Are you new to the wedding planning industry? Being able to secure high-paying clients and create captivating pitches is all well and good, but the best wedding coordinators also need to be able to rise to any occasion on the big day itself.
A wedding day emergency kit is a planner’s best friend. Loaded with essential supplies and useful tools, this inventory will ensure minor issues and major setbacks can be resolved as quickly as possible. However, you’ll need a great bag to cart all that kit around in. A bag for wedding planners needs to be spacious, sturdy, and versatile.
The Emergency Kit Bag: Wedding Edition
Even if you’re an experienced wedding coordinator who leaves nothing to chance, there’s always the potential for something unexpected to happen on the big day. Extra guests can lead to a shortfall in seating and catering options. Meanwhile, it’s easy for minor mishaps and injuries to occur once the vows have been shared and the champagne starts flowing.
What’s more, you’ll rarely be working at the same wedding venue twice in a row. You might return to your favorite locations at a later date, but wedding venues are usually the choice of the happy couple. Each location is going to pose unique challenges that may need to be resolved in the lead-up to the nuptials or during the event itself.
Some weddings go relatively smoothly, with only the occasional issue to respond to. Other times, it can seem like something is going wrong every other moment. An emergency kit bag is a mobile inventory containing all the items you might need to coordinate a successful event and ensure any wedding day hiccups are easily remedied. You might only reach for a single item from your kit during some events, but you’ll be glad you’ve stocked a tote with more during those disastrous ones.
What’s Included In The Wedding Planner Emergency Kit Bag
A wedding planner’s arsenal will be largely identical to that of a regular event planner. You’ll need plenty of tools and craft supplies to make minor repairs and adjustments to venues and decorations, attend to minor injuries, and more. Need some help putting together your kit bag for your next wedding job? Below is a roundup of the most important things you’ll need to have ready to go when you need them most.
The Basics
You might have created a flawless-looking wedding plan, but there’s no way of seeing into the future. You’ll need to plan with every eventuality, whether it’s a travel sewing kit and safety pins for minor dress adjustments, or spare cosmetics, deodorant, and hairspray should the bride’s hair and makeup need touching up. Basic supplies like blotting sheets are also incredibly useful for tackling oily skin emergencies or applying multiple layers of blush and foundation.
By the time the big day arrives, a wedding planner should know the venue inside and out. You can preempt any potential issues ahead of time, but there’s still a chance minor mishaps will happen once rented furniture and equipment start arriving. A well-stocked toolset means you can tighten loose table legs, make quick work of assembling things like floral arches, and more. Bring fasteners and nails as well for securing things like wedding aisle runners to the ground. Need to make adjustments to hanging drapes and upholstery? For a smooth finish, make sure you have a pair of fabric scissors to hand.
Wedding planners may also need to hire waiting, bar, and cleaning staff. If you’re using a credible agency, they’ll almost certainly bring their own emergency supplies. However, make sure you’re not cut short by bringing extra cleaning essentials.
Should a life-threatening health emergency happen, you’ll need to call in the medical professional immediately. However, minor scrapes and grazes can be resolved with the contents of a first aid kit. Along with everyday staples like bandaids and antiseptic spray, it’s a good idea to include a hand sanitizer with a high alcohol content. As well as being a hygiene must-have, this versatile product can be used to spot clean stains and clean stubborn grime.
The Essentials
A good wedding planner needs to offer far more than these basics. The more weddings you plan and pull off, the more essentials you’ll become dependent on. Are you coordinating a wedding in a venue with lots of windows? Grubby glass panes can ruin wedding photos, so have a packet of glass cleaner wipes to hand to ensure the space looks its best. Furniture polish and stain removal wipes are also a must to carry out last-minute cleaning and keep key items free of any unsightly marks.
A reliable utility knife is also essential. These blades can be used to cut tape and open parcels, making them a must if deliveries will be dispatched to the venue on the wedding date itself. You’ll also need to have a crochet hook to hand to help brides with the buttons at the back of their dress.
A hot glue gun will also make a welcome addition to your wedding planning arsenal. These handy tools can be used to mount decorations or carry out temporary fixes if something important breaks. Super glue is also handy, but just be careful when using it to make any repairs. Need to mount flowers and hanging decorations? Have a stock of floral wire ready to go.
You’ll also want to consider the weather and climate of a venue location. Is the happy couple looking to get hitches in the height of summer? More than a few people are going to forget to bring sunscreen. To avoid sunburnt faces on those wedding party snaps, make sure you’ve got a strong SPF ready to hand out. Bug spray is also handy if a wedding is being hosted near the coast or a large body of water during the summer months. A few umbrellas are also a great way to keep on top of any weather eventuality. They can shade guests from the sun during the summer, or keep a pristine hairstyle looking perfect in the event of a downpour.
