Your Wedding Checklist: Planning At The Last Minute

QUOTE: When I design a wedding dress with a bustle, it has to be one the bride can dance in. I love the idea that something is practical and still looks great. -Vera Wang

Whether it’s a week or a day before (or even the day of!) your wedding, it’s time to go over your last minute wedding checklist (and have a wedding checklist for that matter) and the things you need to remember for your wedding day.

And we’ve got you covered. Here is the wedding checklist of all the last minute wedding stuff you need to tick off your list so you can feel at ease and focus on your big day!

Wedding Checklist Tip #1: Check in with ALL your vendors

Yes, ALL your vendors. Can you imagine how bad it would be if after all that planning, one of your vendors showed up at the wrong time?

You need to make sure this nightmare scenario does not happen. Make sure each of your vendors has the contact information of the designated go-to person.

Also make sure each vendor knows their queues, what times they need to be at the venue, and confirm anything left to pay.

Remember that while you are super busy planning your one event, your vendors may have a bunch of clients. So keeping them on the same page as you can become very important.

Wedding Checklist Tip #2: Give site managers your vendor schedule

So your vendors are on the same page as you, but what about the people who work at the venue? Wouldn’t it also be terrible if a venue manager turned away a vendor?

You can’t let this happen either!

Give your venue’s site managers a schedule of when vendors will be there, their set-up times, and their contact information.

If you can help it, don’t wait until the last last minute for this one. Try at least a week before.

And here’s the key thing:

Different venues have different bureaucracies. So you want to make sure that the venue has enough time to get everyone else on the same page as you.

Wedding Checklist Tip #3:Have payment all figured out before the wedding day

Your wedding went great, and now you are thinking about your honeymoon. But wait a minute, have you paid everyone?

When your wedding is over, you want to think about nothing but rest and relaxation and your honeymoon.

So that means getting all the payment and tips dealt with before your big day.

Consider finalizing deposits before the wedding day.

And here is a tip on dealing with tip: put each vendor’s tip in separate envelopes that are labeled with each vendor’s name.

And what’s the bottom line?

This way, when the wedding is winding down, you can thank your vendors, pay them, and not have to worry about any of that afterwards.

Wedding Checklist Tip #4:Do a last minute check of your guest list

You won’t want to leave assigning seats to the last minute.

A good tool for that would be EventForte’s event management app which would allow you to upload and manage your guestlist.

Check this guestlist one more time and see who has confirmed or who has not confirmed.

If you have enough time beforehand, call all the stragglers and make sure you know who will come and who won’t.

Be persistent. Set a firm deadline when people need to respond by and let them know you need an answer by so and so date.

Wedding Checklist Tip #5: Create an itinerary for your wedding day

Does it sound ideal running around in your dress on the day of your wedding organizing everyone for pictures? Nope!

One way to avoid this scenario is creating an itinerary for the bridal party and family which you can distribute after the rehearsal.

This way the bridal party and family will know the details for photos and other festivities.

Wedding Checklist Tip #6: Practice your walk

Walking in heels is never the easiest thing to do and none of us want to end up like the brides on YouTube who fall down on their way to the altar.

That will not be you!

So what’s the solution? Practice makes perfect.

Practice your walk before your wedding day. Make sure you are wearing your wedding day shoes.

Wedding Checklist Tip #7: Practice your kiss

This is not a joke!

Wouldn’t being up there in front of everyone be awful if you and your fiance(e) had different ideas of what is appropriate for a wedding kiss?

That’s why you need to communicate with your fiance(e) beforehand and make sure you are both on the same page.

And here’s the best part:

If for no other reason, it’s a good excuse to be romantic with your future spouse!

Wedding Checklist Tip #8: Grooms, get your haircut a week before

Not the day before. Haircuts do not always turn out that well.

You want to give yourself a week to fix any issues with your hair. You want to avoid the worst case scenario where you have awful hair.

By giving yourself more time, you will have plenty of extra time to get your coif fixed.

Wedding Checklist Tip #9: Eat, eat, eat

It is very important to eat a great breakfast the morning of your wedding, but what about afterward?

One great tip we’ve found is getting a close friend or family member to pack a box of food for you to take to your hotel room after the wedding is over.

With all the nerves, walking, and dancing, you will have burned so many calories you could feel like you could eat a feast all by yourself.

At what point in your life will you deserve this feast more?

This is of course not to mention that if you don’t eat anything after, you could have a pretty rough morning after.

So make sure you get that post-wedding meal!

Wedding Checklist Tip #10: Dress fitting

But wait a minute, this is something you had to have done months ago, right?

You need to go in for a final dress fitting before your wedding day. This is a must!

Any weight fluctuations or any new issues you see with the dress need to addressed before the day of the wedding.

So get in those last minute alterations so that you can pick up the gown ready to wear.

Wedding Checklist Tip #11: Break in your shoes

Similar to your dress, don’t leave your shoes alone the day before your wedding.

