You’ve got the dress, the shoes, the jewelry, the flowers. Your hair is done, your makeup is perfect, you have thought of every last detail, and now you are ready to go. But wait! Here are 5 items many brides forget to have on hand for their big day.

1. Emergency Kit. It never hurts to have on hand a few emergency items for that inevitable moment when something goes wrong: a sewing kit, band-aids, hairspray, bobby pins, clear nail polish, breath mints. Put these seemingly random items in a small bag and hand them off to your bridal party or wedding coordinator for those just-in-case moments. Pro Tip: Your wedding coordinator should carry their own emergency kit that you can use!
2. Contact List. Make a cheat sheet with every vendor’s phone number and every bridal party member’s number. Slip a copy in your purse, your groom’s pocket, and give one to your personal attendant. As a bride, you are very unlikely to have your phone handy if you need to call someone, so having the list quickly available so you can hand it off to someone else to take care of can be helpful. Pro Tip: Your wedding coordinator should have her own copy, saving you the time of having to put one together.
3. Comfortable Shoes. I know those beautiful heels look amazing, and you can tell yourself all you want that you will wear them all night because you spent two or three hours breaking them in…but by the time dancing starts, you’ll want some comfortable shoes to slip into. You’re on your feet all day long – your dogs will be begging for those slip-ons at the end of the night. Pro Tip: Put a basket of flip flops near the dance floor so ALL the ladies can dance in comfortable shoes!
4. Marriage License. You can do all the planning in the world for this perfect day, but it won’t be legal until you have that little piece of paper from the government signed, sealed, and delivered. There are specific rules for each county, so be sure to look yours up ahead of time and know what to expect. Then – don’t forget to bring it the day of the wedding, because you need to have it signed by the officiant and your witnesses. Pro Tip: Ask your officiant or wedding coordinator to hold onto it for you! You can hand it off at the rehearsal and not worry about it on the big day.
5. Overnight Bag. All the details and planning have been focused on the big day, but after everything is said and done, you are probably staying at a hotel with your new husband. So unless you want to wear your wedding dress to brunch the next day, remember to pack a bag for yourself for that evening and the next day, and you’ll probably want to remind your groom to do the same. Pro Tip: Your dress bag should make its way to the hotel too, so you have a way to get your dress home the next day!

Kelly McDonald is an Event & Wedding Designer/Coordinator with Timeless Events. They plan and coordinate fabulous weddings and events of all sizes and budgets. Their custom-priced, affordable packages make them the number one choice for full service wedding planning, day-of coordination, destination weddings, and set up/take down.