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Wedding Day Emergency Kit Checklist
60+ items organized by category. The kit your maid of honor (or day-of coordinator) carries all day. Built from the things real weddings actually need.
📱 Get WeddingDay — $9.99
About WeddingDay
Who carries this: The maid of honor, day-of coordinator, or your most organized friend — physically with them, not stored at the venue's front desk. The bride/groom keeps a small personal pouch (lipstick, mints, ibuprofen, bandaids) within arm's reach separately.
The categories
Dress / Attire — for rips, snags, stains, splits
- Safety pins (assorted sizes — easily 30+ of these are needed)
- Sewing kit with needle + white, ivory, and black thread
- Fashion tape / double-sided tape
- Tide-to-Go pen
- Shout wipes
- White chalk (covers small stains on white dresses in emergencies)
- Lint roller
- Mini scissors
- Spare buttons (in case one pops)
- Hem tape (Stitch Witchery)
- Static guard spray
- Steam wand (small travel steamer if dress wrinkles)
Beauty + Touch-ups
- Lipstick (bride's color, multiples)
- Lip gloss / chapstick
- Blotting papers
- Pressed powder (for shine)
- Q-tips (mascara cleanup)
- Cotton swabs
- Hair pins (lots — 50+)
- Hair spray (travel size)
- Hair elastic / extra band
- Comb / mini brush
- Travel mirror
- Eyelash glue (for false lashes)
- Tweezers
- Translucent powder (for forehead shine)
- Fragrance spray (small)
Body / Personal — the things you'll forget
- Deodorant (clear/no-residue type for white dresses)
- Mints (Altoids or similar — strong)
- Gum (for nervous moments)
- Dental floss + toothpicks
- Tampons / pads (every size)
- Pantyhose (spare in bride's size)
- Bandaids (multiple sizes — blister-blocker for shoe rubbing especially)
- Moleskin (heavy-duty blister prevention for new shoes)
- Compeed blister patches
- Shoe inserts (Dr. Scholl's or similar)
- Lotion (small)
- Tissue (small pack — for tears, sweat, etc.)
- Hand sanitizer
- Eye drops (Visine — for tired/red eyes from photos)
Medicine + Pain
- Ibuprofen / Advil
- Tylenol
- Antacids (Tums, Pepto)
- Allergy medicine (Benadryl, Claritin)
- Cold/flu meds (Sudafed, throat lozenges)
- Anti-diarrheal (Imodium)
- Hangover prevention (Pedialyte single-serve packets)
- Eye drops
- Antiseptic wipes
- Sunscreen (small SPF 50)
Food + Hydration
- Granola bars / protein bars (3-4 — bride often forgets to eat)
- Bottled water (multiple)
- Straws (drink without smearing lipstick)
- Crackers (settles nervous stomach)
- Fruit / banana (potassium, prevents cramps)
- Honey sticks (quick energy)
- Caffeine option (coffee, tea, or 5-Hour Energy)
Tools + Misc
- Sharpie + pen
- Tape (clear + duct tape — duct tape solves anything)
- Super glue (for shoe heel emergencies)
- Krazy Glue gel
- Phone charger + extra cable
- Portable power bank (fully charged)
- Spare cash ($100 in small bills — for tips, surprise costs)
- Copy of marriage license (in protective sleeve)
- Emergency contact list (vendors, wedding party, key family)
- Day-of timeline (printed copy)
- Vendor contracts (just in case)
- Umbrella (small)
- Flat shoes (for the bride after the ceremony)
- Spare jewelry backings (earring, necklace clasp)
- Razor (one fast emergency shave)
- Nail clippers + emery board
- Clear nail polish (stops stocking runs, fixes minor nail breaks)
- Nail polish in bride's color (touch-ups)
- Nail polish remover wipes
For the Groom Side
- Mini sewing kit + black thread
- Spare cufflinks
- Spare collar stays
- Tie clip backup
- Boutonnière pins (extras — always lose some)
- Lint roller
- Shoe shine kit / quick wipe
- Beard trimmer (cordless)
- Eye drops
- Mints + gum
- Deodorant
- Mini mirror
The bride's personal pouch (separate, smaller)
Within the bride's arm's reach all day:
- Lipstick (her color)
- Blotting papers
- Mints
- Small mirror
- Ibuprofen
- Bandaids
- 2-3 safety pins
- Tissues
The 5 most-likely-to-be-used items
Based on real wedding accounts, these get used at almost every wedding:
- Safety pins — for any clothing emergency
- Tide-to-Go pen — wine, makeup, food spills happen
- Ibuprofen — for everyone, all day
- Bandaids / Moleskin — new shoe blisters
- Mints / breath spray — for endless photo close-ups
If you only assemble a "minimum viable" emergency kit, these 5 cover ~80% of actual emergencies.
Pre-wedding shopping list
The kit takes about 90 minutes and ~$80–$120 to assemble fully. Most items can be bought at one Target/Walmart trip with stops at:
- Pharmacy section (medicines, bandaids, deodorant, hygiene)
- Sewing/crafts (safety pins, sewing kit, fashion tape)
- Beauty (touch-up makeup, hair pins, lipstick)
- Snacks aisle (granola bars, mints)
Storage
Use a structured tote or makeup bag with internal pockets — NOT a pile of items in a Ziploc. The maid of honor needs to find the safety pin in 10 seconds, not search the bag for 5 minutes.
Recommended: a 3-tier rolling makeup case, or a fishing tackle box, or a structured cosmetic train case. ~$25–$40 at Target/Amazon.
What WeddingDay (the iOS app) tracks
- Day-of timeline shareable with wedding party
- Emergency contact list for vendors
- Vendor contracts + payment status
- Day-of to-do checklist
- All on-device, no vendor spam, no email harvesting
- $9.99 one-time, no subscription
FAQ
How early should I assemble the kit?1–2 weeks before. Buy items earlier; assemble into the structured bag closer to the wedding so nothing wanders off.
Should I bring the kit to the rehearsal?Yes. Some items get used the night before (ibuprofen for the wedding party, mints, safety pin for someone's outfit).
What if I'm getting ready away from the venue?The kit goes wherever you are. Some couples build TWO mini kits — one with the bride, one delivered to the venue ahead of time.
What about the after-party?Add: comfortable shoes for the bride, makeup wipes, water bottle, hair tie. The wedding goes long; the after-party goes longer.
Anything I shouldn't include?Don't bring valuables (heirloom jewelry not worn that day). Don't bring items you can't replace (one-of-a-kind backup veil — leave it home). The kit is for emergencies, not heirloom storage.
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📱 App Store — $9.99 one-time