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A Planner’s Best Friend: What To Pack In Your Kit Bag

‘Always be prepared’ is famed as the motto of the Scouts, but it’s just as relevant for us as wedding planners. After months of careful planning and meticulous organisation, you need to make sure that you’re ready for any eventuality on the day itself. As well as bringing your trusty timelines, spreadsheets and schedules with you, the absolute must-have accessory for any planner is a well-stocked kit bag.

From scissors and sellotape, to plasters, paracetamol, pens, pins and more; we absolutely guarantee that your kit bag will be required at every single wedding you attend, no matter how seemingly simple the setup.

Ready for Anything

A rucksack or holdall will do the job, but to really step it up a gear, take a leaf out of Andri Benson’s book. Andri is the creative force behind Always Andri, and her organisation is second to none. We were hugely impressed when she arrived at November’s Planning Redefined event toting an enormous make-up trolley. (So impressed, in fact, that I have since followed suit and purchased one for my own on-the-day kit!).

We had a chat with Andri about her top tips and must-haves for a superlative styling and planning kit bag.

Why The Make-Up Trolley?

First off, it’s massive! But it’s portable too, and it’s on wheels so it doesn’t get too heavy and unwieldy. The key plus points about it are its versatility, and the fact that it allows me to categorise my kit. The top compartment separates off and opens out, and there are lots of little drawers in the bottom compartment. I keep things split into categories so I can always find what I need quickly, without having to rummage around for ages.

Talk To Us About These Categories

This is a real top tip! Break down your kit into categories, either for the parts of the day in which they’re likely to be used, or else for separate ‘themes’ for the wedding. So, for example, I have a ‘toiletries’ category with things like plasters, painkillers, a mini sewing kit, perfume etc in it. This is always in my top compartment and I can often separate this off and leave it in the room where the bridal party are getting ready. I have a ‘DIY’ category, which has bigger items like a hammer (no, really), and an extension lead, plus more regular bits and bobs like safety pins, lighters and cable ties. A ‘styling’ category includes gold and silver pens, back up place cards, ribbons in the couple’s colour scheme etc. I also have a variety of different fasteners for all eventualities – sellotape, duct tape, floral tape… you get the picture!

What Are The Five Kit-Bag Items That Every Planner Should Carry With Them?

Limiting this to five is going to be hard, and I would recommend that no-one strips their kit down quite this much, but if you’re in a pinch and very limited with resources then here are my total essentials:

1: Scissors – hands down THE most useful tool in your arsenal.

2: A lighter. Not a little cigarette lighter, a proper long-handled one that will make lighting and re-lighting candles a breeze.

3: Safety pins. So many uses for these! And they won’t take up too much space, either.

4: A soft cloth for wiping things and removing stains. You would be surprised how often one of these is needed throughout the day.

5: A nice pen

I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep it to five! A lint roller is another essential for me – brilliant not just for getting fluff off suits and dresses, but also for picking bits off tablecloths.

Any Other Kit-Bag Advice?

Other than ‘be prepared for pretty much anything’, my biggest bit of advice would be to keep track of your stock and replenish your kit after every wedding. It’s all very well having the most extensive selection of kit, beautifully categorised and organised, but if you open your kirby grip drawer and there are none in there… you’re in trouble!

Thanks so much Andri. If you’re a new wedding planner looking for more brilliantly practical advice and top tips covering everything from kit to client proposals, pricing, styling and more, check out our programme of workshops or 1:1 mentoring sessions. We’re here to help with engaging training for the truly modern wedding planner, so get in touch and let’s see how we can move your business forward.

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