Things to Do the Week of Your Wedding
Every task you need to handle during your wedding week, organized into 6 categories with priority levels. Focus on what matters most and delegate the rest.
Vendor Coordination
Call your photographer
Confirm arrival time, shot list, group photo list, and first look location. Send a text summary after the call.
Call your DJ or band
Confirm playlist, must-play and do-not-play lists, ceremony music cues, and reception timeline.
Call your caterer
Deliver final headcount, confirm dietary accommodations, cake delivery time, and service style.
Call your florist
Confirm delivery window, setup locations for ceremony and reception, and any backup plan for heat or rain.
Call your officiant
Review ceremony script one final time, confirm arrival and mic needs, and discuss any personal vow logistics.
Call your venue coordinator
Confirm room layout, access times for setup, emergency contacts, parking details, and rain plan.
Email final timeline to all vendors
One unified document with every vendor name, arrival time, contact number, and responsibility. Send it to everyone.
Personal Preparation
Pick up wedding attire from final alterations
Try it on one more time at home. Make sure all accessories (veil, belt, cufflinks) are accounted for.
Practice vows out loud at least twice
Read them standing up, at speaking volume. Time yourself. Adjust anything that feels unnatural when spoken.
Final hair and nail appointments
Schedule these for midweek so you look fresh but have a buffer day in case of any issues.
Break in wedding shoes at home
Wear them around the house for 2 hours on carpet. Scuff the soles slightly so they are not slippery on the dance floor.
Write personal notes
Letters to your partner for wedding morning, notes to parents, and thank-you cards for your wedding party.
Schedule a massage or relaxation activity
Book something for Tuesday or Wednesday. You need at least one dedicated hour of pure relaxation this week.
Venue and Logistics
Confirm hotel room blocks
Verify all guest rooms are reserved and any unused blocks are released before the penalty deadline.
Finalize transportation
Confirm pickup times, vehicle types, and routes for wedding party, guests, and post-reception rides.
Print seating chart, place cards, and programs
Print extras. Bring tape, stands, and frames. Have a backup plan if anything gets damaged.
Prepare tip envelopes with correct cash
Label each envelope clearly: photographer, DJ, caterer, coordinator, driver. Hand them to your best man or coordinator.
Assemble wedding day emergency kit
Pain relievers, safety pins, stain remover, bobby pins, tissues, band-aids, breath mints, phone charger, and snacks.
Documents
Confirm marriage license is signed and accessible
Without this, your ceremony is not legally binding. Know exactly where it is and who is bringing it.
Verify insurance and permits
If your venue requires event insurance or a noise permit, confirm these are in order and bring copies.
Prepare vendor contracts for reference
Have digital copies on your phone in case any vendor disputes a detail. Better to have them and not need them.
Self-Care
Sleep 8 hours every night this week
This is not optional. Your appearance, mood, and ability to handle stress all depend on sleep. Set a bedtime alarm.
Move your body daily
Even a 20-minute walk counts. Light movement reduces cortisol and improves sleep quality. Skip anything intense.
Limit alcohol after Wednesday
Alcohol disrupts sleep, dehydrates skin, and increases anxiety. Save the champagne for Saturday.
Have one wedding-free evening with your partner
Go to dinner. Watch a movie. Talk about anything except the wedding. You will both need this reset.
Tech and Photos
Set up Pix Wedding QR codes for guest photos
Create your account, generate QR codes, and print table signs. Takes 10 minutes and handles guest photos automatically.
Charge all batteries and devices
Phone, portable charger, camera, laptop. Fully charge everything by Thursday and top off Friday night.
Create a shared photo album for the wedding party
In addition to Pix Wedding for guests, set up a quick album for behind-the-scenes getting-ready shots.
Test your wedding playlist or music setup
If you are using a personal playlist for cocktail hour or getting ready, test the speakers and Bluetooth connection now.
More wedding week resources
First dance
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Big week. Get your photo plan ready.
Add one simple task to your wedding week list: a Pix Wedding QR code at every table. Every guest photo lands in your shared album automatically.
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Why Organizing by Category Beats Organizing by Day
Most wedding week guides give you a day-by-day timeline. That works for some people, but it falls apart the moment your schedule shifts. A vendor calls you back on Tuesday instead of Monday. Your nail appointment moves. Suddenly the whole daily plan feels off.
Organizing by category gives you flexibility. You can knock out all vendor calls in one focused session, handle all personal preparation tasks on the same afternoon, and tackle logistics whenever you have a free hour. The tasks get done. The order does not matter as much as you think.
- •Category-based lists let you batch similar tasks together for efficiency
- •Priority labels help you focus on what truly matters when time is limited
- •Flexible scheduling reduces stress when plans inevitably shift
- •You can delegate entire categories to a trusted person
The Vendor Confirmation Call Script
Not sure what to say when you call vendors? Keep it simple. Cover five things: arrival time, setup location, contact number for the day, any changes since the last conversation, and confirmation that they have the final timeline. That is it.
After every call, send a brief text or email summarizing what was discussed. This creates a written record and prevents misunderstandings. A five-minute call now prevents a five-hour crisis on your wedding day.
What Most Couples Forget During Wedding Week
The most commonly forgotten items are vendor tip envelopes, the marriage license, comfortable shoes for the reception, and a phone charger for the getting-ready room. These are small things that become big problems when missing.
The solution is simple: complete the Documents and Logistics categories early in the week. By Wednesday, every envelope should be labeled, every document should be located, and every device should be charged. Then you can spend Thursday through Saturday focused on self-care and enjoyment.
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Confirm all vendors. This single task prevents the majority of wedding day problems. Call each vendor, confirm every detail, and send a follow-up email with a summary. Do this on Monday so you have the rest of the week as a buffer.
By category rather than by day. Some tasks can happen any day of the week. Focus on Critical priority items first (vendor calls, documents), High priority second (personal prep, logistics), and Medium priority third (self-care, tech).
If possible, take at least Thursday and Friday off. Many couples take the full week. The less rushed you feel, the more you will enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Mental space matters as much as task completion.
Sleep is the number one priority. Eight hours per night, every night. After that: one massage or relaxation activity, one date with your partner that is not about the wedding, daily movement, and limited alcohol after Wednesday.
Finalize it early in the week, ideally Monday or Tuesday. This gives you time to print place cards and table numbers, and adjust for any last-minute guest changes that come in by midweek.
Create your Pix Wedding account, generate your unique QR code, and print table signs or cards. Place them on each table at the venue. Guests scan to upload photos to your private album. Total setup time: about 10 minutes.