Today I’m sharing my wedding day emergency kit! Everything pictured below is stuffed into a huge duffel bag (the cute striped one below ;)) with the exception of my clear umbrella and tripod. Some of this stuff I already had at home, but this past summer, I decided to think of everything I could possibly need on a wedding day, wrote it down on a list (I’m a list person…), and went to the store and bought everything I didn’t have. And voila! My emergency kit was born!
Here’s a list of everything I include:
- Clear umbrella
- Tripod (for those awesome bride & groom sparkler shots)
- Extra outfit
- Rain jacket
- Rain boots
- Cardigan (depending on the time of year, I might also have a thicker blazer or winter jacket)
- Flip flops or sandals
- Thin gloves
- Sewing kit
- Sunscreen
- Bug spray
- Wet wipes
- Tide to-go
- Deodorant
- Tape
- Rubber bands
- Phone Charger with car outlet
- Concealer
- Clif bars
- Lighter (great for lighting candles at reception tables)
- Tissues
- Lint roller
- Band-aids
- Lotion
- Bobby pins
- Hairbands
- Hair spray
- Hair brush
- Pen/pencils
Not pictured above:
- Business cards
- Plastic camera bags & tarp (pictured below)
- Feminine products (cause you never know…)
- My soft box for my flash
- Extra food
- Extra flash bracket + tons of batteries (pictured below)
Some of it might seem a little overkill…. but I have used almost every single thing on the list at some point. And the way I think of it, is it’s only every couple’s wedding day ONE time… and if I can bring something that will make everything run more smoothly, I most definitely will! :)
Not picture above but below are some items I’ll use for rainy days. I have plastic bags that are made to go over my camera & a huge clear tarp I can put on the ground for the couple to stand on. I also carry tons of extra batteries and an extra flash bracket for my flash. :)
[…] My whole set up costed me $350 (two flashes, flash triggers, light stand, and flash bracket), which isn’t bad considering ONE camera flash from Canon/Nikon costs as much as that! The Yongnuo flashes are very reliable and work great! The only other thing you’ll need is a lot of batteries. :) Each flash takes four and each trigger takes two. I replace them every 1-2 weddings. You can also buy rechargeable batteries, but I’ve heard good and bad things about them! Just make sure to do your research before investing in a lot. Hope this gives you some insight on how to rock reception photos! I definitely don’t know everything there is to know about flash, but I hope this is a good starting guide for anyone starting out in it like I am! :) Feel free to reach out if you have any questions! If you found this helpful, check out another post from my For Photographer’s series: How to be an Awesome Second Shooter What’s in my Wedding Details Bag Wedding Day Emergency kit […]
How do you carry all this?? Does it all just fit in the little nooks and pockets of your camera bag, or do you keep the bigger stuff (umbrella, boots, etc) in your car, or what?
I carry some of it in my side camera bag/Think Tank roller bag, but most of it I leave in the car! It’s not really worth much to worry about, but it gives me some extra things as a back-up! I have a big black bag I throw all of this stuff in then leave in the car! :) Hope that helps!