All-In Wedding Photography

What’s in My Kit (Not Camera Gear)

• Alex Stead • Season 1 • Episode 15

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0:00 | 15:43

The essentials of a comprehensive wedding day emergency kit beyond standard photography equipment, sharing our list of items that help us  handle unexpected situations with grace and professionalism.

Send us a message on Instagram to share what's in your wedding day emergency kit - we'd love to hear what items you consider essential!


Introduction to Non-Photography Wedding Essentials

Speaker 1

we are going to talk about what I take on a wedding day that is not photography related. Why would you take anything that's not photography related on a wedding day? Because shit happens, and oftentimes you are the only one there who knows how to deal with stuff, because being prepared never hurts. Being prepared never hurts. You were a girl guide, can you tell? So here's what's in my kit.

Speaker 2

This should be a. Oh my God, wait, this is a. This is funny. Okay, let's hear it. Okay, our goddaughter, yes, eleanor, yes, is in girl guides, yes, and she thinks of my gender in a very beautifully abstract way.

Speaker 1

God love her. She's a child.

Speaker 2

Yeah well, lover, she's a child. She yeah, well, she's our goddaughter. Yeah, she's in girl guides. Yeah, she's a child. Yeah, um, she came home from her sparks graduation, I think, so yeah, with like all her badges and certificate, and I was like, oh my gosh, ellie, like congrats, you know, I did girl guides. I did it all the way to the top, I got my canada cord even, and she said, don't be silly, girl guides is for girls. And I was like, yeah, like I was a girl, I definitely was a girl. The beautiful thing is, and it just made her. She was just so annoyed it makes her so bad well, she thinks I'm, she thinks I'm teasing.

Emergency Kit Essentials

Speaker 2

Yeah, and I do want to connect with her on the things that I did as a child, that she's doing now as a child. She'll like she's very close to figuring it out, I think she's. She'll get there she'll get there the three genders being big alex, little alex right and yeah yeah she'll, she'll win, she's not wrong.

Speaker 1

She's not wrong. If anything, it's very validating. I'm sure it's the most correct. Yeah, okay. So emergency kit girl guide. Um, here's what is in mine and ran. I'd like to hear what's in yours after. So I typically carry mine in just like a little tiny sack. It's very small. Um, I have straight pins for boot and errors. I don't usually send enough, so sometimes it's nice to just be able to grab an extra one to fix the boot and errors. If they're like floppy.

Speaker 1

Um, body tape for dresses, little mishaps sort of vibes yeah, sometimes you just need to like keep a strap in place, right? Band-aids often these are just because the heels are too tight and it's always so sad, but it's usually for ankles, yeah, but sometimes like you never know what's gonna happen, like someone will like cut their finger on like the sharp foil wrapping of a bottle of champagne, you know like, yeah, just random things happen. So having band-aids is always nice. Um, more um specific, a crochet hook for button dresses. Um, I can never manage to keep a crochet hook in my pack because they always go missing, so I need to just buy 10 and keep them in my truck, I think. But they are so handy for doing up a dress with a lot of buttons because you can just hook the loop around the button super handy. Um, people love it. When you pull it out they're like, oh, that's so smart it's just a good way to be like hey, I'm so prepared, look, I got you um.

Food and Drink for Wedding Day Survival

Speaker 1

And on that note, I always try to keep like a little snack bag that is for me but also I can share with my clients. That just has like a bunch of granola bars or like basic snacks yeah, like school lunch style snacks. Yeah, water bottles. What I'll typically do is just buy like a big case of cheap regular water bottles at like Costco and keep them in my truck. I know microplastics, whatever. If you are thirsty on your wedding day, you don't care if it's warm water from the back of a truck. No, it is water. Yeah, so like they'll have their own oftentimes. But if they don't, being like do you just want to grab a bottle and they're like yes, or like be able to hand it to like you know the bride's dad, who's like really flustered and obviously sweating. Yeah, um, it's really nice to be able to just offer that um. On the same note, we always try to keep like red bull, pepsi or some sort of caffeine.

Speaker 1

For the same reason, if you can tell that the couple is like starting to dip or he's a little sugar boost, I find the a red bull is so nice and people love getting a red bull, and we will keep those on ice like the, like juicy the, the red bulls that aren't red bull flavor, they're like watermelon and stuff they fly out of the cooler yeah, so we'll usually buy like a 12 pack, or is it 12 pack?

Speaker 1

three, four packs or whatever it is. Yeah, and we'll take like three or four on a wedding day in a cooler with an ice pack, and so then it's like you've got like a diet coke, a red bull, a water, a water that are cool, and then if you need extras, you've got that pack of water in the back yeah, and then for snacks, I find the bueno bars also, yeah, and the welches yeah, it's all just from like walmart or oh my gosh, it's not fancy.

Speaker 2

I just find those are the like. Nobody wants to be chewing on a cliff bar for like 10 minutes, right or like they don't want like cheesies no, yeah, yeah you're right.

Speaker 1

Like welches? Like a quick sugar rush or like a really easy granola bar?

Speaker 2

Yeah, are often the ones that people grab Like literally like plain saltine crackers at a Red Bull is what I find people grab.

