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.
This Week is Different from Every Other Week
The two-weeks-out phase is about confirmation: making sure all decisions are locked in. This week is pure execution. Decisions are done. Now you operate.
Two Weeks Out: Confirmation Mode
- Calling vendors to confirm all booked details
- Drafting the seating chart and making adjustments
- Getting final RSVP numbers from stragglers
- Finalizing the ceremony script with your officiant
This Week: Execution Mode
- Calling vendors to confirm they are on their way
- Final printed seating chart is in hand, ready to display
- Final headcount is locked and delivered to caterer
- Vow cards are written, rehearsed, and packed in your bag
Your Wedding Week Day Plan
Category-based organization tells you what to do. This timeline tells you when. Use it as a loose guide: the categories are fixed, the days are flexible.
All vendor calls, done by noon.
Front-load every confirmation call on Monday morning. If you reach voicemail, leave a specific message and send a follow-up email. By noon you should have spoken to or heard back from your photographer, DJ, caterer, florist, officiant, and venue coordinator. The rest of the week stays open.
Pick up attire, assemble tip envelopes.
Collect your dress or suit from the seamstress, try it on at home, and hang it in a safe spot. While you are in logistical mode, count out cash for every tip envelope, label them clearly, and hand them to the person responsible for distributing them on the day. Do not wait until Thursday for this.
Beauty appointments, write personal notes.
Schedule nails and any final hair treatment for today. Midweek gives you a buffer day if anything needs a touch-up. After your appointment, spend an hour writing your personal notes: the letter to your partner, a card to each parent, and short thank-you notes for the wedding party. These take longer than you expect.
Pack everything, tech check, rehearsal.
Pack your wedding day bag: vow cards, rings in their box, emergency kit, all printed documents, phone charger, and a change of shoes. Test every QR code on three different phones. Tonight is rehearsal. Run the ceremony twice, walk out the full vendor timeline with anyone involved, and confirm every detail with your coordinator in person.
Rehearsal dinner, test speakers, early bedtime.
Enjoy the rehearsal dinner without checking your phone every five minutes. Before you leave for the night, test any portable speakers and charge every device one final time. Set a morning alarm. Aim for 9 to 10 hours of sleep. This is the last night before everything changes, and rest is the best thing you can do with it.
The wedding.
Every task is done. Every call has been made. Every envelope is labeled. Today your only job is to be present. Eat breakfast. Drink water. Breathe. The planning version of you did the work. The wedding-day version of you gets to show up and enjoy it.
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.
The Wedding Week Delegation Matrix
Not every task on this list belongs to you. Assigning ownership before the week starts prevents confusion on the day. Here is who handles what.
Wedding Coordinator
- Vendor arrivals and check-in
- Venue setup and layout
- Tip envelope distribution
- Emergency point of contact for all vendors
Maid of Honor / Best Man
- Emergency kit custodian
- Timeline distribution to wedding party
- Morning-of logistics and transport
- Keeping the schedule on track during getting-ready
Parents
- Hospitality point of contact for out-of-town guests
- Hotel block coordination
- Greeting early arrivals at venue
- Any family-specific cultural rituals or coordination
Partner A
- Vow cards packed and accessible
- Wedding rings confirmed in bag
- Personal note to partner sealed and labeled
- Own attire and accessories verified
Partner B
- Marriage license location confirmed
- Officiant final communication
- Personal note to partner sealed and labeled
- Own attire and accessories verified
What to Do If a Vendor Does Not Show
It is rare. But it happens. Having a 3-step response plan for each vendor category means you spend 60 seconds deciding what to do instead of 20 minutes panicking.
Photographer does not show
- 1Call their backup coordinator number immediately. Most photographers have one listed in their contract.
- 2Post in your local wedding Facebook or Reddit group. Photographers in the area often step in on short notice.
- 3Ask your coordinator to designate a trusted guest with a good camera to fill the gap.
- 4Have your Pix Wedding QR codes active: guest photos at 100 tables add up to a genuine record of the day.
DJ does not show
- 1A curated Spotify playlist on a portable Bluetooth speaker is meaningfully better than silence.
- 2Call the venue to ask about in-house speaker rental. Most have something.
- 3Ask your coordinator to manage the playlist and announce transitions with a microphone if available.
- 4Spotify has premade wedding reception playlists. Search "wedding reception" and pick one as a fallback.
Florist is late or bouquet is damaged
- 1If the florist is late, call and get an ETA before escalating. Most delays are 15 to 30 minutes.
- 2If the bridal bouquet does not arrive on time, pick up a fresh arrangement from a nearby grocery store. Simple and real beats nothing.
- 3Table centerpieces can be simplified: candles, single stems in bud vases, or greenery from a nursery can fill a table.
- 4Take photos with what you have. The ceremony does not depend on the flowers.
Caterer has a major issue
- 1Ask your venue coordinator immediately. Venues that host weddings regularly have emergency catering contacts.
- 2Contact a local restaurant or food truck that does event catering. Offer to pay a premium for same-day service.
- 3If it is a partial issue (late arrival, one dish unavailable), work with the caterer on what they can deliver.
- 4Keep the bar service going while food is resolved. Guests are significantly more patient with drinks in hand.
Tech Checklist for Wedding Week
The Tech and Photos category is easy to underestimate. A 10-minute setup on Thursday saves 2 hours of chaos on Saturday. Work through this list in order.
Create your Pix Wedding account and generate your QR code
Do not leave this until Thursday. If you run into any issues with account setup or QR customization, you want time to fix them.
Print QR code table signs and test the link on one phone
Print at least 20 percent more signs than tables. They get bent, lost, or taken as souvenirs.
Test your Pix Wedding QR code on three different phones
Try an iPhone, an Android, and an older device if you can. The link should open instantly and allow upload without an app download.
Designate one groomsman or bridesmaid as the tech point person
This person handles any tech questions on the day. They know where the QR codes are, what the Pix Wedding link is, and who to call if there is a speaker issue.
Share your QR code with your photographer
Ask them to display or share the Pix Wedding link in the getting-ready area. Candid behind-the-scenes shots from your wedding party will land automatically in your album.
Test all portable speakers and Bluetooth connections
Play 5 minutes of music through every speaker you plan to use. Check volume, range, and that the Bluetooth pairing is saved.
Set your phone to airplane mode only during the ceremony
Not silent mode. Airplane mode. Incoming calls and notifications during vows have ended careers and ruined recordings. Switch back immediately after.
More wedding week resources
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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.