The big day is coming! What are we counting down to? Is it just a couple of weeks, a few days, or even mere hours? It’s time to kick things into high gear, my friend! As the wedding draws closer and closer, you might start wondering, “Have I missed anything important for my special day?” Don’t fret. We’re here to help. We’ve meticulously crafted the ultimate last-minute wedding checklist to ensure nothing slips through the cracks! So, let’s check with Viva Wedding Photography!
Week of the wedding checklist
1. Confirm Bookings
By now, you should have all of your suppliers booked. However, a week before your wedding, you should call each of them to confirm your booking. This is your last chance to ensure that everything is in order.
Ensure your photographer has the final list of the shots you want and your DJ or band has a list of song requests. Also, one of the last-minute wedding details not to forget is ensuring the caterer has the final headcount and table plan so they know where guests with allergies or dietary requirements will be seated. Last but not least, confirm the arrival time with everyone from your hair stylist to your taxi company so they know exactly when to be there.
2. Organise Vendor Payments
It is important to note that most wedding vendors, including the photographer, DJ, and hair stylist, will require payment in full before the wedding day. In some cases, the venue may also request payment in advance, with a separate bill for any additional expenses incurred on the day, such as drinks.
Settling all outstanding bills immediately is essential to avoid any last-minute surprises. This will help minimize stress and ensure everything is paid for before the big day arrives.
Organizing cash into marked envelopes needs to be added to your last-minute wedding checklist if you plan to give tips to your suppliers, venue, or wait staff. Bringing these envelopes to the venue on the day will help you stay organized and ensure everyone receives their tips promptly and accurately.
3. Finalise Deliveries
To ensure everything runs smoothly on the day, confirming delivery times with the companies providing items such as rented tablecloths, chair covers, and floral arrangements is important. Make sure they have enough time to set up before your guests arrive. If you need to collect any items, consider asking someone, such as your maid of honor, to pick them up. For example, some bakeries may require you to collect the cake in person.
4. Check Venue
After confirming all the arrangements with your suppliers and deliveries, you must touch base with your wedding venue to ensure everything is in order. Check with the venue about the arrival times of your vendors and guests, and ensure that they have received your order of the day and are aware of any special requests or requirements. Provide them with your playlist, and confirm the time of your arrival. Lastly, ensure that there are no last-minute wedding checklist details that the venue needs from you to ensure everything runs smoothly on your wedding day.
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5. Final Guest List and Seating Plan
Finalizing the guest list and seating plan can only be done a few days before your wedding since there will always be some guests who miss the RSVP deadline. Therefore, following up with those who haven’t responded to your invitation is essential before deciding where everyone should sit. Once you’ve created your table plan, it’s time to confirm the final head count with your venue and caterer. These last-minute details for wedding will help you know the exact number of guests attending so you can buy or make wedding cards.
6. Break in wedding shoes
Breaking into new shoes can be a painful experience, and they commonly cause discomfort until broken in. To avoid discomfort on your wedding day, it’s recommended that you wear your wedding shoes as much as possible in the lead-up to the big day. This will allow the shoes to mold to the shape of your feet, ensuring that they are as comfortable as possible on the day.
It’s important to note that breaking in shoes is not an instant process and can take several weeks, especially if the shoes are stubborn. Therefore, getting started as early as possible is best to allow enough time for the shoes to conform to your feet. However, avoiding wearing your wedding shoes outdoors is crucial to prevent them from getting dirty or damaged before the wedding.
7. Check and slip on your wedding dress
One of the most important things on your last-minute checklist for wedding is ensuring your wedding dress is crease-free before the big day. Even if you’ve had your wedding dress steamed before, it’s a good idea to check for any creases that may have formed since then. So, you may take it to a tailor or dry cleaner for another steam. Alternatively, you can use a handheld steam cleaner to do it yourself.
Once your wedding dress is steamed, try on your outfit, including shoes, jewelry, hairpiece, or veil. This will help you ensure that everything looks perfect and that you’re completely satisfied with your overall bridal look.
8. Clean your engagement ring
Your engagement ring may have lost some of its shine after wearing it for some time. This can create a noticeable contrast between your engagement ring and your new wedding band, which won’t look great in your wedding photos. So, in your week of the wedding checklist, consider taking your engagement ring to a local jeweler for professional cleaning before your big day. This will restore its sparkle and ensure your wedding jewelry looks its best in wedding photos.
9. Review Wedding Day Itinerary
By now, you should have a schedule of what will happen on your wedding day. If you haven’t already, take some time to review and finalize all the last-minute details for wedding, ensuring that you and your groom/bride are happy with all the arrangements. Familiarize yourself with the schedule to the point that you know it by heart.