You want to be as comfortable as possible. And while wedding shoes may not be the most comfortable, breaking them in will keep from that extra wincing during the wedding.

One fun thing you can do is put on your favorite song and start dancing with your shoes. While getting your groove on, you will be grooving in to your shoes as well.

So what’s the best part?

Not only will you get an awesome workout, you’ll make your shoes work for you!

Wedding Checklist Tip #12: Create a Wedding Survival Kit

What if something went wrong with your dress the day of?

You need to have an emergency supply kit ready.

What’s the benefit?

So that if the unthinkable happens, you have a plan B. This is why you should bring:

• an emergency sewing kit with needle, thread, and scissors;
• safety pins;
• double-sided tape;
• microfinish powder;
• an instant stain remover; and
• band-aids

Whether using the stain remover to swipe on a stain, safety pinning your dress, or placing band-aids on your feet, these little helpful tools will be your life savers.

And here’s the easy part:

Just throw all these items in a small tote bag, maybe add some packets of Advil, and you are ready to go!

Wedding Checklist Tip #13: Take care of the legal stuff in advance

Do you have your marriage license? Are you changing your name?

You need to have a good answer to these questions well before your wedding.

In many states, you need to have your license before the ceremony.

If you want to change your name, you will not want to go through the hassle of taking care of that after the wedding.

Anything else you need to worry about?

And if you are going on an out-of-country honeymoon right after, make sure your passport is not expired. This one can sometimes take a couple of weeks or more so get on this one quickly.

Make sure you have that sorted out well in advance!

Wedding Checklist Tip #14: Make your playlists

So you’ve hired a DJ but what songs do you NEED to hear and what songs do you want far away from you?

This does not need to be the exact order of the songs for your DJ but it should be a fairly comprehensive list.

And at the very least, you get to listen to all your favorite songs. This is when wedding planning seems less like a job!

Wedding Checklist Tip #15: Welcome weekend bags

Your bridal party has done so much for you. The least you could do is give them their gift bags.

But you don’t need to be the one deliver them.

It may seem like a small thing now but getting someone else to deliver the weekend bags to you will keep you from turning into a wreck.

It will be the last thing you want to worry about at that point.

Now remember this:

The hotel rooms can be very far apart. That means getting someone else to do it will seem like the biggest lifesaver in the world.

Wedding Checklist Tip #16: Pack for your honeymoon before your wedding

What’s one of the last things you want to worry about after the wedding? Your honeymoon!

After your wedding, you will want to put on regular clothes and leave for your romantic extravaganza.

So plan ahead! Pack an overnight bag with a change of clothes for your honeymoon traveling, some snacks, and water.

And in your hotel room, have your luggage ready to go so you can leave without worrying about being frantic about your honeymoon.

Here’s the deal:

The wedding is over. You’ve earned this time to relax. So make honeymoon planning part of your wedding planning and your stresses will melt away.

Wedding Checklist Tip #17: Water, water everywhere

You will burn a lot of calories at your wedding and you will be very thirsty, so what does that mean.

Bring a lot of water and stay hydrated throughout your wedding day!

It is important that both you and your fiance(e) drink plenty of water in the morning and throughout the day.

Wedding Checklist Tip #18: Prepare everything you want to say

How does it sound going up there on your wedding day with no vows, toasts, or thank-yous prepared?

Yikes, that wouldn’t be fun.

And here’s the deal:

Vows, especially, are important. You do not want to be stumbling over yourself making it seem like you came up with everything on the fly.

If you and your fiance(e) are keeping your vows secret, that’s fine but there is no shame in writing them down. You aren’t expected to remember everything.

But don’t overlook the wedding toast and thank-yous. You’ll want to at least think about what you want to say here.

Leaving someone out of a thank-you could be a serious faux pas so make sure you don’t forget anyone out.

Wedding Checklist Tip #19: Have some couply time

Yes, you may have hundreds of guests, but what is this day really about? It’s about you and the person you love with all your heart.

As part of the wedding day schedule, you should find some time for just you two. This day is about your two and you should be allowed to engage in all the mushy stuff alone.

It doesn’t have to be a lot of time. These could be some fleeting but very memorable moments such as the drive between ceremony and reception, downtime between photos, or just a nice walk.

Wedding Checklist Tip #20: Have the time of your life

This day is all about you so you should dance and let loose. Time to show off your moves and have the time of your life.

Everyone here is here to celebrate you and your new union.

Here’s the best part:

People will enjoy watching you smile, laugh, and being plain ol’ happy.

Conclusion

The last thing you want to do on your wedding day is panic over anything. This is why your last minute checklist must include Plans A through Z.

Having all these things ticked off your list when the wedding starts will let you know that you are prepared for anything.

Remember that while a lot can always go wrong, you’re marrying your best friend.

And what can be more right than that?

Let us know in the comments anything else you think belongs on a last minute wedding checklist.