Invariably, at every wedding there are certain wedding day kit items needed that no one can find!

Going outside of the normal “emergency wedding day kit” here for a second, these are items that you as the bride probably don’t even realize you’re going to need.
After over a decade of photographing and actively working as Charleston wedding photographers, we have compiled this list to help you out before you even need the help! These items can be brought to the bridal suite, on the limo as we go to photo locations, or just to the ceremony holding location for you and your bridal party.

1. Snacks/an actual lunch

Most brides understandably experience high levels of adrenaline on their wedding day and have NO interest in eating. This will change DIRECTLY after the ceremony or the First Look when the most anticipated moment of the day has passed. It is at this point that the hunger will come crashing down around you, either coming with a headache or just the inability to relax and enjoy your day. For this reason, snacks/food will always be our first suggestion of an “emergency” item to bring along on your wedding day. Even if it is just a handful of granola bars, this is one of the more important things that gets brushed to the side. We have witnessed way too many weddings where the bride was a little “hangry” and couldn’t truly enjoy herself; a state which is completely avoidable!

2. Water

Another item that brides may forget to pack is water! The alcohol flows freely on your wedding day and we are totally fine with that! But if you combine the lack of eating mentioned in the point above with copious alcohol consumption…well, we all know where that leads! Please add water to your must have items for the day and your personal wedding day kit and actually force yourself to drink it.

3. Tide Pen

We all have nightmares about something spilling on our wedding dress on our wedding day (I think red wine would be the worst!), but that doesn’t actually happen a lot. What DOES tend to happen are tiny stains, or little smudges from hugging people or just walking around like a normal person. Hey – you’re wearing all white – what do you expect?? Honestly though, it’s not just the wedding gown that might need a little touch up – we have seen plenty of groom’s shirts with a lovely smear of Aunt Betty’s liquid foundation right across the shoulder. Mishaps like these can be fixed right away with a Tide Pen or some other sort of fabric touch up. As a bonus, this is a super small item that easily fits in any wedding day kit. Simple and effective!

4. Umbrellas

Okay, obviously we are all hoping that the day of your wedding is 72 degrees, sunny with puffy clouds and a light breeze, but Mother Nature may have other ideas. I’m having a flashback to the “Thousand Year Flood” weekend right now. We like to think of rain as giving us the opportunity to create some super cool images on your wedding day that we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. However, the bottom line is that rain complicates even simple things, like walking. Target carries some pretty cute clear, bubble umbrellas that make a pretty good photo prop even if it wasn’t raining! Packing a few of these to bring a long could save the day in more ways than you thought!

5. Comfy Shoes

As much as we all agree that those sparkly Jimmy Choo’s are the most amazing shoes ever created, the honest truth is that they are probably going to start hurting your feet after a few hours of standing in them. Especially if we have a good amount of time for a photo session, we always recommend bringing along a pair of shoes you can slip on easily (read: flip flops), that are comfortable to walk in. At the very least, you can wear them from spot to spot as we are shooting and put the “real” wedding shoes back on for the picture taking. Trust me, your feet will thank you. This is another opportunity, similar to making sure to eat a snack, you have to keep yourself in a good mood. I don’t know about you guys, but having my feet in constant discomfort/pain will make me instantly grouchy. Avoid becoming a grouch: pack a pair of flip flops! Bonus: you can wear them to get down at the reception later too..

6. Scissors

A pair of scissors is an item I am SURE is listed in every bridal magazine and blog ever written about a emergency wedding day kit, but one that we rarely see actually brought along. You have no idea how often you will have the need for scissors until you are on your wedding day. Things from tags on jewelry, hanging ribbons on dresses, random threads sticking out of the gown, etc etc.. the list goes on and on and doesn’t just stop with bridal prep! Every bride should pack not one pair, but multiple pairs of scissors to bring along, because, let’s face it, someone always steals/loses that one pair that you brought.

The list we created above mentions some of the wedding day kit items we have seen lacking that are not as well thought of as hairspray, makeup touchups, or tissues. We hope this helps future brides be even better prepared for their day and the challenges that will arise!