It’s also important to plan your getting-ready schedule for the morning of the wedding. Determine when you need to start getting ready and in what order you will do everything so you’re ready to go when your wedding transport arrives.
10. Check your wedding party
As the big day approaches, ensuring everyone involved in your wedding is on the same page is crucial in your last-minute wedding list. A few days before the wedding, take some time to touch base with your parents, bridesmaids, groomsmen, and any other VIPs. Confirm they know when and where to be and what to do.
If anyone is giving a speech, ensure they have finished and rehearsed it. This will help ensure everything runs smoothly and on schedule during your wedding day.
Also, don’t forget to confirm who will be helping you clean up the venue afterward and designate someone to help you transport wedding gifts home. This is also a good opportunity to address your team’s final questions or concerns.
11. Prepare wedding supplies
A few days before the wedding, gathering all the necessary items you’ll need to bring to the venue is important. Some of these items may include:
- Decorations include banners, bunting, balloons, fairy lights, and table centerpieces.
- Wedding favors
- Place cards and table markers
- Signage and stationery, including menus, itinerary, and table plans
- Guestbook and pens
If the venue staff is responsible for setting up, ensure you provide them with an illustration or description of how you want the room to look. However, if it’s up to you to set up, arrange a convenient time and day for you and your helpers (like your bridesmaids) to get to work. It’s best to avoid setting up everything on the morning of the wedding as it can be time-consuming and stressful.
12. Beauty Treatments
As a bride, you definitely want to look and feel your best on your wedding day! So, it’s common for brides-to-be to add some beauty treatments to their last-minute wedding list. After all, you’ll be the center of attention, and the cameras will be on you!
Some treatments include a mani-pedi (a gel or shellac polish to prevent chipping), waxing for your legs, underarms, bikini line, a spray tan top-up, and a facial. You might also want to treat yourself to a massage to help relieve any last-minute stress.
13. Get Some Relax
Getting enough rest is crucial in the days leading up to your wedding, so prioritize a good night’s sleep. Aim for 7.5 to 8.5 hours of quality rest each night, and go to bed early, ideally before 11 p.m. Establishing a consistent sleep routine will help you feel refreshed and energized each morning, making a significant difference in how you look and feel on your special day!
Day before wedding checklist
14. Practice your wedding vows
If you plan on writing your wedding vows or giving a reading or speech on the big day, it’s crucial to be well-prepared. Even if you have a cue card or script to read from, rehearsing what you will say is a vital task on the day before wedding checklist. Practice your vows out loud, ideally in front of someone else, to reduce the chances of stumbling over your words or mispronouncing anything during the ceremony.
15. Prepare your emergency Kit
Consider preparing a wedding day emergency kit to ensure you have everything you need in case of any mishaps or unexpected situations. Some essential items to include are:
- Makeup touch-up items like lipstick, mascara, powder, and wipes
- Clothing repair essentials like fabric tape or glue, a stain removal pen, and white chalk
- Personal hygiene items like antiperspirant, tissues, breath mints, and baby powder
Packing some snacks, cash, and an umbrella is also essential. If you plan to stay at a hotel the night before or after your wedding, pack all the necessary items for a comfortable stay, such as toiletries, makeup removers, pajamas, underwear, and a change of clothes.
16. Prep your honeymoon
Last-minute wedding details not to forget is to prepare and pack for your trip in advance, especially if you plan to go on a honeymoon or a mini-moon immediately after your nuptials. Make a list of the necessary clothes, accessories, and toiletries you’ll need, and start packing them in your honeymoon bags a few days before your wedding.
Remember to pack your passport and any other documents or items you may need for your flight, such as boarding passes, tickets, and travel insurance. It’s also advisable to check in online and print your boarding passes beforehand to avoid any last-minute stress or delays.
17. Write a love note to your financé
Are you and your fiancé exchanging sweet notes to read while getting ready? I strongly recommend that you do. It is valuable. Setting aside personal opinions, it is advisable not to procrastinate on this matter. While it is true that writing a note doesn’t necessarily require days, it is important to allocate a reasonable amount of time to craft a heartfelt message that your future spouse can treasure for a lifetime.
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Our last-minute wedding checklist for final preparations encompasses everything, from wedding vows to the final guest list and seating plan. The weeks leading up to your big day can be overwhelming but worry not. Viva Wedding Photography is here to streamline your life with a thorough list of tasks that must be accomplished before your wedding!