Speaker 1

Yeah, true enough, like literally, it's salt sugar caffeine.

Speaker 2

There's also like a bit of nerves.

Speaker 1

I find like the yeah you know, and that's also why I think the red bull flavor kind of turns people off or is like it's a juice but there's caffeine. Yeah, yeah, all right, I see that you've added. Yeah, let's hear what you add on top of that.

Speaker 2

Uh I I always have um like a shocking amount of pens do.

Speaker 1

Yeah, well, it makes sense for you. I don't need a pen, you need a pen, and people ask me for pens. Yeah, it's expected that you have pens. It sure is if you're just joining in for the first time. Um, I'm Alex, I'm a wedding photographer and Wren is an officiant.

Speaker 2

I am an officiant and we often work together.

Speaker 1

Uh, yeah as an officiant and photographer.

Speaker 2

So pens a lint roller. People always want a lint roller, oh my.

Speaker 1

God, that's really smart. I should definitely add that to my kit. You should definitely have a lint roller. That's a good one.

Speaker 2

Yeah, tissues, mm-hmm. I keep the mini packs and I get the nice ones.

Officiant-Specific Items and Cash Tips

Speaker 1

Actually, on that note, lint roller and tissues. I should also like um a makeup remover wipe, because one thing that I often see with grooms is when he's hugging people, makeup will end up on his collar, yes, and I'll be like rubbing it, but a little makeup remover wipe would be perfect a very gentle one for his yeah I should add that too. Okay, yeah this is just our list now of things we're going to add to our kids yeah, honestly we're doing, we're just having an egg or tenner here, oh my gosh, they could totally sit in on an egg or tenner.

Speaker 2

That would be great On umbrella. I don't go ham, I'm not having so many, I'm having one and it's for the bride.

Speaker 1

Yeah, or maybe you know nanny poppy, I end up like crochet hooks and umbrellas.

Speaker 2

I cannot seem to keep that's why I can't have like 10 in the car, because if I hand out 10, I'm out 10. Umbrella I used to buy 10 at a time. Yeah, and within a month they're all gone. Yeah, yeah. And umbrellas don't last.

Speaker 1

In newfoundland I think like if I had like one good umbrella that I really cared about, I would make sure I kept tabs on it. But like it's hard, I'm like she got a run from my car to the venue. Yeah, she needs an umbrella. I'm not going to be the one to be like actually. No, you need to get your hair wet, you need to.

Speaker 2

Yeah, okay, so on umbrella. Yeah, I also added our cooler with drinks and snacks and water bottles like a big bunch in the back. Cash, oh, I love having cash. You love having cash because a lot of the time if they're going in for some photos somewhere, like people don't have their wallets in their wedding.

Speaker 1

Which is, I know people don't think about it. We're like, oh, let's stop into like your favorite bar to grab a drink or your favorite coffee shop while you're taking photos. And they're like, oh my God, it's amazing, no one has a wallet, the phone. So having like 20 bucks like buy them a drink, it's like no big deal.

Speaker 2

The phone has made a bit of a difference because yeah keep their phones on them and you can pay with your phone a lot yeah, that is definitely like, I think, like, compared to like, even just two years ago yeah, even last summer, I remember and sometimes you just pay cash as a tip if, like you know, I think there's a couple times last summer like here's 20 or 40 bucks if they can like, pour beer behind the bar for a photo.

Speaker 1

Yes, very easy to buy $20 goes a long way.

Speaker 2

$20 goes a long way and I do think it's the appreciation Totally.

Speaker 1

Obviously, yeah, I love being able to like tip a bartender.

Speaker 2

Yeah, just being like thanks so much for this If we're just going in for a quick photo, especially I keep floss and mints and I'm pretty ruthless if I have either like and you should be too, as a photographer If somebody's got something in their teeth. And you should be too as a photographer If somebody's got something in their teeth, now is not the time to be like timid about it. I'm like you have something in your teeth and I can fix that. Yep, Because, like, what are you going to do?

Speaker 1

Hope they notice.

Speaker 2

Oh, that would be also good as a mirror.

Speaker 1

Oh yeah, but a lot of cars have mirrors, yeah, and phones have cameras.

Speaker 2

Okay, well, and I keep a speaker on me. Again, that is a thing that's an officiant specific for sure. Officiant specific. You can get those small clip on ones. Sometimes it's really nice if you're. I think that music just like is such a just so good for the vibe if you're just out with a couple and we're together a lot when I have the speaker and they're like having a picnic and I can just lay the speaker down and I'm like, hey, do you guys have a favorite artist?

Speaker 1

That is true, or occasionally when I'm taking photos, and so the thing is like I don't like playing music when it's like a place where there's a lot of people or it's like a busy trail. But if it's like we have the place to ourselves and it's clear that like we're the only ones there being like what's your wedding song? Do you want to like practice it, that can be a really nice prompt for really beautiful photos and also just a really beautiful memory. Yeah, and couples really like that, I find, because they're like actually, yeah, we'd love to practice our wedding like in the dress and the outfit.

