Emergency kits are a total necessity, no matter the season, size or style of your wedding or event. You could spend a year (or more!) planning down to the minutiae, and still end up troubleshooting on the big day. While we can’t predict unforeseen circumstances, we can anticipate and prepare for the more common hurdles that are typically encountered on the day of a celebration. Before you buy out everything on Amazon, consider these essential items, and use the venue, time of year, and flow of the day to inspire other items that you or your guests might need. In the following list, I’ll share the staple products that I find myself reaching for time and time again at weddings and events. Keep reading to discover what you REALLY need in your emergency kit!
Medicine
When someone is feeling under the weather, it can prevent them from fully participating in your celebration while affecting the mood of those around them. More often than not, I’ve found that the client (bride, groom, or host of the party) or the people closest to them (bridal party, family members or friends) are the ones who tend to request medicine the most.
Maybe it’s the pressure of the day, dehydration, or something they ate the night before. In any case, it’s extremely helpful to anticipate your own needs and the needs of the people around you. You know your crowd best, so if aunt Becky is notorious for complaining about her headaches, pack a lot of Advil!
If it’s not the host or someone in their immediate circle, a guest may fall ill. The last thing you want is for someone to feel unwell and unable to enjoy your event. Get ahead of it, and pack these items in your emergency kit to treat common symptoms that may arise.
Pack pain reliever like Advil, Tylenol, Aleve or Alka-Seltzer for all of those headaches, sore feet, cramps, and random aches and pains. Folks will go through these quickly, so be sure to stock up. Also include Pepto Bismol, Tums or Imodium for upset stomachs. Finally, pack Benadryl, in case of an allergic reaction or seasonal allergies.
Pro-Tip: If you’re hosting an event at a location that requires guests to travel together for a lengthy amount of time, or if your celebration is taking place on a boat, include non-drowsy Dramamine or other medication to offer motion sickness relief.
Cosmetic Supplies
Cosmetic supplies are most frequently used during formal photos to put a stray hair in place or blot an oily patch. Keep items like bobby pins in various colors, hairspray and hair gel, hair ties, blotting sheets, tweezers, and a comb close by.
When it comes to makeup, to each their own!
First Aid
This includes your standard first aid kit items: bandages in various sizes, Neosporin, sterilizing wipes, hand sanitizer, antibiotic ointment, burn cream, gauze pads and latex-free gloves. Make it easy for yourself; purchase a pre-filled pack like this one to include in your emergency kit.
Garment Gear
Garment Gear covers a lot of random bits and bobs to include in your emergency kit, but trust me when I say that it’s necessary.
We all know that weddings and events traditionally entail dressing in a fancier attire, which means that many people will show up to a party in an outfit they’re wearing for the first time. Or, in an outfit that they’ve only worn on a handful of occasions. Since it’s not the normal everyday apparel people are familiar with, things can go awry fairly easily.
I’ve sewn the entire inner seam of a groomsman’s pants during a wedding (while he was wearing them, I might add). I’ve safety pinned the backs of more bridesmaids’ dresses than I can count. I’ve also removed plenty of stains from deodorant, drinks and makeup from guests’ outfits. Which is why I’ve found all of these garment care items to be absolutely essential.
While getting ready, you’ll want an iron and an ironing board, as well as a hand-held steamer. In your emergency kit, you’ll want: safety pins, a sewing kit, deodorant remover pads, lint rollers, Tide To Go Pens, Hollywood Fashion Tape (get the double-sided kind, it works magic at keeping dresses in place), and finally, static guard.
Menstrual Products
Tampons (the ones with applicators tend to be most popular), panty liners, and pads. Don’t feel the need to stock up on a ton of these. There’s usually plenty leftover at the end of events.
Miscellaneous
This is the part of the blog post where I list significantly more items than any other category, but I promise you’ll thank me later!
Here we go: Scissors, Q-Tips, lotion, mints, eye drops, deodorant, disposable razors, disposable tooth brushes, mini toothpaste, Listerine strips, baby powder, tape, envelopes, sharpies, pens and a pad of paper.
The last thing I want to do is make you feel like Mary Poppins, but I have tried and tested many emergency kits at many weddings and events, and have found all of these items to be extremely useful, frequently requested and fully tapped into. Use this post to stock your kit with only the essentials, rather than barreling through Amazon without knowing which products will actually get used!
Have a question about something specific? Ask it on my Q&A page!
Read more Event Planning advice.