Introduction
Wedding day is a long awaited dream filled day that will be remembered for the rest of your life. It races by quickly and is packed with a busy timeline ranging from preparing logistics to an emotional ceremony to often chaotic reception and more. Hopefully with some smart pre-planning, careful packing, and some helpful volunteers, wedding day can allow a bride to be in La-La-Land, as it should be, enjoying the day while knowing the details are being handled. Let me share with you my top three “Wedding Day Planning” advice.
With so many items to bring, to do, to accomplish, to be in charge of, the top three bits of advice fall into three basic categories: List, Label, and Delegate. Let me help explain how to proceed with these three.
list
Frankly, you can not proceed until you have made your Master List of all of the details of your wedding day. Google can help. Your Wedding Planner or Day of Coordinator can help. Your list should include each aspect of your wedding day. You will not know how to organize what you do not know that you need. So many unique particulars depending on your wedding will determine what all is to be included but a sampler is the following:
- Timeline
- items needed for pre-wedding prepping
- Refreshments for pre-wedding
- Welcome Table Items
- Signs, Decor, Favors, Sparklers
- Dinnerware, Napkins, Glassware, etc.
- Toasting Glasses, Cake Knife
- Honeymoon Luggage Items
- Marriage Certificate
- Final Payment Checks
Label
Maybe the best tip out of the three is to go purchase matching shopping bags and/or plastic container tubs. Pick a design or a color that speaks to you but make sure that they are all alike. If you need some of both, coordinate the colors. As you pack some of the items listed in the above section, pack them into these tubs or bags. Each tub or bag should also have a very distinct label that shows the category as well as what is in the container. For example: Caterer might be a label for one. Under “CATERER” put: Dinner Plates, Silverware, Dinner Napkins, Bar Napkins, Cake Plates, Cake Forks, Cake Napkins. By labeling each, this allows you to organize each category accordingly and pack all like kinds in them. The matching totes/containers will nelp distinguish your items from anybody else’s crates or containers. It will also help insure that these are returned to you at the night’s end. It also helps the venue manager or Coordinator to reload any left-over items or decor back to the crates that they arrived in. It will help you (or likely your parents) to identify key items prior to exiting as well as helping after these items return home being in some sort of organized fashion.
delegate
In most weddings, there are various vendors who have their own category of responsibilities for your wedding day. Knowing that you have clarified with each of them what all they are doing, bringing, and handling is an important element of Wedding Planning 101. This is part of the “Delegate” advice. First, know what they are responsible for, then reaffirm these details in writing with a contact name and number. This becomes part of your “List” as well as your “Delegate” categories. As you work your way down your list of items to be brought and tasks needing to be done, consider who you can delegate to oversee much of this. Prioritize yourself and even your fiance. You may actually be in charge ahead of wedding day with many tasks of the planning and prepping stages, but try to lessen your responsibilities as you get closer to wedding day. Try to limit the tasks and responsibilites also of your parents. They can be very helpful alleviating some of your load, but just do not overwhelm them either. The goal is to allow you two and your parents to relax and enjoy this day as much as possible. Utilize your Maid of Honor for some key roles in this process. For example, she could be responsible for overseeing the “Prepping Items” like toiletries, Bridal Gift Bags, Emergency Sewing Kits, Bridal Gown Hanger, and snacks. By careful proper delegating of items and tasks, it spreads the load.
Just like the saying, “Many hands make light work,” there are many people in your circle of friends and family who have likely offered help or have a desire to help you. With a thorough and detailed list, organized and well-labeled items in easy to identify and haul totes, plus limited and very specific delegating of needs to a short list of helpers, wedding day can run smoother and more care-free. List, Label, and Delegate – Easy Peezy. Good luck.