Bathroom Boxes! Yay or Nay?

Written by Aliya Pinnock

The Question

I am weeks away from the wedding now and I am wondering what the thoughts are on making bathroom freshen up boxes and if you do them… what are the essentials you would recommend?

Hi I’m Aliya - Architect, former DIY bride and Founder of Day42. I planned my own wedding from start to finish like a project and now I help other couples cut through the noise, make decisions and plan wedding that feels like their own.

In this space I answer real wedding planning questions with practical advice and no unnecessary wedding rules. Got a question? Click here

Aliya’s Answer

It really depends on why you’re doing it and what you think might actually be necessary for the type of wedding you’re having.

I wouldn’t make one just because you’ve seen them at other weddings. They can very easily become another thing on the ever-growing list of ‘things a wedding apparently needs’, when actually your guests probably won’t notice if they aren’t there.

If you’re getting married somewhere fairly remote, you’re going to be there for hours, it’s going to be particularly hot, or there are things your guests genuinely might need, then a small, curated basket could be really useful. Think about the actual circumstances of your day rather than trying to recreate a Pinterest bathroom basket.

If you do decide to put one together, I’d keep it practical. Things like period products, tissues, deodorant, hair ties and perhaps mints are the sort of things people might actually appreciate. If it’s going to be hot, you could also consider things like mini fans or blotting paper.

But you really don’t need to fill a basket with twenty different miniature products just because they’re available to buy. I’d rather have a few useful things that people might genuinely need than spend £50 putting together a basket that mostly gets left untouched.

And, as with everything you’re adding to your wedding, I’d ask yourself: does this solve a problem for our guests, or am I just adding it because I think I’m supposed to?

If there’s no particular reason your guests would need one, I’d probably skip it and put the money, time and effort somewhere else.

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Aliya Pinnock
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