The Ultimate Wedding Day Survival Guide by Hera et Lutece

wedding day survival guide hera et lutece

📖 Reading time: 12 minutes

A Wedding Day Is Not a Performance

Whether you are working with a full-service wedding planner, a wedding day coordinator, or organizing parts of your celebration yourselves, this article is designed to help you arrive on your wedding day feeling confident, supported, and able to focus on what truly matters: the emotions, the people, and the moments you will carry with you long after the day has passed.

Not free from logistics — those will always exist.
But free from the weight of managing them.

This is not a checklist designed to increase anxiety.
It is an editorial, thoughtful approach to wedding day organization — the kind that creates space, calm, and presence.

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The Wedding Day Emergency Kit

Beauty & Personal Comfort Essentials

These items are not about perfection, but about feeling like yourself from morning to night.
  • Blotting papers or translucent powder
  • Lipstick or lip balm for subtle touch-ups
  • Hand cream (especially for ring moments and close-ups)
  • A discreet fragrance vial or roller
  • Hair pins matching your hair color
  • A soft brush or comb
  • Pressed tissues
  • Oil-absorbing sheets for warm days
  • Under-eye patches (perfect during hair & makeup)
  • Contact lens case and solution
Expert note: Avoid overloading. A few trusted products you actually use are far more effective than an entire makeup bag.

Fashion & Wardrobe Safeguards

Even the most beautifully tailored outfit may need a discreet adjustment.
  • Mini sewing kit (white, ivory, nude, and black threads)
  • Fashion tape (multiple strengths)
  • Safety pins in multiple sizes
  • Lint roller
  • Stain-removal pen or wipes
  • Anti-friction stick (often forgotten, always invaluable)
  • Steamer spray for last-minute creases
  • Double-sided tape for accessories or shoes
For grooms:
  • Extra cufflinks
  • Shirt collar stays
  • Spare tie or bow tie
  • A spare pair of socks

Shoes

Shoes are emotional — but comfort is essential.
  • Backup shoes (elegant flats, sandals, or loafers)
  • Heel protectors for outdoor venues
  • Gel insoles
  • Blister pads
  • Foldable ballet flats
  • Clear silicone heel grips
Many of our couples change shoes discreetly after the ceremony. It often transforms the entire evening.

Health & Wellness Essentials

These items are not pessimistic — they are considerate.
  • Pain reliever (approved in advance)
  • Eye drops or saline solution
  • Allergy medication if needed
  • Mints or breath spray
  • Rehydration sachets
  • Sunscreen (even for winter weddings)
  • Lip sunscreen
  • Cooling mist or thermal water spray
  • Small snacks (nuts, granola bars, dark chocolate)
Planner advice: assign one trusted person to manage medication if needed — you should never be looking for it yourself.

Practical & Administrative Items

Often invisible, always essential:
  • Printed vendor contact list
  • Printed timeline
  • Copies of vows
  • Marriage license or ceremony documents
  • Emergency cash
  • Phone charger and portable battery
  • Extension cord or multi-plug
  • Safety envelopes for tips

Miscellaneous — The Hera & Lutèce Signature Touch

These are the items couples rarely think about — and are always grateful for.
  • A handwritten note from one partner to the other
  • A small scent or candle to anchor the day emotionally
  • A silk scarf or shawl for evening or weather changes
  • A mini stain cover spray for fabrics
  • Clear umbrellas (yes — always)
  • A phone-free moment planned into the timeline
These details do not solve problems.
They elevate the experience.

Downloadable Resource

No emergency kit can compensate for unclear roles or last-minute decisions.

What truly determines how your wedding day unfolds is not perfection — but structure, anticipation, and trust.

When You Choose to Be Supported

When couples choose to be supported by a professional wedding planner or coordinator, the experience of the wedding day changes entirely.

When you work with us for wedding day execution and coordination, our role goes far beyond timelines or logistics.

In practice, this means:

  • Reviewing, structuring, and refining the full wedding day schedule
  • Coordinating all vendors well in advance
  • Acting as the single, calm point of contact on the day
  • Managing transitions, delays, and unexpected adjustments discreetly
  • Anticipating guest flow, comfort, and the rhythm of the day
  • Protecting the couple from logistical interruptions

From morning preparations to the last dance, our presence allows couples to be exactly where they should be: with each other and with their loved ones.

Letting go is not passive.

It is an intentional decision to trust experience — so you can remain present.

For a detailed overview of our 15+ years of experience and our approach to wedding day execution and coordination, you can explore the Execution & Coordination chapter of our services HERE.

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If You Do Not Have a Wedding Day Coordinator

If you do not have a dedicated wedding day coordinator, preparation becomes essential.

A full wedding day timeline should be carefully structured at least three months before the wedding.
This allows enough time to identify weak points, anticipate transitions, and adjust the flow of the day.

This timeline should then be reviewed, refined, and finalised no later than two weeks before the wedding — ideally earlier.
Two weeks is the maximum recommended timeframe to avoid last-minute stress.

We strongly advise planning a formal coordination meeting once the timeline is nearly final.

This meeting should clearly define:

- The full wedding day schedule, hour by hour

- Who makes decisions if something changes

- Who answers vendor questions

- Who manages payments or tips

- Who handles unexpected situations

Never assume people will “figure it out.”

Clarity creates calm.

Even the most thoughtful couples tend to underestimate certain elements.

Not because they lack organization — but because no one tells them where attention quietly drifts on the wedding day.

It often looks like this:

-> Managing small decisions personally instead of delegating.
-> Skipping meals without noticing.
-> Filling the schedule so tightly that there is no room to breathe.
-> Forgetting to assign a true point person for vendors.
-> Believing that a minor imperfection will overshadow the entire day.

None of these mistakes are dramatic.

And yet, each one gently pulls you out of the moment.

Awareness alone prevents most of them.

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Over the years, our couples often share the same reflection — sometimes weeks after the wedding, sometimes months later.

What mattered most was not a detail going perfectly.
It was knowing they could fully let go.

Being able to laugh, to cry, to hold their parents’ hands, to spend real time with their friends — without being pulled away by logistics.

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