Speaker 1

Make sure it all works out well and then you get the most beautiful photos. I personally think that some snacks, a favorite drink and music can make any moment in scenery feel like you're having a beautiful experience yeah, or also like what you do is you actually will play their their first dance, like they'll have their first dance during the elopement yes, absolutely the way ryan does um ceremonies I think is really beautiful. Often is the ceremony and then we'll end with a song for a first dance.

Music and First Dance Moments

Speaker 2

So the first kiss flows into the first dance, because a lot of the elopements we do, they're not going to have a reception with the first dance. Yeah, so what's really nice and really natural, and I love it.

Speaker 1

It's so nice, it's really sweet, it's one of my favorite parts of the ceremony and it makes for beautiful photos.

Speaker 2

It makes a beautiful experience. So I basically say, like you may now kiss, and then I step aside, I hit play on a prepared speaker and I just leave them to have this moment, which is, you know, a lot of the time. The moment after, like immediately after, you've kissed, it becomes chaos. Yeah, and I like doing the opposite. I like saying let's make this like so relaxing.

Speaker 1

Yeah, and it's. It is really relaxing, it's really nice and it allows, I think them to genuinely take the time to like soak in the moment.

Speaker 2

Soak in the moment. Shake off the nerves, come back to their person who is, you know, that's who they're there for, is to like laid back with, and music just shakes it. Just everybody shakes off any any funny nerves. I think yeah, yeah, so that's everything in my kit. I'm big on tissues, lint rollers, pens, uh, water bottles, mints, cash speaker uh, those are things that I just keep in abundance. Want to hear a funny story. Those are things that I just keep in abundance. Want to hear a funny story.

Speaker 1

Yeah, I did a wedding once where I was pretty sick, like I was nauseous at the wedding, and so I brought some saltines with me to, like you know, hopefully keep something down. I was like I'm not going to cancel a wedding because I'm nauseous. That's wild. I'm going to go. And I think I was doing a pretty good job of hiding it and so I was just like eating saltines while we were getting ready for the next shot and the couple had brought a dog with them and they were like, oh good, you brought crackers for the dog. I was like I sure did. Yep, that's, it's for the dog god love also dog treats.

Final Tips and Funny Stories

Speaker 1

Dog treats honestly like like you can go as intense or as simple with this. I think anytime that you can just offer a little something extra is always nice and is always appreciated and noticed.

Speaker 2

This is a great and it makes my day go smoother. This is a great big list that you can just customize to each time. Great big list that you can just customize to each time. Like, if I'm going somewhere where the getting ready suite is like in the same location as ceremony, they probably don't need all these items. Yeah, they have themselves. I think we can carry a lot of items because we find ourselves in very remote places, on cliff sides, and if it's not in our bag, they're not getting it. Yeah, and some couples bring this themselves. Yeah, totally. Yeah. Oh, my god, like a corkscrew, I see you like this is a corkscrew bottle opener.

Speaker 1

Yeah, that's honestly really common lighter I.

Speaker 2

I mean, listen, I'm not getting between I'm. I'm not getting between me and alex needing a cigarette. I don't need a cigarette, I'm kidding but it grooms it in yeah corkscrew bottle opener now I'm just making a list but a lighter, often for the late night ones, because you'll like the sparklers, the sparklers oh my god, the sparklers and not having a lighter is classic.

Speaker 1

So classic because the couple's like lighter or no. They're like we're going to pick up sparklers to do a cool sparkler photo, but they don't think to pick up a lighter, and the amount of times where it's happened actually like so many times like four lighters and I end up going back to the reception and looking around and be like which of these uncles looks? Like he smokes, literally, and I like tap people show. He was like do you have a lighter on you by any chance? And they're like what is this skeet photographer doing?

Speaker 2

like literally yes, yeah, you're like outside in the like smokers section and you're just waiting for somebody to join you. Um, yeah, a lighter also for the candles, because sometimes you have the kerosene. Is that what they are? What are they?

Speaker 1

oh yeah, they're like sometimes you have a lantern for a certain shot that you do.

Speaker 1

It's very uh old timey lighthouse keeper it comes out beautiful yeah, oh, sometimes and I should do this again a spare outfit once I'm way to a wedding and as I was getting out of the car, I spilled my coffee all over myself and all I had in my car was like a spaghetti strap crop tank top and jeans with holes in them. No, you didn't. This was back when I dressed like that right, and I had to be like so I'm gonna get changed into this, nobody make fun of me. And I had to like start like just texting my friends, being like can somebody bring me a plate? Like a black dress?

Speaker 2

who has a black dress. I can meet me in kitty video a black t-shirt and black pants from walmart. That's what I keep in the car now in a bag. Yeah, I can meet me and kitty bitty with a black t-shirt and black pants from walmart that's what I keep in the car now in a bag, yeah, I'm gonna end this one with I want to know what's missing from our list.

Speaker 1

What do you have in your list that would surprise us? Is anything here you're gonna add to yours? Send me a message on instagram. I want to hear all right.

Speaker 2

So currently you're listening as alex in day. What are you'll be day like 10? Probably. Yeah, Hope that you are enjoying your trip.