It probably feels like forever from the day you got engaged to your wedding day. For me, as the months, days, and hours started to wind down, I was last minute googling “things to remember for wedding day”. I didn’t want to forget a thing!

It is a lot to keep track of on top of all other logistics. But, I want to make it easy for you. So, look no further! Here is a complete list of everything to remember for your special day.

Remember To Do Before Your Wedding Day:

Confirm location & times

Imagine showing up to your venue ready to start the day only to realize that the venue wasn’t expecting you. It is an absolute worst case scenario and is rare, but venues do make the mistake of double bookings or writing down the wrong date.

Be sure to confirm dates and times with all of your vendors (venue, catering, DJ, officiant, etc.) prior to your wedding date. Make sure they have the correct date, time, and location address.

Hot Tip: If this happens to you, do not panic. Revisit your contract to see what is written should a situation like this happen. Generally, you can ask for compensation from the venue if it was truly their mistake. Consult a lawyer if you cannot come to an agreement.

Vendor contact information

While double checking logistics with your vendors, also confirm what their contact information will be for the day of your wedding. Basically, know who to call in the event of an emergency.

For example, if their assistant is delivering your cake, be sure to have that assistant’s name and phone number.

Confirm transportation

On my wedding day, we did not hire any sort of professional transportation as we were staying at the resort which doubled as our wedding venue. But, I made the mistake of not thinking through how everyone was getting to the ceremony spot and then how we were all getting home.

We had our kids that were staying with their grandparents and were spread out to start. So, it wasn’t a major issue, but it was a last minute panic point to make sure no one was left stranded without a ride.

If you are hiring a limousine or shuttle, be sure to confirm pick-up times and addresses with them in the weeks prior to your wedding.

Rain plan

If you are getting married outside, discuss a Plan B option in the event of rain before your wedding. Ideally, this is something you discuss with your venue while originally selecting a location.

You do not want to see rain in the forecast and then be scrambling to figure out where your ceremony is going to be. Closely monitor the weather with your venue on the day and set a drop dead time for making a decision to initiate your rain plan.

Hot Tip: Again, if it rains on your wedding day, do not panic. I have seen some of the most amazing wedding photos holding clear umbrellas in the rain. Ask your photographer in advance what their rain plan for pictures would be.

Day-of coordinator

Consider getting a day-of coordinator prior to your wedding to make your day less stressful. With my coordinator, she came in about one month before our wedding to start talking through the logistics of everything.

If there was a problem on our wedding day, I had absolutely no idea about it. She handled everything from set up, to making sure everything was running on time, to handling the clean-up.

If you have the budget for it, I would definitely recommend getting a coordinator. You will not regret it.

Schedule wedding rehearsal

Wedding rehearsals allow you to walk through your ceremony and practice where everyone moves. This typically occurs at your venue within a few days before your wedding.

Schedule your rehearsal with your venue early. There is a chance that you will have to work around other weddings happening at that venue. Our rehearsal was on a Friday morning and we didn’t get married until Sunday afternoon.

Explore More: Not sure what happens at your wedding rehearsal? Read my post about what to expect at your wedding rehearsal.

Schedule hair & make-up trial

Save yourself any surprises on your wedding day by scheduling a hair and make-up trial before your wedding day. It allows you time to make any adjustments to the style. It will also make your wedding day much more efficient.

I did a hair trial and wore it home for a few hours where it promptly fell out entirely. So, we last minute had to adjust the style to something a little more refined with a lot more bobby pins.

I am glad we tested it out first because otherwise my hair would have barely made it through the ceremony.

Hot Tip: Take a lot of pictures of your hair and make-up trial. These then help serve as great reference photos on your wedding day.

Remember in the Morning:

Getting ready outfit

Have something comfortable picked out to wear on the morning of your wedding while you are getting ready. You might choose to have a photographer there while you are getting ready so I recommend planning what to wear in advance.

