Wedding Day Survival Kit

Planning for your wedding is filled with all sorts of fun details and check list items that you’re probably looking forward to! But we know that packing your wedding day bag may not be the thing you’re most excited about. However, we know that it’s one of the most critical details to ensure that your wedding day runs smoothly. And we think we can help! The JWP team is made up of wedding photographers that have a combined 19 years of experience and a few recent brides. So we’ve all learned a lot about the things you’re going to want to have handy for the big day!  The list we’ve created is by no means all inclusive, and you should make sure to pack whatever items are unique to you on your wedding day. But hopefully this is a good starting point as you prepare for the big day. And my extra word of advice would be to avoid packing the night before your wedding! Let that be a night of fun and anticipation, not a flustered packing night!

Here’s what we think you’ll need in your wedding day survival kit:

• Comfy clothes to get ready in
  • If you’ve planned to coordinate with your bridal party for that morning, make sure you have those specific items!
  • Try to pick a shirt with a wide neck or buttons so you don’t mess up your hair and makeup when you’re changing.
• All hair and makeup items that you are in charge of
  • This is probably lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, your favorite shades of things, curling irons, straighteners, bobby pins. Make sure to check with your hair and makeup people to see what they’re bringing and what you need to bring.
• Your dress! 
  • You’d be surprised at how many weddings I’ve been a part of where the bride (or the mother of the bride) forgets the dress and has to turn around!

• SNACKS
  • There’s a lot of hours in the day where you and/or your bridal party will be waiting for the next thing to start. Make sure you’re keeping yourself and others fed to make sure everyone’s energy stays high!
• Lunch (pre-planned or ordered) 
  • I was that bride that somehow got stuck with ordering lunch for the entire bridal party while in the makeup chair. I don’t know why a bridesmaid (or my mom for that matter) didn’t take over, but I wish I would’ve ordered ahead or packed something!
• Lotion
  • Especially in the winter when things are dryer, you’ll want to make sure that your skin looks moisturized!
• Perfume
  • Try to pack a small container of your favorite perfume to bring with you throughout the day. Bonus points if you have a perfume that comes in a pretty container that can be used in your detail shot!
• Accessories
  • Make sure that your photographer gets all the detail photos with them before you put them on.

• Phone
  • Hopefully you won’t need to be on it, but you’ll want it just in case. This way you can sneak in a few last minute sweet texts with your fiance!
• Phone Charger 
  • A portable phone charger would be even more helpful if you have one.
• Stain removing pen
  • Hopefully you won’t have to use it, but just in case!
• A copy of your wedding timeline 
  • We found it helpful to create a phone screensaver with the timeline of the day. We used this for ourselves and sent it to everyone who was an important part of the day.
• Contact information for all your vendors 
  • I would highly recommend having this information on a google document that you can access from your phone if you need it!
• Hairspray
  • I may or not have been that bride that was touching up her curls and respraying hairspray minutes before the ceremony.

• Speaker for bumping music
  • Task a bridesmaid or groomsmen with creating a wedding day playlist that you can have playing throughout the day. It’s guaranteed to make everything that much more fun!
• Safety pins
  • These are handy for all sorts of things! The most common use that I’ve seen is attaching one to a zipper that’s not wanting to budge and giving you more leverage to pull the zipper up.

• Sewing kit
  • Again, hopefully you won’t have to use it! But it may come in handy for a malfunctioning dress or bridesmaid dress.
• Ibuprofen
  • The last thing you want is a headache on your wedding day!
• Mints
  • You’ll be holding your face very close to your grooms for most of the day, so you’ll want to smell fresh!
• Steamer
  • For those last minute finishes to the dresses before you and your bridal party put them on!
• Water and straws
  • It’s easy to fly through the day and forget to drink water (or eat) which only leads to a headache. Make sure to stay hydrated! And keep straws handy for drinking so you don’t mess up your makeup.
• Makeup remover
  • If you need any redos on makeup, this will help create a fresh pallet!
• Bug spray, sunscreen
  • Especially for those summer weddings, you’ll want to make sure you’re prepared for the elements.
• Comfy shoes
  • Let’s be real, you’ll be changed into comfy dancing shoes long before the first dances!

We hope this list is helpful as you’re planning for your big day! For more helpful Wedding Wednesday tips, check out other posts here.