Stocking The Restrooms With A Bathroom Basket

Imagine heading into a wedding ... and your nail breaks. It's not a small crack, but a huge break on a terrible angle and you need a nail file.

Or you meet a cute guy and realize you had the citrus-garlic shrimp at the cocktail hour and there's no gum in your purse.

Or, even worse, Aunt Flo comes completely unplanned.

These are not concerns for the bride to deal with on her wedding day, but these are things for her to think about ahead of time. And, if there's a private restroom at the venue, you (as the bride) might want to think of stocking the bathroom with a few necessary amenities for your guests.

I'm actually cheating a little bit for this post. I probably could have gone into my stockpile and put together a bathroom basket, then snapped a photo in my own bathroom, but I was out at dinner at Aubriana's in Wilmington, NC and snapped a few photos inside the women's restroom, which had exactly what you would like for a wedding.

Aubriana's had a huge dresser with four drawers, two of which were filled with amenities. One had feminine products, the other was filled with hair spray.

If your venue doesn't have a dresser, don't worry. Just pick up a cheap basket at the dollar store and you can fill that. Consider one for men and another for women. Although men won't need hair spray and maxi pads, both bathrooms will benefit from items like gum, sewing kits, Band Aids, floss, and tissues.

Also, consider mouthwash. People will be eating -- and kissing -- during your wedding. A fresh mouth is a happy mouth. Don't just stick out a bottle of Listerine, though. People won't use it if it is communal. Consider small single use cups and a mouthwash bottle that is near impossible to pick up and use. If it doesn't look like you can pour it into your mouth, people won't, and that definitely keeps it sanitary.

Toothpicks in the bathroom are a plus, especially if you are serving a veggie like broccoli or spinach. A bit in your teeth can ruin your wedding photos.

Definitely make sure there is lotion available for your guests. All bathrooms should provide soap and paper towels, so you don't need to add those into your bathroom baskets, but a mild or unscented lotion is great for hands or legs. Yes, there are women who will completely forget to put on lotion before running out the door and their legs will seem dry under their dresses. Lotion in the bathroom is a savior for them.

Position your bathroom basket as close to the sink as possible. You don't want guests to have to hunt for this because, well, they won't know to. Not all weddings provide something like this in the bathroom, so not all guests will be looking for it. I definitely do think this is a fantastic idea and could definitely be a big help to your guests.

You need to put this together before the wedding, and ask your venue if you can bring this with you when you bring over your other items: table cards, centerpieces, decorations, etc. Most venues will allow you to drop these items off a few days before the wedding, so be sure to bring your bathroom basket with you too. You can assemble the baskets (one for the bridal suite and one for each men's and women's bathroom) and ask the coordinator at the venue to position them in the bathrooms before the guests arrive.

Bathroom Basket item suggestions: Antacid tablets, aspirin, Band Aids, contact solution, deodorant, gum or mints, hair spray, lint roller, lotion, mouthwash, nail files, perfume, sewing kit, stain remover, toothpicks.

Women's only: bobby pins, clear nail polish, feminine products, hair ties.

For an outdoor wedding and reception, add bug spray and sunscreen.     

If you plan correctly, you can definitely pick up a bunch of these items for free after coupons or find free samples of these items and add them to your baskets. If you wait until the last minute, you will be paying a premium for these.

BRIDAL BABBLE: Did I leave anything out? What item would you add to the bathroom basket? Which one is your must have?