Some people opt to buy matching outfits for their bridesmaids when getting ready. I chose to get matching sweatpants for myself and my bridesmaids so we could keep it comfortable.

Hot Tip: Wear a button down shirt or a robe if you are getting your hair done. You do not want to pull your shirt over your head and risk ruining your hair.

Getting Ready Playlist

Set the mood for your day by creating a custom playlist with all of your favorite songs.

The morning of my wedding was super relaxing since my bridesmaid created one of my favorite playlists filled with feel-good oldies. You can’t go wrong starting your day listening to “Chapel of Love”.

Bridal Attire

This one is pretty obvious, but don’t forget to bring all your bridal attire! Collect everything before your wedding and use a garment bag to keep everything together.

Remember to bring your wedding dress, veil, undergarments, shoes, jewelry, and garter (if choosing to wear one).

Hot Tip: Break in your shoes before your wedding. I like to do this by wearing big fluffy socks with my shoes on and warming them up with a hair dryer. Then let them cool while wearing them.

Groom Attire

Make sure your significant other has everything they need for the wedding as well. Don’t forget their suit, button down shirt, undergarments, tie, shoes, socks, and cuff links (if wanted).

Make-up for touch ups

Whether you are getting your make-up professionally done or doing it yourself, remember to bring some make-up for touch-ups. Many brides choose to touch up their look after the ceremony or before any pictures.

I personally didn’t touch up my make-up much other than some lip gloss. Invest in a good setting spray to minimize the amount of touch-ups you need to do.

Day-of emergency kit

You want to be prepared for the unexpected on your wedding day by having an emergency kit on hand. From stain pens, to sewing kits, to extra eyelash glue, create a small bag of all the items that you might need.

I actually tripped on my dress and ripped it during our ceremony. Fortunately, it was only a small hole or else I would have been glad to have a sewing kit on hand.

Explore More: Check out my complete list of last-minute wedding day items you will actually use! Don’t miss a thing!

Coffee

I am not a coffee drinker at all, but on my wedding day I definitely needed an extra pick-me-up. Adrenaline, excitement, and nerves are extremely common the night before often leaving brides awake at 4:00am ready to go.

On the night before my wedding, I could not sleep at all. I think I got a total of four hours of sleep.

Therefore, if you drink coffee, designate a person that can pick something up for you to start your morning with a boost of energy. Bonus points if they get the barista to write “bride” on it for something special.

Gift to groom/bride

This is 100% not necessary, but many people choose to exchange a small gift or card for their soon-to-be spouse. Just be sure to designate a friend or family member to be the one to deliver it on the morning of your wedding.

As avid fans of the television show “The Office”, I had my bridesmaids put up a giant “It is Your Wedding” sign in the house where my husband was getting ready. I also included a small card and some Tron socks, which is his favorite movie.

Remember for Your Ceremony:

Marriage license

You can’t officially get married without your marriage license. About a month before your wedding, look into applying for your marriage license through your local court house.

Each county handles the application differently, but for us it was just a short virtual meeting that required us to show our IDs. It takes a few days to process so don’t wait until the last minute to get it done!

On your wedding day, you will need your officiant and two witnesses to sign your license. For us, we had our parents sign, which was a special moment for us. Your officiant is then responsible for mailing in all the appropriate documentation.

Rings

Don’t forget to bring your rings on your wedding day! We kept our wedding rings in a small, velvet box which doubled well for taking photos of our rings.

If you are having a ring bearer or best man hold onto your rings for the ceremony, just make sure they have them in their pocket before the ceremony.

Vows

If you are writing your own vows, print these out on paper! This is my husband’s one regret that he had not printed his vows so he looks like he is on his phone in all of our pictures.

We did not feel comfortable sharing our personal vows in front of everyone. So, we had a more private ceremony with just our parents. If you are also in the same boat, you could consider exchanging vows with just each other during your first look.

