It’s the final countdown…

The week before your wedding!

One suggestion I have is… do NOT sweat the small stuff. Trust me. Here is a checklist of other things you should have ticked and tied this week!

Venue & Vendors

1. Give your venue a final headcount. My venue needed this 7-10 days before the wedding. Do not forget to feed your vendors- add them to the count!
2. Figure out your meals / what food you’re having at your cocktail hour / reception. Most venues that I know of need this information weeks prior.
3. Always have a plan B in case of weather (if you’re having an outdoor ceremony / reception) My venue had another room for the ceremony in case it rained.
4. Rehearsal Dinner- make sure everything is ticked & tied! My in laws handled this but I still let our wedding part know the date / time etc. We also didn’t have an actual rehearsal at the venue; just a dinner.
5. If you didn’t do so already- figure out final payments for vendors. This was written in all of my contracts (payment due dates). All of my payments were due before the week of the wedding so I didn’t have to worry.
6. Figure out tips for your vendors. See my tipping guide here.  I had thank you cards already written out & cash inside them. You can hand them to your coordinator, maid / matron of honor. If for some reason your vendors aren’t what you expected & want to take some $ out of their tip- I wouldn’t seal your thank you cards/notes.
7. Confirm all your dates & times – or have your wedding coordinator do that. We didn’t have one, but if you aren’t organized or need an extra hand I say get one!
8. Finalize the wedding timeline- I actually did this a few weeks before the wedding & sent everyone a copy of it. So, they know where to be and when. My photographer actually gave me this information!!
9. Wedding Décor- my venue needed this 1-3 days prior to the wedding. I brought everything the day before (less chance of them losing something). Clearly label EVERYTHING! This helps them set everything up. I had everything in clear plastic boxes or brown boxes. Put our names, date of our wedding, our room etc.
10. List of songs you do and do NOT want played- usually the DJ or band sends a worksheet to fill out
11. Photography- make a list of pictures that you want / who you want pictures with! My photographer was literally amazing with this so I didn’t make a list – and I believe I got all the pictures I wanted!
12. Transportation – make sure everyone has a way to get to and from the venue and to and from the hotel- luckily our hotel was on the same grounds as the venue! Another reason why we booked with them!

Wedding Party

1. If you do not have a wedding coordinator or day of coordinator make sure you assign someone responsible to gather everyone for pictures etc. Fortunately, our venue gave us a maître D & day of coordinator. We also gave our wedding party the time line of when the photographer will be taking pictures etc.
2. Make sure someone packs up your belongings after the reception. Again, we had a maître D & day of coordinator to do this. If your venue doesn’t provide either, and you don’t have a wedding coordinator, I suggest having someone responsible take on the duty.
3. Remind Groomsmen to return their tux! Our place gave us 3 days to return the tux. However, we left for our honeymoon 2 days after the wedding. My parents returned the tux for us!
4. Make sure to have food for everyone while getting ready! No one wants a hungry bridal party! Most venues provide hors d’oervres but they are just finger food. I placed my order a week in advance with my local Shoprite and picked it up the day before the wedding. Also, had my mom and sister pick up bagels & coffee the day of on their way to the venue
5. Pack up any gifts you’ll be giving to your bridal party, parents, spouse etc
6. Drop off welcome bags to hotel day before- if you’re doing welcome bags. See what I packed in welcome bags here.

Attire, Beauty & Self-care

1. Day of Emergency Kit- pack little things you might think you’ll need in case something happens. This includes, tide to go stick, safety pins, bobby pins, Advil, tissues, tums etc
2. Make sure to pack getting ready outfit / a bag if you’re staying at the hotel!
3. Pack honeymoon suit cases etc – esp if you’re leaving right away!
4. Get a massage! If this is something you can squeeze in & will help with stress- do it!
5. Mani / pedi- I did this the day before the wedding because I didn’t want to risk getting a chip!
6. Spray tan- 2 days before the wedding. I did this for another wedding I went too and I had such a beautiful glow!
7. Hydro Facial- this is a MUST! I got mine 2 days before the wedding for the ultimate glow! I would start getting hydro facials 4-6 months before your wedding.
8. Clean your ring! I wanted my ring to be nice and shiny for the day! I went 2 nights prior to get it cleaned at a local jeweler.
9. Any other beauty appointments – lash extensions / hair extensions

Important Items

1. Rings & Marriage license!
2. Vows if you wrote them yourself!

I really hope this post helped you! Please leave a comment if you have any questions!!

Xo,

Kristen