Wedding day bag and emergency kit

36 small things that save the day when a hook breaks, a shoe bites or a phone dies. Pack the bag two days before and give it to one calm person to carry.

For clothes

Safety pins in two sizes
Needle and thread in the colours of the outfits
Extra blouse hooks and buttons
Double-sided tape
A small pair of scissors
Spare dupatta pins and hair pins
A stain-removing wipe or a little talcum powder for oil stains

For the face and hair

For comfort

Water bottle with a straw
Dry snacks: nuts, biscuits, a chocolate
Flat sandals to change into
Band-aids for shoe bites
Your usual medicines for headache, acidity or allergy, as advised by your doctor
Sanitary pads
Hand sanitiser and wet wipes
A shawl if the night will be cold

Papers and money

Identity cards of bride and groom
Papers for the marriage registration, if it happens the same day
Envelopes with vendor balances, with names written on them
Small notes for tips and rituals
A list of important phone numbers on paper

Phones and power

Phone charger and power bank
Extension cord for the room
Earphones
The playlist saved for offline use

For the rituals

Rings
Garlands, or the phone number of the person bringing them
Items the priest asked for, checked against the list
A handkerchief
Spare envelopes and a pen

Who carries it

Not the bride and not the groom. Choose a sister, a cousin or a friend who will stay close all day, and tell the couple and the parents who that person is. A second small pouch with pins, tissues and lipstick can stay in the bride's room.

One bag for each side

The groom's side needs its own, smaller kit: safety pins for the sehra and the stole, a spare kurta button, tissues, a comb, a charger and the envelopes for the rituals.