With all the wonderful little handbags around beaded, satin, organza, embroidered, hard-sided or soft finding just the right one to complement your wedding finery is a cinch. But the question remains just what do you put in it?
Perfume
Don’t forget to top up your fragrance throughout the day. You might want to decant some into a mini atomiser, rather than carting the whole bottle around with you all day.
Survival tactics
If you’re of a nervous disposition, it’s worth carrying a few items to help ease the strain of the day.
Natural painkillers
If you’re prone to tension headaches, your wedding day is just the day you don’t want one to come on. But be prepared with Origins Peace of Mind On The Spot Relief gel (£10). You simply apply a little to your temples, back of your neck and ear lobes then breathe in what’s left on your fingers.
Stress relief
Soothe wedding-day nerves with Dr Bach’s Rescue Remedy, a homoeopathic preparation that is made up of a blend of healing flowers, including impatiens for impatience and rock rose for terror. You can add a few drops to a small glass of water and sip it slowly every few minutes until you feel better or put a few drops directly onto your tongue. It’s available from most pharmacies and health shops for £3.70 for 10ml. Alternatively, try Botanics Time To Unwind aromatherapy oil. Made from a calming blend of orange, frankincense and juniper simply apply a little to your pulse points.
Aching feet
Pep up tired and swelling feet, after posing for too many photos, with a cooling foot spray. Although most sprays tend to come in fairly large bottles, you can decant a small amount into a handbag-size vaporiser.
Tissues
For all the tears that are bound to be shed on the day, a ready supply of soft tissues is essential.
Breath fresheners
For kissing all those aunts, uncles, cousins (and husband, of course!) a packet of mints, such as Smints, that come in tiny click packs, is a very good idea.
Maintenance and repair
First and foremost, you’ll want to carry a few things to ensure that you look perfect throughout your day and not just at the beginning.
Make-up
Depending on the make-up you use, you’ll need to retouch it throughout the day. If you’ve gone for a minimal look, you may not want to worry about anything more than retouching your lipstick. But if gorgeous make-up is part of your wedding ensemble, be sure to carry the minimum you can get away with to keep it looking flawless. For example, can you replace your powder compact with a packet of shine-control papers? They cost around 99p from Superdrug and are a quick and easy way to mop up any shiny patches and maintain a perfect matte complexion.
Another way to save space is to treat yourself to a few of those two- or even three-in-one products. For example, try foundation that can be used as a concealer and has a matt finish, so you don’t need powder on top, or blusher that doubles up as eyeshadow. If you think you might need to do a more substantial repair job on your eye make-up, eyeshadow compacts with your chosen colours are a good idea too. And get down to your nearest big department store. All the good beauty counters have those dinky little sample products, which are great for travelling light.
Nail file and varnish
It only takes a moment for perfectly manicured nails to break or get chipped. Keep a nail file and varnish on hand. Check out the Mavala range of varnishes. It’s used in lots of salons, but even better, the entire range of colours comes in mini bottles (£2.99) that will easily fit into your handbag.
Hair care
If you’re leaving your hair in a fairly natural style, chances are you’ll want to run a comb though it every now and again. If it’s up, take spare grips and a teeny bottle of hairspray too.
Spare stockings or tights
If you’re one of those people who only has to look at a pair of stocking to ladder them, its worth carrying a spare set just in case the worst happens.
Deodorant
If you’re prone to stress sweats, this is a must. If your sleeves are tight fitting, you might want to get your dressmaker to sew in some perspiration pads, to avoid those unsightly wet patches underarm.
