Surely it's everyone's worse fear to rip their wedding dress or shirt, for your heel to break or your contact lens to fall out... Well it was mine anyway so I decided to come up with an emergency kit to have with me on the day. Either you have one to share with your beloved or you can have one to yourself so you know where it is all the time!
So these are the most important things... and excitingly you can pick most of these up at your local pound store!
Paracetamol (it's an early start so make sure you drink plenty of water, however if you do end up getting a headache it's a good idea to have some of these handy)
Antihistamine tablets ( it's probably the worst day for your hay fever to flare up)
Calming essential oils (bit nervous about walking down the aisle? Take some deep breaths along with some lavender oil and you'll be good to go)
Tissues (damn those speeches!)
Mints (you'll be talking to so many people all day and you definitely won't have time to go and brush your teeth!)
Floss (a travel size might save the day if you got something stuck in your teeth)
Mini deodorant (stay smelling fresh)
Perfume (I advise a sample bottle, very handy to keep in your bag)
Hair Pins (especially useful if you have a very neat up do style like I did - I wanted to keep those baby hairs at bay)
Mini hair spray (stay back!)
Small hair brush or comb (handy for any hair length)
Plasters (in case of blisters - I would advise breaking in your shoes at home a few days before so they don't feel so alien when you put them on on the morning of the big day)
Extra earring backs (I treated myself to some gorgeous diamante earrings to match my new wedding ring and there was no way I was going to loose those on the day)
Nail file (if your acrylic nail snaps!)
Chalk/talcum powder (in case of stains on your dress)
Cotton buds (to wipe away any loose eye shadow or mascara during the day)
Needle and thread (in case of rips in your dress or suit - remember to bring thread which matches your outfit colours!)
Small pair of scissors (always handy)
Buttons (for a suit or back of a dress)
Superglue (in case your heel breaks - this did happen to one of our guests!)
Clear nail varnish (if you are wearing tights)
Shoe polish (I want to see my reflection in them!)
Lint roller (for the suits)
Safety Pins (another quick fix for a rip)
Gel pads for feet (it's a long day so these might be a welcome addition for the evening)
Spare pair of flat shoes (for dancing of course!)
Compact mirror (so you can re apply your lipstick)
Oil absorbing pads (prone to sweating? These are your friend)
Spare contact lenses (if you know you know)
Eye drops (if you are a contact lens wearer like me it can be really refreshing to put a couple of drops in)
Tweezers (nothing immediately came to mind here but hey...maybe a stray eyebrow hair?)
Hand sanitiser/ hand wipes (very important at the moment! And saves you having to go to the ladies to wash your hands before eating - I always do this anyway)
Indigestion tablets (just in case!)
Sunblock (if you’re marrying somewhere hot or if the sun comes out. I always burn on my nose so it's good to have it there to dot on if you need to)
I had two bags, one with the needle and thread, paracetamol etc and then the REAL EMERGENCY BAG... the one with my makeup and perfume in! Luckily at Muddifords Court , the apartment I stayed in the night before with my bridesmaids was just across the courtyard so I left my secondary emergency bag there for safe keeping. I knew I could just pop over if I really wanted to freshen up but things I wanted on me all the time like my lipstick I had on my person. If you are not able to sneak off to your room for a quick spray of deodorant it is a good idea to leave the bag in a hiding space by your table, behind the bar or with the most sensible member of your bridal party so you can nip to the ladies and do it in there.
We also put a wicker basket in the ladies and gents with a lot of the above and things like dry shampoo, body spray, tampons etc - the guests absolutely loved it!
The Emergency Pouch
I bought these beautiful pouches from Katie Loxton and presented each of the bridal party with one in the morning so they could put their emergency makeup kit in them as well. You can get them personalised with Maid of Honour, Bridesmaid, Mother of the Bride and Mother of the Groom etc and you can even get their initials monogrammed which I thought was super classy! And whats even better is Katie Loxton has up to 50% off at the moment so make sure you check it out! www.katieloxton.com
For myself I chose 'Something Blue' and got my new initials CS monogrammed onto it - I certainly had a buzz when I opened it on the day - a little gift to myself :) I like to use it on date nights now and it's a lovely thing to keep and remind me of our day.
Another surprise I gave my bridesmaids on the day was a bespoke headpiece and a flower posey (I mean I say it was a surprise, surely they must have expected it given I am a bridal headpiece designer!) It was a gift which they really appreciated and it's something for them to treasure forever.
Holly Collings Photography
Perfume
I don't buy expensive perfumes very often. The thought of spending £50 on a small bottle makes me hyperventilate but I thought there's no better time to treat yourself than on your wedding day so George and I hopped skipped and jumped over to our local department store and had a great time going through dozens of perfume bottles trying to find 'the one'. I've always loved J'Adore by Dior so decided to go for that one. And coincidently George went for a Dior as well! I also asked for a tester so I could slip it into my bag and have it with me all day. I now only use that perfume on date nights, the smell brings me right back to that day which is lovely.
Makeup
I had a feeling of horror when I imagined my makeup artist leaving me in the morning so I decided to buy the core items so that I could whip out duringthe day if I wanted to. I had my makeup trial with the amazing Sophie White MUA a few months before and went straight to MAC in Exeter to buy the lipstick, lip liner, blusher, and bronzer Sophie had chosen for my bridal makeup. I knew I wanted to have a spay tan before the wedding so instead of buying the foundation I brought a small travel pot with me on the day and Sophie dispensed a couple of pumps worth into it.
Shoes
I decided to buy two pairs of shoes to wear on the day. I wore white stilettos to walk down the aisle knowing it would help me stand up straight and look elegant (there was no point trying to look taller being 5ft with a 6ft 3 tall husband!) but then I swapped to low wedge heels after the photographs so I could enjoy the day without worrying about my feet aching. We bought loads of pairs of flip flops from Primark for the guests to have in the evening (we had Greek dancing) and I only wished I changed into them sooner! (no-one can see them under your dress it's fine!)
I wore both sets of shoes around the house a few days before so I could break them in. I also wore flesh coloured pop socks with the wedges as it turned out to be a hot day and I didn't want my feet to get all sweaty. When I was getting my dress altered my fabulous seamstress (Sari The Seamstress) accounted for the fact that I would be wearing two pairs of shoes when amending the length.
Running Order
When the venue asked us for the running order of the day I thought it would be a good idea to print out lots of copies to give out to everyone so we all knew what was happening and when. I certainly didn't want to be worrying about forgetting anything or doing everything on time. I wrote what time we were getting up, to when the make up artist, florist and cake maker were arriving etc and I ended up printing about 12 copies (I also laminated them in case anyone spilt a drink over them). I had two on the top table and I gave one to the wedding coordinator, photographer, videographer, food caterers, the band, dj...pretty much everyone! (guys I had that sparkler photo pinned on my board for months, there was no way it wasn't going to happen at 8pm)It is also a good idea to print out contact numbers of all the suppliers too any of them are running late.
To Do List
Don't be afraid to give out some jobs on the run up to the wedding, all your friends and
family want is to help and make it as stress free as possible for you both. We had a D.I.Y wedding so the night before all our close wedding party descended on the venue and folded 130 napkins and laid the tables. On the morning of the wedding the ushers turned on over 100 LED candles which were suspended from the ceiling in glass holders and lit all the candles on the tables and around the room. Here are our amazing bridesmaids and ushers...thanks guys!
Make sure you check out last month's blog for my tips on skincare on the run up to the big day. If there is any advice or tips you would like on something I haven't mentioned, please get in touch!
Thank you so much for reading, please click the like button and share if you enjoyed it.
Love Claire xxx
