Are you ready for the final blog in our “What’s in our Wedding bag” series? This weeks is about my “Mary Poppins Bag” that was loving named by one of our brides who kept saying oh I need this, and luckily I had all that she needed!
So first off, why do I bring all of these things before I highlight what all I pack. I bring a variety of things that through the various weddings we have done I have noticed have been needed and not always are they available. You may wonder why I take it upon myself to bring all of these things that do not 100% tie to my photographer duties, well they benefit me and let me tell you how. If a bridesmaid snaps a strap off her dress and has to rig a strap because she does not have a sewing kit or a safety pin that is going to potentially show in the pictures we take. If a bride spills something on her dress and I do not have a shout wipe to get her all cleaned up then 1. she is going to be self conscious trying to cover that up all day and 2. I am going to have to do a lot of work editing out that stain in all the pictures. So as you can tell with the various things I bring they typically indirectly benefit me! I also cannot ignore or admit that it is in my soul to mother and help people and it would bother me all day long if a bride needed something and I was not able to help!
Let’s talk about what I bring!
This cutie showed up for her engagement shoot with a small spill on her white pants that happened in route. Luckily shout wipes to the rescue! I promise they do not pay me to say how much I love them, I just do!
Shout Wipes-Seriously the best thing ever. They work better to me than the other spot removal products because to me they do not leave a residue (like a ring around the spot of cleaner) and they dry really quickly because it is a wipe not a liquid that you are applying directly to the fabric.
Safety Pins-These have so many uses but really the main reason I bring these is, if something breaks right before the ceremony or a time critical time where I do not have time to sew something up, a safety pin is the quickest way to get a garment back together and to carry on with the day.
Sewing Kit-while on the subject….if a strap or something else breaks and I can fix it more securely so that you aren’t potentially stabbed by a safety pin that pops open as you are walking down the aisle then I am going to!
Garment Tape-Us women know, sometimes you need to tape something down to you so that when you bend over you do not have a wardrobe malfunction.
Deodorant remover-If you haven’t ever used one of these magical squares then you should go grab one! Deodorant can be so annoying to get off of clothes and it wipes it away like magic!
Advil, etc-There is nothing worse than getting a headache on your wedding day. I will always have something that can ease the pain and get you back to enjoying the day.
Bandaids-For many reasons, mainly for my girls who have awesome shoes that are incredibly uncomfortable but also because blood isn’t a good accessory for your white wedding dress if you do end up cutting a finger.
Dry Shampoo-This is a new one for me. One wedding I woke up and when packing my bag oddly felt like I should grab my dry shampoo. So I threw it in the bad and didn’t think another thing about it until we got to the venue and the hairstylist began to work on the bride and the maid of honor and realized she had forgotten her dry shampoo. We were in Boone, NC up a mountain and very far away from somewhere anyone could grab some. I was SO relieved to have had that dry shampoo to keep the day rolling. Without me luckily throwing that in the bad that day we would have either had a bride and maid of honor that didn’t feel their absolute best or someone would have had to run go grab some delaying the schedule for the day. I will now always bring it with me just in case!
Bobby Pins-99% of the time your hairdresser will bring plenty of Bobby pins. One thing I try to bring is Bobby pins in a variety of colors to blend in with all hair colors. I also keep a ton of Bobby pins on standby because your hairdresser will leave typically a few hours before you actually walk down the aisle. Someone in the bridal party will typically need a curl pinned again or something else at some point and I am glad that I can assist!
Clear Rubber Bands-Rubber bands have a ton of uses but these are mainly for hair and many hair dressers use these to help hold hair up with up dos. Just in case a refresh is needed, I try to make sure I have these. They can also help if a ribbon comes undone on a bouquet right before you go down the aisle and a million other things.
Bride Hanger-This is more out of benefit to me. After many many weddings of searching hotel rooms for a “pretty hanger” I finally worked smarter not harder and ordered a pretty wooden and medal “Bride” hanger off of Amazon that I now bring with me to every wedding to take my wedding dress on a hanger photos!
This cutie got a pearl bracelet for her flower girl present. She was so sad when it broke prior to walking down the aisle. Luckily my sewing kit got it back together quickly for her to wear down the aisle!
12. Extra Robes for Bride-I have two robes that I have gotten from my lovely FabFitFun box that I instantly thought this is the perfect bridal robe. Rather than keeping them for myself I added them to my bag just in case a bride ever needed it during her getting ready time….did you know it is best if you wear a button up or robe that doesn’t have to go over your head so that you aren’t taking a shirt or dress off over your head after your hair and makeup are all done!?!?!
13. Towel-Your wonderful florist will often drop off bouquets where everyone is getting ready. They typically put these in cups or jars of water to keep them looking fresh until you go down the aisle. I always bring something to dab off the bottom of bouquets with because a water spot is not what I want on your dress right before you walk down the aisle.
14. Granola Bar-This is to benefit myself but also I bring extras because often a bride will be nervous or busy and not eat all day. I really don’t want them passing out or being miserable as they are getting married. I always have a granola bar in my bag that I can have a bride wolf down real quick to get her through another hour or so.
My list is always growing because I really do love to be prepared and make sure I can help make our bride/groom and their people’s day every time we photograph a wedding. If you are a bride or groom, I suggest making a survival kit for the day that has many of these things just in case you need them! For other photographers, I can’t recommend you bring these things enough. You can even keep them in your car and run go grab them if the need arises. They will make your day run more smoothly, I promise!
Let me know if there are other things you found you desperately needed on your wedding day or that you would add to your list!
Happy Shoootin’ -Meg