Decorations

Depending on when your ceremony is, you likely won’t be able to set up decorations until the morning of your wedding. Make a complete list of everything you need to bring so you don’t forget anything.

I recommend keeping everything in boxes based on where they were going. So, you would have a box with table decor, gift table decor, lighting, etc. If you are not helping with set up, make sure you clearly label everything with directions.

Explore More: Not sure what decorations you might need? Look over my ultimate wedding decor checklist.

Traditions

Traditions are completely up to you if you want to include them. They certainly are not required by any means. If you are considering doing something special, just be sure to add those to the list of things to remember.

If you want to toss your bouquet to all the single ladies, consider getting a smaller one made just for tossing. This way, you will not damage your own for any more pictures. I also enjoyed keeping my bouquet in a vase for a few days following our ceremony.

If you want to wear a garter, add this to your garment bag with your dress and other accessories. I have heard of two many brides that have bought garters and then forgotten to wear them.

Lastly, if interested, don’t forget the classic “something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”. For my wedding, my dress and ring were new. I borrowed an old bracelet from my stepmom. And then, my bridesmaids wrote notes in blue ink on the bottom of my shoes.

Remember for After Your Ceremony:

Kids

If you have kids, make sure you designate a person to take them home at the end of the night. My husband and I had a rented condo that we stayed in while our kids’ grandparents took them for the night.

Consider that your kids might need to leave before the party ends. Pack them an overnight bag as well. It is best to figure out these logistics before the end of the night.

Extra shoes

Unless you are used to wearing high heels for an extended period of time, remember to bring an extra pair of shoes. You will be much more comfortable dancing the night away.

Many brides opt for an easy pair of white flip flops to go with their dress. I personally chose to just take off my shoes and go barefoot for the rest of the night.

Hot Tip: Have a bin of cheap flip flops and offer a pair to all your guests as well!

Overnight bag

Depending on where you are spending the night, you might need to pack an overnight bag. Many couples might spend the night in a special hotel suite different from the place where they got ready in the morning.

Be sure to pack any comfy clothes for an after party or any special late night outfits (wink wink!).

Late night meal

Ask your coordinator or someone from your bridal party to prepare a to-go box filled with goodies. After a long day, chances are you might get the munchies late at night. I know many couples who ended up ordering themselves a pizza.

After our wedding, my husband and I snacked on cookies from our wedding while watching “The Office”. It was truly a highlight and one of my favorite memories from our wedding day.

Clean up crew

If you do not have a coordinator, make sure you designate a group of people to clean up after your wedding. This might include picking up gifts, decor, or taking home extra treats.

Discuss with your venue what their requirements are for cleaning up. If they have another wedding coming in the next day, you would be required to clean everything up by a certain time. If you are lucky, they might allow you to store things overnight and pick them up in the morning.

Cash for tips

Remember to bring envelopes filled with cash for any necessary tips. There is not a hard rule for tipping, but it is generally expected.

Consider tipping your wedding planner, DJ, venue coordinator, photographer, and bar & wait staff.

Hot Tip: On top of tipping, be sure to leave your vendors a five start review online. They rely heavily on word of mouth and reviews to promote their business. If they did a good job, be sure to return the favor.

Bouquet and dress preservation

One thing that I did not do after my wedding that I wish I had done was look into preserving my wedding bouquet, or at least a few flowers from it. You can do this by submerging your flowers into silica gel for a few days and letting them dry. You can head over to First Day of Home for easy instructions.

Secondly, consider preserving your wedding dress. Many place offer dry cleaning and preserving as a package deal to prevent your dress from yellowing over the years.

With both of these, it is important to make these decisions before your wedding day and have them ready to go. You want to act fact while things are still fresh.

Lastly, just remember to relax! Things might go wrong on your wedding day, but at the end of it, you will still be married. Don’t waste too much energy getting upset about the things you can’t control.

Wedding Photo Credit: Asheville Wedding Photography