The Wedding-Day Emergency Kit: A Complete Checklist

Nothing on this list is expensive, and almost none of it will be used. But a wedding day is long, the clothes are unfamiliar and the schedule is fixed, and the small things that go wrong, a hem caught on a heel, a blister at hour three, a phone at four percent with the vows on it, are exactly the things a kit fixes in two minutes.

Pack it the week before, from this list, and check it off. Use a clear pouch or a small tackle-style organizer with compartments so whoever is holding it can find a single safety pin in a hurry.

Two kits, not one

The getting-ready kit stays in the room where everyone dresses. It can be large: the full sewing supplies, the steamer, the hairspray, the snacks.

The carry kit is a small bag that follows the couple to the ceremony and reception: pins, stain wipes, blotting papers, lipstick, pain relievers, a phone charger, tissues. It should fit in a jacket pocket or a clutch.

Sewing and clothing

• Safety pins in several sizes, including a few small gold and silver ones
• A small sewing kit with needles already threaded in white, ivory, black and the attendants’ color
• Small, sharp scissors
• Spare buttons, including one for the suit jacket and one for the shirt
• Fashion tape, for gaping necklines, slipping straps and lifting hems
• Stain-remover wipes or a stain pen, plus a square of white chalk to cover a mark on white fabric
• A lint roller
• A travel steamer, if the venue doesn’t have one
• Clear nail polish, to stop a run in tights
• Spare tights or stockings, and spare dark socks
• Spare cufflinks or shirt studs, and collar stays
• Comfortable flat shoes for the reception

Beauty and grooming

• Blotting papers and pressed powder
• The lipstick or lip color you’ll be wearing, so it can be reapplied after dinner and the toasts
• Waterproof mascara
• Cotton swabs and makeup-remover wipes, for smudges
• Bobby pins and hair elastics that match your hair color
• A small brush or comb, and travel-size hairspray
• Deodorant, a clear formula that won’t mark fabric
• Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and mints
• A nail file and clippers
• Hand lotion and lip balm
• Tissues, lots of them
• Fragrance in a travel size

Your hair and makeup artist will usually leave touch-up products; ask in advance. Our guide to wedding hair and makeup covers what to ask for.

Health and first aid

• Pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen
• Antihistamine tablets, for hay fever from the flowers or an unexpected reaction
• Any guest or wedding-party member with a severe allergy should carry their own epinephrine auto-injector; make sure someone knows where it is
• Antacids
• Prescription medicines for the couple and anyone else who needs them on the day, with a day’s supply
• Blister plasters and adhesive bandages in several sizes
• Moleskin or gel pads for new shoes
• Eye drops
• Menstrual products
• Hand sanitizer
• Bottled water and a few snacks, such as nuts, crackers or granola bars, for anyone who forgot to eat

Make sure at least one person knows the venue’s address for emergency services, and where the nearest urgent care is.

Tech and power

• A charged power bank and charging cables for every kind of phone in the wedding party
• A wall charger and a short extension cord
• A printed copy of the vows and any readings, in case a phone dies or is left behind
• The ceremony music and the first-dance song, downloaded on a phone in case a stream fails
• A small roll of gaffer tape, for cords and loose hems alike
• A small flashlight, or a phone with its flashlight turned on, for a dark venue after sunset

Paperwork and valuables

Keep these in a single labeled folder, held by one named person:

• The marriage license, which the officiant needs before or right after the ceremony
• Photo identification for both of you, in case your jurisdiction requires it at signing
• The wedding rings, until they go to the person carrying them
• The day-of timeline and the vendor contact list, with phone numbers
• Labeled envelopes for final payments and tips
• A pen that works, for signing the license
• Copies of key vendor contracts, or a link to them on a phone

Know before the day who signs the license, how many witnesses your state requires and who is responsible for returning it. Our planning checklist puts the license steps on the calendar.

Weather

• Clear umbrellas, which look better in photographs than black ones
• Sunscreen and a hat for outdoor waiting
• Insect repellent for evening and garden ceremonies
• Handheld or paper fans
• A wrap, shawl or blanket for cold evenings
• Hand warmers for winter weddings
• A spare towel, for wet chairs and wet shoes

Who carries it

Never the couple. Your job is to be married, not to find a needle.

The planner or day-of coordinator, if you have one. Many arrive with a kit of their own; ask what’s in it and pack only what’s missing.

Otherwise, one trusted person who isn’t standing at the altar for the whole ceremony: a friend, a sibling or a member of the wedding party with a quieter role. Tell them where the kit lives at each stage of the day, and introduce them to the photographer and the venue manager. Our guide to attendants’ duties describes how to divide the jobs.

Hand over the folder separately. The license and rings belong with someone specific, such as the officiant or a named attendant, not tucked into a bag that gets left on a chair. Check the reception timeline to decide when the carry kit should move from one room to the next.