Wedding day survival bag

Every bride spends months, if not years planning their special day. From the dress, to the cake, right down to the tiny little details in the room. Everything is planned to within an inch of your life. Army majors have nothing on the planning skills of a determined bride. However, even though a bride plans for everything to go swimmingly, things can and will go wrong. That is why it is important to have a wedding day survival kit.

On my wedding day, my sister and myself put together a bag that was kept in reception in case of emergency.This wasn’t a small bag, but a Ted Baker size plastic handbag that fit so much. Thank god we kept that bag there as I used almost everything in it and could have done with a few extras.

To make your day go a little bit more smoothly,  I have put together a list of items that will help ease your wedding day hiccups. The best part about this list? It can be handed over to your Bride slaves for them to put together.

Starletto Heel protectors

Imagine the scenario. Glass of Prosecco in hand, you glide from guest to guest thanking them for attending your special day. As you move from the patio onto the grass area, your shoe instantly sinks into the freshly cut grass, leaving you looking less Princess like and more clumsy oaff!!! Yes, while stilettos will look beautiful, they are most certainly not suitable for the grassy areas that your photographer tells you that you must cross to get that oh so perfect picture.

Shoe stoppers are your saving grace. This little tiny wonders, attach to the heel of your shoes and give you more surface area so that your shoes don’t sink into the grass. I had a set of starlettos which I bought here for €10 and to say they saved me so much hassle would be an understatement. They are absolutely brilliant and a must have for any bride, bridesmaid or even wedding guest!!!

Stain removing wipes

On your wedding day, you’re constantly kissing and hugging people. While it is all very lovely, more often than not either yourself or your new husband are going to end up with a stain somewhere or other. On our day, Mr Beautiful Truth got some industrial strength makeup on his collar just as we were leaving the church. I still claim it wasn’t my makeup, but needless to say that stain would not budge!!

A good strong makeup wipe or specific stain removing wipes are handy for any little accidents that happen through out the day.

Plasters and blister patches

No matter how many times you try to break in your new shoes, you’re going to be on your feet non stop and I’m sorry to say either yourself or your husband will end up with cuts or blisters. Plasters and blister patches are a must have for any bridal survival bag. I find that the blister patches offer more coverage for any new blister and take away the pain, to leave you free to dance the night away.

Motilium and Imodium

Nerves play a huge part on your wedding day and I don’t know about you, but when I am nervous it plays havoc with my insides. On the run up to my big day, I lost count of the amount of times I felt unwell and had to take a motilium. In fact, late on the day of the wedding I actually got quite sick and thankfully I had a few of these in my bag to sort my tummy out and take away the nausea. This is actually quite common, as throughout the day you have a number or adrenaline surges which can leave you feeling a bit ill.

If you are someone whose nerves send them running for the bathroom, then make sure to have Imodium to hand too. They work rather quickly and stop any awkward moments in the bathroom when your brideslaves are holding up your dress!!

Dioralyte

This little packet of salty goodness is your first defence in battling the dreaded hangover. While you yourself might not need this, you might spot a family member that is in need of a little bit of Dioralyte before bedtime. While it won’t get rid of a hangover completely, it certainly eases the pain!! The rest can be taken care of with a packet of monster munch and a can of Lilt.

Sewing kit

Once the dancing starts, it is time to get that train hoisted up into a bustle. Most dressmakers will make a little catch so that your dress can tie up into a bustle, so that you can easily get your grove on! However, I am yet to meet a bride whose bustle didn’t break within 10 minutes of the dancing kicking off. A sewing kit is handy to have, as it means you can sew up the skirt again if needs be.

Spare makeup

Bridal handbags are gorgeous sparkly things, but big they are not and they are certainly not big enough to hold the makeup that is needed for touch ups throughout the day.

In you bridal handbag, it is good to have your lipliner, lipstick and a little bit of concealer. However, I found that a lot more products were needed as the day progressed and I was so grateful that I had my makeup bag in the large bridal survival bag.

Our speeches were extremely emotional and there was an awful lot of ungraceful crying. In fact, I didn’t just cry, but I sobbed. By the time the speeches were over, I had very little makeup left and a serious touch up was needed.

In my makeup bag I kept, my foundation and foundation brush, powder, bronzer, concealer, eyeliner and mascara. I needed to reapply these as they had worn off due to excess crying. In hindsight I wish I spent a little longer touching up, but I was far too hyper to spend too much time worrying about my makeup. Strange coming from a beauty blogger, but the dancing was far too important. By the end of the night my makeup was the last thing on my mind, as I was having too much fun.

Spare shoes

No matter how comfortable you wedding shoes are, any high heels become painful after hours of standing in them. A spare pair of flats are a godsend come dancing time. I wore a very sparkly pair to match my dress and they worked out a treat. I bought the shoes above in Office for €26.

Even with a wedding day survival bag, there are bound to be things that go wrong, but it is important to take a deep breathe. Remember, you are the only one who will notice these things and everyone is there for you and your husband on your special day.  Enjoy every second of your magical day. Try and take everything in and take a few minutes out from the festivities for yourself and the new MR to have a moment together. The love you feel for each other on your wedding day is enough to make your heart burst. Savour it, because they next week they will be back leaving the toilet seat up and the lid off the toothpaste.