Having some stationary essentials within easy reach will also make your life easier. Do the couple that are getting married want attendees to sign a guest book? If dozens of people are writing personalized messages, a single pen isn’t going to last for very long. Have enough spares in your emergency kit bag should the ink start running dry. It’s also worth bringing along some premium sharpies. They’re perfect for marking the venue as you prepare to dress the location for the event.
You might be a huge fan of your hot glue gun, but you can’t count on a single adhesive when coordinating a wedding day. Add a few roles of clear packing tape to your wedding planner kit to secure boxes of supplies and other essentials. This will prevent any breakages from occurring in transit. Alternatively, use black duct tape for added security. You can also use this sturdy tape to fasten down loose cables to eliminate any trip hazards.
If a wedding is being staged at a historic venue, you might not be able to use aggressive adhesives when preparing the space. Instead, use scotch tape as a handy way to mark the venue, without the worry of it leaving any unsightly residue behind on walls and flooring. Finally, have a stock of double-sided tape ready to go. You can use this tape for making quick and easy fixes to decorations, attaching ‘Just Married’ signs to vehicles, and more.
A Few Things to Consider
Wedding planning can be a very lucrative career for those prepared to put in the hours and go above and beyond for their clients. Even if you have no trouble securing assignments with couples planning to say their vows and planning the perfect event, you’ll need to be in attendance to ensure a schedule stays on track. Assembling the basics and essentials outlined above is fine, but you’ll also need something to haul them around in.
There’s no better bag design for a wedding planner than a tote. While exact dimensions will vary, the majority of totes are spacious enough to carry around a small warehouse of DIY supplies, first aid essentials, and must-have tools. However, a generous interior alone won’t make your day job a hassle-free one.
You’ll also want to think about the materials used and the overall weight of your tote. Your emergency kit supplies are going to be pretty bulk when gathered in one place, so a lightweight bag that will hold its shape is the only option. Industrial materials will provide you with peace of mind that your tote isn’t going to tear in the middle of an event. What’s more, these high-grade materials are incredibly long-lasting and easy to clean.
While it’s possible that a wedding you’ve planned will go smoothly with not a single incident, it’s very unlikely. However, it’s impossible to predict what minor emergency or unexpected drama you’ll need to attend to. As such, your emergency kit tote should provide easy access to stored contents. You’ll want a bird’s-eye view of everything you’ve got packed away, without you having to open countless zips and fiddle around with removable compartments.
The Convenience of Wheels
If you’re in charge of an event in a large venue with guests split between several levels, any tote you use to store your wedding emergency kit needs to be portable. You’re not going to be able to haul a fully-stocked tote over your shoulder for too long, so a bag fitted out with wheels is the way to go. Go with swivel wheels, rather than fixed castor wheels, as these will allow you to turn direction quickly without having to stop and reorient yourself. Once the event winds down and you’re ready to head home, your wedding tote bag can then be wheeled easily to your vehicle in one effortless trip.
Durability and Reliability
We’ve already talked a little bit about durability, but it’s worth stressing if you’re looking for tote bags for wedding planning. Having a bag strap break in the middle of the grocery store is embarrassing enough. If you’ve settled for a second-rate design for wedding planning assignments, there’s a chance your tote can bite the bullet in the middle of a venue at the worst possible time. A good wedding planner needs to be ready to go at all times and able to zip from one side of the venue to another in moments. If your tote ends up out of action, you’ll need to work extra hard to carry out the simplest of fixes.
With the Hulken, you have an incredibly reliable tote that will take all of the effort out of coordinating a memorable day for your clients, while still being a minimalistic tote bag. Made from industrial materials, the Hulken is designed for heavy loads and will retain its shape, even after repeated use. Those swivel wheels? They're made from stainless steel, one of the most resilient alloys around, ensuring your tote will be schlepping from A to B smoothly for a long time.
It can also double up as a shopping bag on wheels, travel bag with wheels and handles, and foldable laundry bag.
The Hulken Bag: The Perfect Choice for Any Wedding Planner
Are you making your first forays into the world of wedding planning? Perhaps you’re an old hat when it comes to event planning and need to upgrade your current tote to something more reliable. With its generous capacity, travel-friendly design, and effortless elegance, the Hulken is the ideal choice for any wedding planner looking to make their life easier.
What's more it's also Chrissy Teigan's tote of choice, the go-to makeup artist bag, the bag home organizers are raving about, and every mother's best friend.
Discover the full range online at the Hulken website. Alternatively, head to Hulken’s Amazon store to select your next event-planning staple.
