When it comes to packing a wedding weekend bag, couples tend to forget to pack an important item or two.

and over the years, we’ve taken note on their most overlooked necessities.

Now, one of the great things about hiring a Wedding Planner is that we now know what these items are and we tend to keep a lot of them in the back of our trunk in case of emergency (Except for item number one of course). But, in the event that you do not have a planner or coordinator, we wanted to share a handful of important items to have with you on your big day!

1.Your Marriage License.  Super Important and ironically, forgotten quite often! We recommend bringing your marriage license with you to your wedding rehearsal in case you happen to forget it on your actual wedding day.

2.Bottled Water.  Although some places where you are getting ready in the morning may have access to water, we always recommend having a case chilled in a cooler and brought along with you. This way you can guarantee to have water available for the limo ride/commuting between locations, and for the bridal suite at your reception venue.

3.Snacks.  You and your wedding party will have a long day ahead of you, and it is important to remember to eat.  Easy and cost effective snacks to provide to your wedding party are granola and protein bars, gummy snacks, and trail mix etc.  

4.Travel-Size Tissues.  This is an item that your guests could benefit from, as well, but the Maid/Matron of Honor gets an extra “gold star” when they have tissues handy for any unplanned waterworks that often occur during the wedding ceremony. Ladies, bringing along waterproof mascara can be paired with this, in case you find that you need to touch-up before photos.

5.Phone Chargers.  This sounds simple, but a lot of people leave their phone chargers at the location where they are getting ready because they don’t want to carry them around with them throughout the day.  Team up with a couple of friends and agree to have someone bring a charger to provide for the group.  Trust us, when you are trying to find your Aunt Nancy to give her all of your cards and gifts to take home with her at the end of the night, you’ll want to have your phone fully charged.

6.Copies of Readings.  Often times your church can provide printed copies of the scripture readings as backup, but we always recommend printing extra copies for your readers just in case, especially if you are not getting married specifically at a church.  Having extra copies make everything run more smoothly and takes stress off of your Readers. Also, if there are any prayers or scripture that your wedding party should know as they stand with you at the alter, extra copies for them to have as reference is always appreciated. 

7.The Phone Numbers for the Limo Driver and Photographer’s Cell Phones.  If you do not have a coordinator, these phone numbers are extremely important for your Best Man and MOH to have, or any family members that will be assisting with coordination that day.  The limo driver and photographer are great points of contact because they will have eyes on the bridal party throughout most of the day.  Because of this, you can coordinate with them as to when you are leaving different locations and where you are headed.

8.A Steamer.  If you are getting ready at a hotel, you can ask the front desk if they have a steamer that they can provide to you (we suggest asking this when booking your room, in case they need to reserve it for you).  Additionally, aside from your dresses, consider wrinkles on your table linen. Typically, if your wedding reception venue is providing linens, most of the time you will not have to worry about their linens having wrinkles.  That said, if you are renting table linens or runners for your reception, we learned very quickly in the game that most rental companies deliver folded up linens, leaving terrible wrinkles in the fabric, which totally distract you from their beauty. If it is important for you to have wrinkle free linen, it is a MUST that you express it to someone who is capable of steaming them for you. 

9.A Cake Knife and Server.  There is so much focus on the cake, but make sure to ask your reception venue or hired caterer if they could provide a cake cutter for you, in the event that you do not have a special cake knife of your own that you would like to provide.  It is very difficult trying to cut a large, beautiful cake with a standard dinner knife… #awkward!

10.A Bridal Emergency Kit.  This can include the obvious items ranging from bobby pins, safety pins, and scissors to items such as an extra pair of panty hose, hairspray, and lipstick to use for touch ups.  And (knock on wood) we also suggest having a couple of Band-Aids handy, heaven forbid someone needs them.

Have questions, or need a linen steamer?? 😉 Reach out to the Storybook Team! We hope we helped provide you with some friendly reminders to keep your wedding day and your sanity as calm and relaxed as it should feel!

Happy Planning!

-Storybook Chicago