Hello beautiful readers!! We hope you are all doing well and enjoying fall activities. We want to take a second to thank you for reading, it means so much to us!
A few blogs ago we talked about what not to do the week of the wedding and what to do instead. Things to avoid include contact sports, first time beauty products, new food or alcohol and so on while things to do include hair and nail appointments, packing and making sure attire is good to go. Well, here we are with your complete Week of Wedding Timeline! To start out the week of the wedding, have the final walkthrough, or final meetings, with the venue, wedding planner and other necessary vendors such as catering, photographer, florist, etc. All of this time and planning has gone into planning the day of the wedding, so we recommend starting off the week of the wedding confirming all of those details one final time. Then, enjoy the rest of the week leading up to the wedding with pampering and final preparations! The below list does not include the final confirmations and details of wedding vendors, but instead includes everything else!
Pick Up, Pack, Schedule
- Pack the wedding day “I Do” Duffel for any day of emergencies – make sure to check out our The “I Do Duffle!” blog for inspiration!
- Pack wedding day bags including all personal items that are not making it into the shoebox for the photographer (more on that down below, keep reading!).
- Pack overnight bags for the hotel – determine whether you will take them to the hotel or assign someone to take them there for you and schedule their pickup.
- Pack and label all décor that the wedding planner is going to place out for the wedding. Schedule a time for the wedding planner to pick up all décor or for you or a family member to drop it off at the venue. Ensure the place that it is being dropped off to is secure, temperature controlled and safe. Only drop off décor, do not include any personal belongings or gifts. Bring those on the day itself!
- Pick up and then pack any final paper products including signage, seating chart, menu cards, escort cards, etc.
- Prepare all wedding favors and pack them with the other décor. Check out our blog on Our Fave Favors for some ideas!
- Prepare all welcome baskets or bags for out of town guests. Schedule a family member or friend to drop these off at the hotels or air bnbs the morning that guests are checking in.
- If you are supplying your own alcohol, pack all alcohol to be transported to the venue ahead of time. Include an extra copy of the ABC License, just in case! Schedule a drop off time with the venue and ask family or wedding party members to take it over.
- Pick up the wedding dress(s) from getting steamed and pressed and store them in a safe, dry place until ready to leave for the venue. Schedule any appointments to clean and preserve the wedding dress(s) after the wedding.
- Pick up the suit from getting pressed and store it in a safe, dry place until ready to leave for the venue. Pro-tip: try on the suit a few weeks before the wedding to ensure a perfect fit! If not, get that appointment scheduled ASAP!
- Pick up the engagement ring from the cleaners. This should definitely be cleaned right before the wedding day to ensure it is shiny and clean for pictures!
- Pack a shoebox for the photographers details – this includes one of each paper product (invitations, save the dates, menus), jewelry, shoes, perfume, cologne, vow books, cufflinks, tie, watch, ALL three rings, etc. The engagement ring can be passed over that morning so that you can keep wearing it through festivities.
- Speaking of shoebox’s, ensure that any and all wedding shoes are thoroughly broken in and comfortable to walk in. If not, pack the necessary helpful items such as more protective socks, heal protectors, band aids, sole grip pads, numbing spray, etc in the “I Do” Duffel.
- Pick up the marriage license if you have not already!
- Pack the honeymoon bags if you are going on the honeymoon right away. Ensure that passports, visas and travelers checks are double checked and packed safely.
Share and/or Confirm
- Share the final timeline with family and wedding party including important event times. Ask your wedding planner if they can create a wedding day timeline that can be easily forwarded to wedding party and family!
- Confirm that the wedding party knows where they are going at the end of the night and if transportation is being supplied, share that information with them.
- Confirm that all wedding party members have all final outfits, shoes, accessories and that all outfits are pressed or steamed. If the men are renting suits, they should be pressed already, but ensure each wedding party member tries on their outfits to confirm a perfect fit!
- Make sure that anyone that is speaking at the wedding knows when they are to speak and confirm that they have their readings or speeches ready to go and practiced.
- Confirm the final guest count and all other final details with the rehearsal dinner restaurant.
- Confirm the final guest count and all other final details with the brunch restaurant.
- Share all honeymoon travel itinerary with a trusted family member or friend in case of any emergencies. Confirm that all banks and phones are aware of travel plans.
- Confirm the transportation to the airport for the honeymoon.
Prepare
- Prepare all vows, toasts and speeches for the rehearsal dinner and wedding. Print multiple copies of each and place them in different bags in case they are needed. Email the officiant any vows so that they also have a back up!
- Prepare all thank yous and gifts for wedding party and family. This is a great way to show your appreciation for their hard work and support over the engagement and wedding planning process.
- Prepare all tips, ensuring these are each in individual envelopes that are sealed and labeled. Assign a family member, close friend or wedding planner to distribute these and then pack them accordingly.
- Prepare any final payments to any vendors. Pro-tip: if at all possible, try to take care of ALL payments two weeks prior to the wedding so that it is not on your mind when trying to get ready!
Pamper
- For the brides, attend final hair, nail, spray tan, massage, waxing etc. appointments and treat yourself!
- For the grooms, attend final nail, massage, hair, etc. appointments and treat yourself!
- Take some time to enjoy the week with your soon-to-be by going on a date night, to a yoga class, on a leisurely walk or hike etc.
- Designate family or friends to pick up breakfast, coffee, beverages, snacks and lunch (if needed) the morning of as hair and makeup is being completed.
- Plan a morning activity such as brunch, golf, going to the movies etc. Remember this is your day and you should enjoy yourself!
- Just a friendly reminder to never, ever do anything that you have never done before the week of the wedding! For example, if you have never gotten a spray tan, the week of is not the time to do it as it may result in too much of a change, an allergic reaction, etc. Just stick to safe and common things that your body is used to.
While there are still little details to take care of on the week of the wedding, we want to highlight the Pamper section of this blog! Make sure that you and your soon-to-be are taking time to check in with each other, finding time to be together and that you are enjoying yourselves! As everyone knows, weddings are inherently stressful events, so to actively find times to relax and treat yourself will help make everything else less stressful! Remember, at the end of the day, what is important is that you two are marrying each other and starting a union together, so have fun with it and enjoy the weekend wedding events!
