Welcome to the second installment in this series of items that can easily get overlooked on wedding days! (Or pushed until the last second & then something inevitably gets left behind!)

If you missed the first article, be sure to jump over here to read about how to prep your dress & veil.

1. Prepping Your Wedding Dress & Veil
2. Pack an Overnight Bag
3. Pack an Emergency Kit
4. Pack Your Jewelry & Special Accessories Bag
5. Pack a Complete Invitation Suite

When I'm lounging at home, I can wear one outfit all week. But when I go on vacation, I'm probably going to change clothes at least 3 times a day, so I better pack 32 outfits for 4 days.

Sounds about right to me!

I'm a firm believer in over packing, & I think most girls are with me on this, so this blog post may be a bit unnecessary. Basically, pack as if you are spending the night in a hotel even if you aren’t. You'll be glad you did.

In my next post, I go in detail over several items that usually get overlooked but come in handy on wedding days.

If you're the bride or groom, your overnight bag for your wedding weekend should not be the same thing as your honeymoon suitcase!

When packing for your wedding day, only pack things you'll need the night before & the day of your wedding. If you're going to the tropics for your honeymoon, you don't need to be digging through 7 bikinis & 3 floppy hats to find your wedding jewelry. That just adds clutter to the chaos.

Your honeymoon bag can sometimes be packed a few days or weeks in advance. If you're going somewhere with a vastly different temperature, chances are most of the clothes you'll pack won't be things you need the week of the wedding.

Anything you can do early that doesn't have to be done the week of the wedding will help alleviate unnecessary stress.

pack backups

When I say "backup", I don't mean "one." I mean a "spare." Plan on someone leaving something at home. It always happens.

Even though you're having a professional do your hair & makeup, pack your makeup, a hairbrush, & curling iron. You never know when your pro has to cancel or is late due to a medical emergency or a pileup on the interstate. I once had a pro fail to show up for the bridal session hair & makeup, & the bride & I had to make do with what we had. (She still looked stunning!)

Even though you already have your special blue lacy underthings to wear, pack a back up or two. You just never know.

Pack a pair of socks. Because it might be freezing. If your wedding shoes are cowboy boots, definitely make sure you have those socks!

If you're flying to a wedding, pack your most essential essentials in your carry-on (following the 3oz rule of course. We don't need you arrested on top of showing up with nothing.)

I recently went to Portugal, but my suitcase decided to take a trip of its own & didn't show up to our hotel until LITERALLY two hours before we headed back to the airport 6 days later. (I really wish I had had a GoPro on it to figure out where all it went.) Thankfully, I overpacked my carry-on & had a few extra outfits & most of my toiletries with me.

bonus tip for the bride & groom

If anything in your overnight bags needs to be transferred to your honeymoon bag (like your toothbrush or prescription meds), it wouldn't hurt to make a physical list ahead of time & hand it off to your maid of honor to make sure those items get moved!