I think it’s safe to say that every
girl has got her little list of items that can always, always, always be found
in her purse, no matter where she’s heading. That list might include blotting
papers or lip gloss or a hair tie—and when you rummage around in your bag for
one of them and come up empty, panic ensues. You do not want this to happen on
your wedding day.
No, on your wedding day, you want to
have put some actual time and thought into what supplies will be in your
presence—not in your beautiful little vintage clutch, of course, but rather, in
some handy tote stashed somewhere out of the way but where you can always get
to it, and in the charge of one of your bridesmaids.
This topic happened to come up this
week when a friend asked me what she should be bringing along by way of a
bridal emergency kit like this for her sister’s wedding. To help her out, I dug
up something I wrote several issues ago that put together a pretty
comprehensive list, which I’m going to share with you, now, too. (Though I
have, since the below was written, added band-aids and Advil, after the lovely experience of toppling out of
the trolley and onto my knees when the bridal party I was in stopped at the
Museum of Art for pictures before my friend’s wedding. Ouch. And blood.)
Here it is. Go forth and be prepared.
————
Flash back to two summers ago, and five
bridesmaids gathered around a large canvas bag. As ‘maids to our dear bride, it
was our solemn duty to fill this tote with emergency supplies fit to cover
every fathomable wedding-day catastrophe. Although we wondered if it would be
worth lugging this kit around, the late-June afternoon to follow would answer
our question. We joke (now, we joke) that the most commonly heard words
throughout the day were: “Get the Bag.”
Hour by hour, here are a few ways the
Bag saved us from cosmetic peril:
PRE-CEREMONY
PHOTOGRAPHY During pictures on the front lawn, the previous
calm bride bursts into tears during a pose with her parents. Q-tips, eye-makeup
remover and tissues make sure she is spic and span for the next photo
op. Mineral
Bright Eye Concealer From Chris Krenzer come
in handy to de-puff the surrounding eye area later in the day when these bursts
become frequent.
POST-CEREMONY
PHOTOGRAPHY An unfortunately incident involving stiletto
meeting hem leaves our bride with a rip in her gorgeous ivory-cream dress. Cue
the sewing kit. The concerned bride plants herself in a pew as my
mother stitches her dress back into perfection.
PRE-RECEPTION The bride emerges from her limo wearing the
telltale sign of newlywed smooching: no lipstick.
We reapply her makeup (and clean up the groom), but an hour of posing in the
mid-summer sun leaves the bride and her entire party feeling a little less than
fresh. Upstairs in the bridal-party suite of the reception venue, the Bag
reveals our saviors: Dove
Body Refreshers,baby powder, deodorant and perfume. Face
powder and concealer are applied as needed, chignons are tightened with bobby pins, curls are reinforced with hair spray, and the party begins.
RECEPTION See
all of the above; pop mints as needed.
AMONG THE UNUSED A
few items found themselves untouched in the Bag, and although the bride was
grateful that this was the case, she was highly appreciative of their presence:
·
Smelling
salts, in case she (or, more likely, the
groom) keeled over during a pivotal moment, requiring immediate resuscitation.
·
Tampons (self-explanatory).
·
Spot
remover, in tragic case of lipstick, powder,
soup, wine or chocolate landing anywhere near the Dress.
————
To keep the bride looking her very
prettiest and most fresh from the first sip of champagne to the last. And she
even included her recs, from “fancy” to more budget-friendly! Here’s what the
pro says:
·
Powder, both for combating shine and keeping makeup in
place. Laura Mercier Smooth Focus Pressed Setting Powder – Shine Control in
Matte Translucent; Chris Krenzer HD
Correcting powder .
·
Lipstick, “Because a bride needs lips!” and added on that
long-wear is best. Chris Krenzer Lip Colour and Chanel Rouge Double Intensite
Ultra Wear Lip Color Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint ($24); and Revlon Just Bitten
Kissable Balm Stain.
·
Good idea: “Clear gloss. If nothing else, you get a little shine.” Chris
Krenzer Diamond lip gloss or MAC Clear
Gloss
·
A pen-style highlighter/concealer. “It’ll fix any sort of smudge under the eyes or
lipstick marks on cheeks.” She likes YSL Touche Eclat . Chris Krenzer Bright
Light Eye Concealer and L’Oreal Magic Lumi Highlighter.
·
Other add-ons she’d suggest: A wedge sponge for clean-ups and Evian Water Spray “for feel-good spritzing and refreshing.”
So there you have it! If you’re a
bridesmaid, get packing. And if you’re a bride, please do share this with your
girls. Because that whole “better safe than sorry” thing? This is the day to
really take that little adage to heart.
Anyone have anything
to add to this list, especially from experience? Please share!
