Facial Wipes
37 - First Aid Kit
38 - Gum or Life Savers
39 - Hair Brush
40 - Hair Dryer or Curling Iron
41 - Hairspray
42 - Hand Lotion or Hand Sanitizer
43 - Handkerchief
44 - Important Phone Numbers
45 - Janie Stick
46 - Kleenex or Tissue
47 - Krazy Glue or Super Glue
48 - Lint Remover or Lint Roller
49 - Lip Chap
50 - Lip Stain
51 - Lip Stick or Lip Pencil
52 - Makeup Remover
53 - Makeup Sponge
54 - Makeup Supplies
55 - Manicure Supplies
56 - Mascara
57 - Masking Tape (Hem Tape)
58 - Matches or Lighter
59 - Mint or Breath Mints
60 - Mirror (Compact)
61 - Nail Clippers
62 - Nail Polish and Nail Polish Remover
63 - Nasal Decongestant or Nasal Spray
64 - Notepad and Pens
65 - Pantiliners or Panty Hose
66 - Pepto Bismol
67 - Prescription Medicine
68 - Perfume
69 - QTips
70 - Razer
71 - Ribbon, Yarn, or String
72 - Robitussin, Cough Medicine, or Cough Drops
73 - Scissors
74 - Scotch Tape
75 - Sewing Kit or Needle and Thread
76 - Sharpie Black Marker
77 - Shoes (Extra Pair Comfortable)
78 - Shoe Polish (Color of Brides, Bridesmaids, Groomsmen's Shoes)
79 - Shout Wipes
80 - Snacks (Granola Bars, Dried Fruits, Fruit Rollups)
81 - Spare Garter
82 - Spare Money Bag (For Honeymoon Dance)
83 - Stain Stick or Stain Remover
84 - Straws (To prevent lipstick markings on lips and drinking glasses)
85 - Sun Glasses
86 - Sun Screen or Sun Tan Lotion
87 - Tampons or Feminine Napkins
88 - Thread (Color of Wedding, Bridesmaid's Dresses and Tuxedos)
89 - Tide to Go Pen
90 - Tooth Brush
91 - Tooth Paste
92 - Tweezers
93 - Tylenol
94 - Umbrella
95 - Vaseline
96 - Wash Cloth or Hand Towels
97 - Watch
98 - Wedding Fan
99 - Wedding License
100 - Wedding Program
Believe it or not, many of these cosmetic items can fit into your bridal emergency bag, most items are inexpensive and found at your local pharmacy or drug store. Get items little by little over a period of time. Depending on your budget you may consider an emergency kit for yourself and another for the bridal party or the bridal party can use yours in a pinch.
Your bridal emergency kit can save the day for many situations, hair messed up on a blustery day, skin abrasions from a fall, blistered feet from dancing, perspiration from a hot day, a stain on your dress, a rip or tear of wedding dresses, red eyes, a cold, a headache, a dry mouth, a broken high heel, dead batteries, a smudge on your shoes and on and on. You are prepared for most any emergency.
The bridal emergency kit, almost always something is used from it at practically every wedding. It also helps by putting the bride's mind at ease. But even with all the planning you do to try to make the wedding perfect, just things continue to happen at weddings, hopefully yours will be a funny story because you planned your wedding well and your bridal emergency kit just happened to save the day. Don't worry or fret about matters out of your control, you planned the best you could, enjoy, smile, and have a good time, it's the best day of your life, enjoy your wedding day.
See you on the other side!
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