What I Keep In My ‘Oh Shit’ Kit for Weddings and Shoots

Last week on Instagram stories, I shared that I went shopping to refresh my ‘Oh Shit’ kit for this upcoming wedding season and I was met with DMs saying, “Wait, tell us what all you put in there!” “I need to know what is in that thing!” etc.

I’m an open book and always happy to share big tips and tricks I have learned from shooting weddings over the past 6 years.

The #1 thing to know about weddings is nearly every single wedding day has something that doesn’t quite go right. Whether or not the couple ever sees it, most of the time there is a need for the ‘Oh Shit’ kit to come in and do its thing. 

And to be totally honest, I don’t know if there is a single wedding I have done where I didn’t use the kit myself. Actually, that being said, I need to stress the importance of this.

YES, your business is about client experience. That is why I created this in the first place…I wanted my clients to know I have their back and am here to help. But also going along with client experience, the way I show up on wedding day is just as important. I want to look and feel my best and use the kit at every wedding too.

Now, this idea came about for two reasons, I am from the South and my southern hospitality runs deep and I positively cannot stand not having solutions to things. It is a large assumption that a lot of what is in this kit “should” be provided by the planner and be on hand. Yes, planners usually come in to save the day BUT the planner is not always around. Wedding after wedding, I found myself chasing planners around asking for XYZ and spending half my time going back and forth. This is obviously dramatic…BUT again, it was a feeling of frustration not having the solution in the moment when something would occur.

So, my ‘Oh Shit’ kit was formed. I seem to add something new every wedding season because of something happening at a wedding where I might not have to solution in the kit so I encourage you to add what you think YOUR couples/clients might need.

And finally, if you make one of these or are inspired to add to yours because of this post, I would love for you to screenshot and share this post on your IG stories. It helps out other photographers and brings love back to this post! Don’t forget to tag me @themorgankennedy so I can repost it!

Okay, let’s get into it!

What I keep in my ‘Oh Shit’ kit:

• Bobby pins (both brown & blonde)
• Hair ties
• Gum (be sure to make people spit it out for photos)
• Listerine
• Deodorant (I buy the spray kind so it can be used easily without spreading germs)
• Advil liquid gels
• Tweezers
• Hairspray
• Scissors
• Snacks (this one is HUGE…so many people have eaten the snacks I have since wedding days are all hustle and bustle, I want everyone eating so we don’t have anyone passing out. granola bars or applesauce squeezes are my go to)
• Bandaids 
• Tampons
• Fashion tape
• Safety pins
• Eyelash glue
• Sunscreen
• Good Wipes (these are body wipes to help people feel refreshed and clean, I use them myself most wedding days)
• Individual Flossers
• Baby wipes (the amount of baby wipes I go through is impressive…from wiping off hands from champagne to someone bleeding to bird poop, they are EXTREMELY helpful)
• Liquid IV
• Dry shampoo
• Chapstick
• Q-tips 
• Extra pins for boutonnieres (since they often break or need more than the pins provided)
• Fashion tape