When your wedding day finally arrives, everything needs to fall into place – your hair is perfectly styled, your makeup is beautifully done, and your aunties have pinched and prodded you into your fabulous outfit. You’re ready, but what if you need a touch-up here and there?
If your wedding is outdoors, you might want to keep some products on hand to fight away sweat dripping down your makeup. Accidents such as a ripped seam or a flyaway dupatta can be quickly remedied, but only if you’ve got the right materials on hand.
Naturally, a bride should be focused on her wedding events and not worried about carrying emergency kits around. So, this is for the bridesmaid, maid of honor, or just a good friend of the bride, to help make sure that you have these essential bridal products nearby to freshen up that gorgeous bridal glow as needed:
1. Safety pins and bobby pins
Photo via Safia & Bob’s Wedding, Kimberly Photography
Safety pins are a must-have for Indian weddings, when a bride’s heavy, bejewelled outfit is literally held together with pinned cloth. Just in case a dupatta falls off the shoulder or a seam rips at the waist, have some safety pins on hand to quickly fix the issue without drawing too much attention to the problem (or stressing out the bride).
Bobby pins are also important to have on hand, especially if the bride is wearing an up-do. Hairspray and setting done by the hairdresser will keep for the ceremony, but if there’s pictures to be taken on a windy day or the hairdo just starts to fall flat, you can primp up the style and keep flyaways at bay with a few hairspray-dipped bobby pins.
2. Handkerchiefs
Photo via Deepa & Devan’s Wedding, Marianne Chua Photography
Yes, tissues will do the trick if the bride needs to wipe away stray makeup or blot away her (or her husband’s) tears at the vidai, but handkerchiefs are so effortlessly elegant and useful, too. Handkerchiefs can be ordered to match in pretty lace borders for the bridal party, or they can be shaped like a wedding dress and monogrammed to celebrate the big day. Bumblebee Linens offers many customizable options for wedding day handkerchiefs.
3. Makeup Forever’s Smoky Extravagant Mascara in Mini Size, $12
Mascara is the easiest way to freshen up your makeup look without ruining what the makeup artist has already put in place. If the bride is going straight from the ceremony to a reception dinner or lunch, she might want a quick touch-up. Makeup Forever’s Smoky Extravagant Mascara is perfect for this because it has a tapered brush, so it can be applied from the inner corner of your eye to the long lashes at the other end. The formula is meant to be layered on, so this won’t look too clumpy if applied over hours-old mascara. It’s a quick and easy way to look refreshed and ready for more wedding fun – and the mini size is convenient to carry in a small handbag or clutch.
4. Benefit Cosmetics’ Benetint, $30
Benefit’s tint products range from the light pink Lollitint to this deeper rose Benetint. For South Asian women, Benetint really complements the darker skin tone. It can be used as both a blush tint or a lip tint to add a slight, sheer color to your makeup. It’s ideal for touching up lipstick after a long event or having blushing cheeks again after a sweaty, outdoor ceremony. The color can be built up, so it won’t offend, and it adds a slight shine which is perfect for highlighting cheekbones and smiles alike.
5. Oil blotting sheets
Whether the ceremony is outdoors in the summer or indoors in air conditioning, the bride is bound to get a bit sweaty with all the hugging relatives and happy rituals being conducted. Oil blotting sheets, as simple as your drugstore brand, are a lifesaver – they’ll wipe away excess sweat and oil to create the perfect matte makeup look, without actually smudging or moving any makeup around.
6. Gum or mints
Fresh breath is pretty important at a wedding, but gum and mints are among the most forgettable must-haves on big days. With so much close proximity to friends and relatives, a simple burst of minty flavor goes a long way to help the bride, groom, or any exhausted bridesmaids feel fresher.
7. Marc Jacob’s Daisy Eau So Fresh Rollerball Perfume, $24
You didn’t think that expensive perfume the bride sprayed on the morning of her wedding was going to last all fresh all day, did you? Unfortunately, perfume – no matter how flowery and clean – will fade after only a few hours, and it’ll get worse mixed with sweat and other odors found in a crowded venue. A rollerball perfume, like this popular, floral Marc Jacobs scent, is ideal to store in a handbag to apply to wrists and the neck for a touch-up. This scent is subtly sweet, with definite spring daisy tones, and it’s not overpowering – so it will suit just about any wedding setting.
Keeping these essential products at hand will ensure that the bride has the freshest, most fabulous look throughout the ceremony – no matter how long and no matter what weather elements come in the way. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and with these easy, small products to carry, being prepared isn’t a hassle at all!