Vermont Vows Magazine

Today we bring you some great wedding advice from Jackie James, the founder of Mojuba - "The Ultimate Wedding Day Survival Kit". Not only does Jackie supply countless brides with kits containing crisis-averting materials, but she also has some great wedding advice up her sleeve. Read on to learn more!

1) Can you tell your readers a little bit about Mojuba and what it entails?

Mojuba! It's a miracle bag filled with wonderful products to handle all of the "unexpected" things that come up on the wedding day. But it is so much more than that!  It is an insurance policy for the wedding day that gives peace of mind to the bride, groom, parents, as well as the wedding party.  We purchase home insurance not expecting our house to burn down because we want to be protected if something happens.  Mojuba is the same thing - insurance and peace of mind on one of the biggest days of your life.

2) What lead you to starting Mojuba?

I have been involved in the food and beverage industry and event planning for 20 years.  I have loved every minute of the amazing jobs I have had, as well as the wonderful opportunities I have been involved with in terms of wedding and event design and production. But, I have four children and I want to go to their soccer games, crew meets, and hockey games on Saturday.  Being a wedding planner involves working virtually every Friday and Saturday and recovering on Sunday.  I saw a need for the tool kit I brought to the weddings I planned and decided to design a bride emergency kit and a groom emergency kit (guys tend to get overlooked and they need someone to have their back).  Women have their bridesmaids but the poor guys have lots of mishaps as well and need a go to bag to help them out as well. By designing the kits it really keeps me involved with weddings. I get so many nice emails from people who have purchased the bags or received them as gifts. It makes me feel really great to know I am helping couples and their families on their wedding day. All of the products in the bags are great so what ever is not used on the wedding day can easily be tucked away in the suitcase for the honeymoon or used as a go to bag to keep in your drawer at work.  The point is, nothing will go to waste and is worth the investment for such an important day in the bride and grooms lives. 

3) What are some last-minute items that 99% of brides forget, but are super important?

This is one question I get all the time. And its one of my favorite questions - even though it's not an easy answer.  But I need to give you a little background first. A typical thing that is forgotten is an emergency kit filled with products to solve all sorts of unexpected things that simply come up on the wedding day. Other forgotten items are the rings, the marriage license, an extra pair of panty hose, passports, or plane tickets for the honeymoon.  A family member ends up running back to the house for the forgotten item(s). Brides never want to think that anything negative could possibly happen on the most important day of their lives.  I am here to tell all  brides-to-be that something always happens, it is just a question of what.  I am not trying to scare anyone because if you are prepared then you will be able to handle whatever "Murphy" may throw your way.  The goal is to fix the problem and effortlessly continue on with the wedding day!

4) What is the biggest crisis you have witnessed at a wedding that could have been averted with the last minute items Mojuba kits carry?
 
I never had to deal with a huge crisis because I always had my kit with me so I was always able to fix whatever came up.  I can give you some examples of things that have happened that I was able to fix and keep things on schedule.  At one wedding one of the grandmothers got her dress caught in the escalator and as a result had grease all over her dress.  My team and I were able to get the grease off of her dress using the Madame Paulette stain kit (it took about a half hour to remove the stain but we prevailed).  At the same wedding the photographer asked the beautiful bride to jump into her grooms arms which she of course did.  She was wearing a strapless dress and her deodorant got all over the grooms tux.  Once again we were able to quickly remove the stain and get the photographer back on schedule.  A groomsman lost a button during photographs and we needed to sew it on quickly-that is why I have pre-threaded needles in my kits. An usher got a headache and needed advil.  Several of the bridesmaids were having wardrobe malfunctions and needed fashion tape to keep hems, straps, and belts in place.  I have had an usher shave with his tux shirt on and cut himself which of course led to blood all over his collar.  I took out the styptic pen and some shout wipes and got him cleaned up in time and ready to hand out programs and seat guests.  I have had veils rip because someone stepped on them, moms feet hurting so much that they needed the foot cushions in the bag and then the typical requests for band-aids, mouthwash, tissues, breath spray, gum and bobby pins. Bobby pins are actually a big deal because if you are having "hair issues" you need more than two bobby pins to fix the problem.  I have 70 in my kit. The main goal is to stay calm and be able to solve whatever is thrown your way and carry on with your day.  This is what Mojuba does, we provide peace of mind.  I thing being prepared is "sexy".

5) If a bride had to choose three emergency items to bring with her on her wedding day, what should they be?

The truth is if I suggested 3 items she wouldn't need those items, she would need three other ones.  My suggestion is purchase a bride and a groom Mojuba bag and my brand new product, a sixpence to put in her left shoe to bring wealth and prosperity to the happy couple.

Thanks so much, Jackie, for your advice! To learn more about Mojuba, visit mymojuba.com