Meet “Betty”, the Emergency Kit Bag for Wedding Planners – plus a free download
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, you will not pay a penny more, but I’ll receive a small commission. I would recommend these products regardless of the commission.
You might have that friend that always has everything you need for any occasion.
If you drop something on your shirt, they’ve got a stain stick. If you get a papercut, they have a band-aid. Worried about a post-lunch meeting? They’ve got a breath mint at the ready.
You love and appreciate that level of preparation.
That level of having your back is invaluable.
And on your wedding day, you deserve to have that level of preparedness to help make sure that your day runs smoothly.
For a wedding planner, being prepared means having a well-stocked emergency kit with anything you might need. And it is so important to your wedding day running smoothly that the emergency kit becomes a vital part of the team.
What is an emergency kit bag?
An emergency kit bag is a bag for wedding planners with almost everything and anything you could possibly need on a wedding day. There is usually a moment where you might need just one “little thing” to help – a safety pin to fix a strap, or even just a piece of tape to hold something in place. My emergency kit bag is fully stocked with all the things we could need – from the big to small, expected (extra safety pins and band-aids) to the more bizarre (zip ties and chafing powder).
My trusty emergency kit is included with every service I offer and is always there on a wedding day. It is filled with items constantly at the ready so we can fix a bustle, light a missed votive candle with ease, or re-pin a boutonniere. (I even fixed the soles of three different broken shoes once with the tools in my kit.)
Meet Betty
Throughout the years and after hundreds of weddings, the DPNAK kit has gone through many renditions. I’ve tried backpacks, luggage pieces, organizers, and more. Nothing has come close to working as well as my latest solution.
This updated emergency kit is my favorite version to date. It has lovingly been named Betty and she’s our true MVP.
Betty is like that magic bag filled with solutions carried by a certain fictional British nanny, but on wheels so that she can get around easily.
A regular bag and suitcase just haven’t made the cut because they were either too heavy, too bulky, or just not easy to organize.
Where Betty shines is that she is actually a cosmetics bag on wheels - perfect for makeup artists. And after some customizations, she’s perfect for wedding planners too.
Everything is accessible with ease. The front zips down to reveal drawers that slide open to hold plenty of useful items.
She’s got a minimal exterior so she can tuck away into the corner and hide from the limelight unless you need one of her supplies. And she’s short enough to still fit under most tables. (I know I’m not the only one stashing things under tables when the venue doesn’t have many storage options, right?)
What’s Included In The Wedding Planner Emergency Kit Bag
Betty, my wedding day emergency kit bag, is stocked with plenty of tried-and-true items covering personal needs, tech stuff, several tools, many varieties of adhesives, and even some batteries.
The drawers stacked inside of Betty carry some of our most frequently used emergency kit items. These items include the following:
Safety pins
Band aids
Scissors
Floral tape
Batteries
Charging cables
Stain remover stick
Menstrual products
Hair spray
Fashion Tape
Lighters
Walkie talkies
And much, much (much) more
If you’re a wedding planner who would love to take a peek at the full list of what’s inside my emergency kit (or just feeling a little curious), you can grab it here or click the button below.
You’ll get an extensive list complete with links to purchase everything you’ll need to make your own “Betty” - including Betty herself!
How I’ve Customized The Kit
I love Betty, and she’s by far my favorite wedding planner’s emergency kit to date. To gain her true MVP status on the DPNAK team, I’ve customized a few things to help this kit work better for us.
Small Containers
To make it easy to organize and contain small items, I opted for small plastic organizers.
These fit perfectly in the clear side pocket which I use for safety pins, bobby pins, and my sewing kit.
I also added Velcro to the back of one to easily stick on Betty’s lid that I use for First Aid items.
While Betty already came with several drawers, these additional compact plastic organizers make it easy (and fast) for any team member to grab the box they need, and take it to where it is needed.
Velcro
Velcro has been a gamechanger for functionality.
As I mentioned above, I added Velcro to the back of one of the plastic organizers to store on Betty’s lid. Mine came with some other clear zipper compartments that already had Velcro, so it’s the perfect addition and so easy to customize.
The front zipper area is also a great quick grab area. But when you’re moving quickly during a fast-paced wedding day, I didn’t want to deal with having to zip and unzip the flap. So I added a big velcro spot to the front so that the pocket can be opened and shut faster while on the go.
Labels
To keep the emergency kit organized, and to help everyone on the team find what they need, I used my label maker to add labels to every drawer and zipper pocket.
This is extremely helpful when assessing Betty after a wedding, or before an event. And it helps my team be more independent with what they need too.
Upgraded shoulder strap
A well-stocked emergency kit like Betty is HEAVY. And after just a few events, it was clear that the strap that Betty came with wasn’t quite holding up to the weight.
So I opted to upgrade the shoulder strap to a heavier-duty style.
Even though Betty has wheels and that’s her preferred method of getting around, sometimes she just needs a lift and it’s so much easier to do this with a heavier duty strap. Kind of like a great bra.
Want to explore more?
If you’re curious about how Betty looks in action, here’s a video of how she looks packed.
And a closer look at my customizations to make Betty the perfect wedding planner emergency kit.
If you’re a wedding planner who would love to take a peek at the full list of what’s inside my emergency kit, feel free to grab it here. You’ll get an extensive list complete with links to purchase everything you’ll need to make your own “Betty” - including Betty herself!
This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, you will not pay a penny more, but I’ll receive a small commission. I would recommend these products regardless of the commission.
