The short answer
A wedding day emergency kit is a small, labeled set of supplies for the problems you can fix on the spot: clothing repairs, stains, personal care, weather, small setup fixes and paperwork. Pack it by problem, not by shop aisle, check with the venue what it already has and what it prohibits, and give the kit to one named person who knows what is inside.
What do you put in a wedding day emergency kit?
Start from the problems, then choose items. The fixable ones fall into a few groups: something tears or comes loose, something stains, someone needs a personal-care item, the weather turns, a small piece of setup fails, or someone needs a document or phone number. For each group, pack the smallest set of items that would let a calm person solve it in a few minutes.
Leave out what you would not use. A kit that fills a suitcase is hard to carry between locations and hard to search in a hurry. Items that matter for one person belong in that person’s pouch, described below.
- Repairs: safety pins, needle and thread in your colors, fashion tape
- Stains: stain wipes or pen, white chalk, lint roller
- Personal care: tissues, blotting papers, spare hair ties and pins
- Weather: umbrellas, a towel, a warm layer
- Setup fixes: scissors, tape, zip ties, a phone charger and cable
- Food and water: bottled water and a snack for the couple
- Paperwork: the vendor contact sheet and timeline, printed
What goes in an emergency kit for each of you?
An emergency kit for each of you adds, to the shared kit, the items that match what you are each wearing. Look at each outfit and ask what could fail: a bustle loop, a hem, a button, a zipper, a collar stay or a shoe. Pack the repair for that part, such as thread in the exact color, spare buttons or a spare collar stay, and put it in a small pouch labeled with the person’s name.
Keep personal-care items in that pouch too, such as touch-up makeup, deodorant, a comb and spare socks or tights, so the shared kit does not need a second set.
What should I ask the venue before packing the kit?
Ask what the venue already has on site and what it does not allow. Some venues keep items such as a first aid kit, a steamer, extension cords or a ladder; some prohibit open flames, adhesive on walls, confetti or glitter. Knowing both saves you packing duplicates and stops a quick fix from breaking a rule in your contract.
Ask where the on-site items are kept and who can get to them on the day. A first aid kit in a locked office is not much help if the manager has left for the evening. Write the location and the name of the person with the key on your contact sheet.
- Is there a first aid kit, and where is it kept?
- Can we use a steamer or iron, and where is power?
- Are tape, adhesives or pins allowed on walls and furniture?
- Are candles or open flames allowed?
- Who on staff has keys on the day?
Should the emergency kit include medicine?
Personal medications are best carried by the person who needs them, in their own labeled packaging, with a note to the point person if they may need help getting to them. A shared kit is not the right place for prescriptions, and the keeper should not be the one deciding what medicine anyone takes.
If you include general items such as adhesive bandages or blister pads, keep them in their original packaging. For anything beyond minor scrapes, the plan is to call for help, so put the venue address and the nearest entrance for emergency vehicles on the contact sheet where the point person can find it quickly.
Do you need one emergency kit or two?
If you get ready in one place and marry in another, split the kit. The getting-ready bag holds repairs, stains and personal care; the venue bag holds setup fixes, weather items and paperwork. Each bag has its own keeper, and the keeper of the first bag brings the repair items along when the wedding party leaves.
For example, in a hypothetical day where the couple dress at a hotel and the venue is a 30-minute drive away, the hotel bag goes with whoever rides with the couple, and the venue bag is dropped off with the florist or coordinator at setup. Each bag gets a label with its contents and the keeper’s phone number.
Who should carry the wedding emergency kit?
Give the kit to someone who will be near the couple and is not already busy with a role. The point person is a natural choice if they are not also giving a speech or running a vendor handoff; otherwise choose a friend who can step away for a few minutes without leaving a gap.
Walk the keeper through the kit before the day. Show them each pouch and tell them which problems they can solve without asking and which need the couple.
Which documents belong in the kit?
Pack a printed copy of the vendor contact sheet, the current timeline and the page of each contract that states arrival times and what is included. If a vendor arrives with a different understanding, the keeper can check the page instead of calling you. Leave full contracts, payment details and card numbers out of the kit.
If a document has to reach the ceremony, such as the marriage license, agree in advance who brings it and write that name down. The license is safer with the person responsible for it than in a shared bag that moves between rooms. The officiant agreement guide covers who handles the license before and after the ceremony.
Emergency kit packing list
Use one row for a decision or deliverable. Keep unanswered items visible. Download the blank worksheet to open in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.
On a small screen, swipe the worksheet sideways to see the remaining columns.
| Problem group | Items packed | Which bag | Keeper | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clothing repairs | — | — | — | — |
| Stains | — | — | — | — |
| Personal care | — | — | — | — |
| Weather | — | — | — | — |
| Setup fixes | — | — | — | — |
| Food and water | — | — | — | — |
| Paperwork and contact sheet | — | — | — | — |
| Items the venue provides | — | — | — | — |
A message you can make your own
Change the wording to suit you, fill in anything in brackets and keep the questions that apply. You decide what to send and send it yourself.
We are packing a small kit for the wedding day and want to make sure it fits your rules. Could you tell us which of these you have on site and where they are kept: a first aid kit, a steamer, extension cords and a ladder? Could you also confirm whether tape or adhesives are allowed on walls and furniture, whether candles are allowed, and who on your staff will have keys on the day?
Common questions
What is a wedding day survival kit?
A wedding day survival kit is another name for a wedding day emergency kit: a small set of supplies for problems that can be fixed on the spot, such as a torn hem, a stain, a dead phone or rain. The label matters less than packing it by problem, keeping it small enough to carry, and giving it to one named keeper.
When should you pack the wedding day emergency kit?
A wedding day emergency kit is ready to pack once the timeline and contact sheet are final, since printed copies of both go inside. Work back from the day you hand it to the keeper, and leave enough time before that to buy anything missing. The keeper then has a chance to look through each pouch before the day.
Should you make a wedding emergency kit for guests?
A wedding emergency kit for guests is optional; it is a basket of small items, such as tissues, bandages and hair ties, set out in a restroom or near the entrance. Check with the venue first, since some venues already stock restrooms. Keep it separate from your own kit, which stays with the keeper and should not be left out.
Does the photographer or coordinator bring an emergency kit?
A photographer or coordinator may bring an emergency kit, but whether they do is up to each vendor. Ask what they carry and check the contract. If the kit is not in writing, pack your own and treat anything a vendor brings as extra, so a gap in their supplies does not leave you without the basics.
What should go in an emergency kit for an outdoor wedding?
An emergency kit for an outdoor wedding adds weather items for the conditions you might face, such as umbrellas, a towel, a warm layer and sunscreen. Add a printed copy of your rain plan with the time of the weather decision and the name of the person who makes it, so the keeper knows when the plan changes.
Should the wedding emergency kit include cash?
A wedding emergency kit is the wrong place for cash, because the kit moves between people and rooms. Keep cash for tips or final payments in labeled envelopes with the person who is handing them out, and write on the contact sheet who holds them so the point person knows whom to ask.
What if something breaks that the emergency kit cannot fix?
A problem the emergency kit cannot fix goes to the responsible vendor or the venue contact on the contact sheet. Write on the sheet who to call for each kind of problem, such as a rental, power, a missing delivery or a lost item, so the keeper can make the call without finding the couple first.