The day approaches. You’ve prepared for this day for so long, you’ve done so much and yet it feels like there’s so much more left to do. 

Putting things off is seldom a good idea, it may relieve you in the moment, but it creates stress for your future self, and future you doesn’t want that. Future you wants to drink a margarita and enjoy a special day free from worries.

If you want to avoid an avalanche of responsibilities at the last minute, it’s best to have a checklist of important tasks that you can make sure are completed by the week of your wedding and beforehand to ensure a smooth wedding day! 

Here are some of our quick tips to help you stay prepared. 
 
 

1. Prepare all final payments to vendors & any cash tips for service personnel.

If you have a wedding planner or a Point person, putting payments in labeled & sealed envelopes and giving it to them to distribute before the wedding starts is a great way to make sure it gets done and that you can enjoy your day/night with your family and friends.    

2. Give readers their scripts.

This does include the MC if it has not already been done. If it has been done earlier during the planning process it is a great idea to do a final walkthrough of the script to make sure everything is accurate. This is also a great time to have your point person check in on your speech givers to make sure that they have their speeches prepared and that they are within the timeframe you set.  Long drawn out speeches can be a real problem when guests are ready to party. We recommend keeping speeches down to a 2-3 minute window at maximum. 

3. Give the photographer and videographer your image and video requests.

This is a small one but can really help you down the road. Usually, vendors have a list they send you or questionnaire that helps with this process, but just in case it is always good to send a list for your specific shots you cannot live without. In the future, you’ll be thankful that you took the time to request what you want captured.     

4. Lay out wedding clothes.

Lay your wedding clothes out from veil to Jewelry, watches, all the way down to socks, rings, etc. By doing this you are making sure that nothing gets left behind. We also encourage our DIY couples to do this with their decor or any personal items they want included. Once everything is laid out and it is all in one place, put everything (within reason) in labeled totes/ boxes. This makes loading up for the big day much easier and helps your strike team set up & tear down in an organized fashion. In addition, having your “details box” with a checklist inside for your photographer ready to go ensures that they get everything you want in those detail shots and they have the checklist to look back on to make sure that all of your items are returned to you before it’s time to walk down that aisle. Details box can include invitation suite, rings, tie, watch, shoes, garter, cologne/ perfume, etc. and are usually items used for your flat lay. 

5.Prepare for plan B.

It’s always good to have a Plan B. In this case, Plan B is your back up plan in case of bad weather or anything else that can go wrong. It is important that this is discussed earlier in the planning process with your family and bridal party whether you have a planner/ coordinator or not, but it is equally important to discuss this the week of the wedding and keep an eye on the forecast to ensure everyone is on the same page.

These are just a few simple tips to get you in the mindset of preparedness. Checking even a few of these off your list before the week of your wedding can save you a lot of needless stress. That being said, remember not to sweat ALL the small stuff, and as always, live in the moment!