We all know that there will often be something go wrong on your wedding day. Thankfully, it is usually a minor occurrence that most people will not even be aware of on the day, and also easily fixed with the right tools. From our experiences over the years we have built up an emergency kit which goes to every single wedding with us, and even now we still add to it.

1. Back-up equipment.

Long before we started photographing weddings. On holiday one year taking pictures and making memories. Noels' camera just stopped working properly, no warning, it just stopped. The rest of the holiday we just had Helens' camera, which meant although we did not lose pictures, we did not have them from both perspectives, our styles can be totally different at times. Luckily for us, it was just a shutter problem, which was inexpensive to fix, but did mean sending the camera away for two weeks. There is no way in the middle of a wedding we could turn round and ask everyone to just hold on for a couple of weeks whilst we get a camera repaired to then continue photographing the wedding. This is just one of the reasons we now carry two cameras each, along with multiple lenses, memory cards and speedlights, to name a few.

2. Safety Pins.

Buttonhole pins breaking is just one reason for this item. One wedding, the bride arrived at the church, emerged from the car in her gorgeous white dress, brushed against the car only to find it was dirty and left black marks all down her dress. Most brides would have gone into total meltdown, but we were exceptionally lucky with our bride who remained calm and composed about the whole thing. With some clever use of safety pins, it was possible to pin the dress in such a way as to hide any marks, and all the guests saw was the bride in her pristine white dress walk down the aisle on her fathers' arm.

3. Glue.

So invaluable and versatile. Part of the flower girls tiara had broken off during transportation to the venue for preparations. One little flower girl in floods of tears......a little bit of superglue and patience, and tears turned to laughter. Think this will never happen to you ? Even our very own Queen Elizabeth suffered a tiara problem on her wedding day, the antique metal frame snapped whilst the hairdresser was securing the veil, luckily for her the court jeweller was on standby in case of any unforeseen problems.

4. Florists Tape.

Buttonholes are often fiddly or awkward to pin in place, but also delicate. It is not unknown for the stem to break away from the flower. With a little tape this problem is soon remedied, and since our tape is green florists tape, nobody notices any difference, apart from maybe the florist themselves.

5. Scissors.

We have lost count of the number of weddings these have been used at, and the reasons are varied and many. A grooms suit that still has the little crosses sewn in at the back to hold the shape. Labels in dresses that have come straight from the dressmaker and been kept safely hung up and protected until the day. Usually the little crosses on the grooms suit go happily unnoticed until he arrives at the church. There follows a mad panic amongst the groomsmen and guests to find a pair of scissors, which we are always happy to supply.

6. Tweezers.

At a recent wedding, one of the young groomsmen was stung by a bee. Our tweezers were needed to remove the sting, and thankfully the patient was not allergic. His hand was a little sore and swollen, but he was much more comfortable without the stinger in place.

7. Chocolate bars, snacks and juice.

Brides and grooms are more often than not nervous on their big day and don't feel like eating at all before the ceremony. We recommend to all our couples to try and have something to eat during the morning, even if it involves snacking on their favourite cereal dry. Inevitably though there will always be some who could not face anything all morning, except from a glass of bubbly or two. By the time the ceremony is over, there is usually a long gap before they sit down to eat, but our bride or groom is already feeling light-headed. Our chocolate bars, snacks or fruit juice have revived many a bride or groom with that little boost they need to get through to the meal.

8. Confetti.

Our very first paid wedding. The confetti was nestled in miniature galvanized buckets for after the ceremony. The younger guests got hold of it ahead of time and had a wonderful time playing together. Sadly this meant there were only a few petals left for any sort of photograph. We now always carry a few boxes of confetti on the day (bio-degradable of course) if the venue allows it.

9. Bubble Wands.

Especially when a venue does not allow confetti, bubbles make a great alternative. Many couples opt for the tiny champagne bottles of bubbles as favours. Whilst these are great, they often don't last long. Our bubble wands ensure we get some lovely images for the happy couple. They also help keep children occupied, especially if they are roped in to help blow bubbles for the photographs.

10. Crochet Hook.

Have you seen how small the buttons are on the back of a wedding dress that you have to get those loops over to fasten it securely ? Almost impossible to achieve with just your hands. A crochet hook is the perfect tool for this job.

This is only a small glimpse into our emergency kit, which still grows all the time. We are ever thankful for the experiences we have had and are still having to help put this together and update it in the future.

If you would like to chat about booking us for your wedding photography.....