Last minute wedding tasks come up at every single wedding, no matter the size.
There are just some things that have to be done in the weeks and days leading up to your wedding, and can’t be done any sooner. Of course, it’s ideal to avoid procrastination and get items crossed off your checklist as early as you can. However, this isn’t always feasible. There will always be things to take care of right before the wedding.
Though every wedding is different, there are some common last minute wedding tasks that each engaged person should be aware of. When you know what to take care of, you’ll be able to plan for these tasks when when the time comes. Sometimes creating a list, or just knowing that these are the remaining items to do, will help you get an item done with less stress.
9 Last Minute Wedding Tasks
This post is going to share with you nine common last minute wedding tasks. Not all of them will apply to your wedding, but some will. And you may have some of your own items to add to the list. If you need to, check out these posts about ten things to do the night before your wedding, and the morning of, to make sure you don’t miss anything at all.
Here we go!
1. COMPLETE ANY LAST MINUTE WEDDING DIY PROJECTS
If you’ve ever tried to complete a DIY (aka do-it-yourself) project, you know that they are often more time consuming than you originally would think.
This is why if you have some last minute wedding DIY projects to take care of, try and get to them at least a week ahead of the wedding, if not sooner. You may need time to procure materials, schedule help from other people, or allow glue or paint to dry. The sooner you start planning for these things, the less stress you’ll have leading up to the wedding.
Remember, if you are creating anything large or delicate, you should also have a transportation plan for those items. A DIY wedding project is only worthwhile if you can safely get it to your wedding. Be prepared ahead of your wedding for moving your actual items.
2. COMPILE AND COMMUNCATE FINAL GUEST COUNT
One last minute wedding task that is usually left until the weeks before the wedding is finalizing and communicating your guest count.
Ideally, start working on your final guest count list about a month before the wedding, and edit and add to it as you gather more information. Once you have your RSVP’s back, you’ll need to give your final list to any vendors that need it. Typically, this would be your caterer, and anyone that you’re renting space or equipment from. You’ll also need to know this number to make sure that you have the right amount of favors, as well as to help finish your seating plan and chart.
If the thought of leaving your final guest count to the last minute stresses you out, give yourself a little more time by sending out invitations early. If many of your guests have to travel for your wedding, they should know about it and can commit at least a month or two ahead of it. Of course, if you do have an early RSVP date, there will be more of a risk that some guest’s situation changes. However, you can modify and edit your guest list as needed.
3. FINAL FITTINGS / PICKING UP CLOTHES
One wedding planning task that needs to be taken of fairly close to the wedding is fittings for your clothes.
While it may be unlikely that your size will change, it’s still best to make sure final alterations are within weeks of the wedding, just in case. Additionally, if you or your partner are renting any clothing items, you’ll have to pick them up right before the wedding. Typically pants, shirts, and suits can be ordered about a month before the wedding unless you are anticipating a big change in your size.
To properly prepare for these last minute wedding tasks, plan when you’ll schedule alterations, pick clothes up, and how you’ll transport them. Delicate or large wedding dresses may need a little extra care to keep them pristine. Ideally, they would be laid out flat, in a bag, so having space in your car is imperative.
As an added bit of advice, when you get clothes home, hang them properly. Make sure any dresses or suits are safe from sunlight, have a little space around them, and are no where near moisture or bugs.
4. MAKE SURE YOUR LICENSE IS APPLIED FOR APPROPRIATELY
The laws vary by location when it comes to marriage licenses, but this is likely something that will have to be taken care of right before the wedding.
Every county, state, and country has a different protocol when it comes to applying for your marriage license. It also gets more complicated if you’re having a destination wedding. The timelines for application, ceremony, and submitting the paperwork back can be tight, too. Some locations have wait times or time limits to deal with, so you’ll need to plan early to ensure you’re set up for success.
To make sure you take care of this last minute wedding task properly, first call your local county for their instructions. Do this months ahead of the wedding. One, or both of you, may need to find your birth certificate, or make additional appointments ahead of application. With the influx of weddings in 2021 and 2022, you may also have to make an appointment at your local government agency just to apply to get married.
My best advice with this is to know what you’re required to do early as you’re likely to apply in the weeks or days leading up to the wedding.
5. CREATE & COMMUNCIATE WEDDING DAY TIMELINE
Weddings are often filled with event after event. Creating a wedding day, or weekend, timeline will help keep everyone on track and organized.
While you can create a wedding day timeline well ahead of your wedding, you’ll likely need to edit it a little in the days before your wedding. Some of your vendors, like your photographer, wedding planner, or venue, may have suggestions on what to modify. And, you may learn additional information about weather, transportation, or other people’s schedules that changes things.
There is a lot of flexibility when it comes to creating your wedding day timeline, and you can make one that works for you. You will need to communicate it out, though. Make sure to give yourself enough time to email your timeline to anyone who is participating in the wedding. This includes vendors and your wedding party.
6. PACK UP LAST MINUTE WEDDING DAY ITEMS
A big last minute wedding task that is almost impossible to take care of early on is packing up anything you’ll need for your wedding.
This could include jewelry, wedding rings, clothes, décor, signage, letters or anything else needed for the ceremony or reception. It can also be an emergency kit, unless you’ve delegated someone else to put that together for you. My best piece of advice? Make a list or inventory of everything you need, and then start organizing them based on when you need them.
It helped me a lot to put items into boxes. I then labeled the outside of the box with what was inside. I also included notes about where each item would go, and who would take it when the wedding was over. These notes helped the people setting up our wedding. This way, we knew what we were bringing, and we made sure nothing else was left behind.
7. LAST MINUTE WEDDING BEAUTY TREATMENTS
Be prepared to have a lot of beauty appointments in the weeks and days leading up to your wedding, if you’re into this sort of thing.
Of course, you can DIY your own beauty, as written about in this post. However, chances are you will have some professional services done. The great thing is that you’ll look and feel beautiful on your wedding day. The not so great thing is that many of these service need to be taken care of right before the wedding.
Here are some common beauty treatments and when they should be taken care of:
- Pedicures and Manicures – Two to three days before the wedding
- Waxing – Three to five days before the wedding
- Haircuts and Colors – A week or two before the wedding
- Spray Tanning – Two to three days before the wedding
As you can see, these appointments can stack up around each other. Be sure to leave space ahead of the wedding for them. Also, plan them for the correct order. For example, you may want to get a pedicure before your spray tan.
8. PREPARE ANY VENDOR TIPS
Now, when and what you pay vendors for tips is totally up to you, as written about in this post.
However, if you are planning on giving tips at the wedding, it’ll be best to prepare any cash envelops right before you leave. This may mean going to a bank and taking out withdrawals. It could also mean writing a note to go with the envelop. And, chances are that you are not going to be the one to actually dole out the tips at the wedding. So, you’ll need to provide instructions to the person who is.
Remember that tips are subjective to the service provided and not always a given. If you don’t have time to take care of this last minute item, it’s absolutely okay to provide a tip after your wedding.
9. LETTERS TO LOVED ONES
One of the most thoughtful things you can do on your wedding day is give letters to your loved ones.
This could be a letter to your fiancé. Or your parents. Or your in-laws. It could be to anyone special to you who helped with your wedding. And while it is possible to write these letters months ahead of the wedding, you may find that it’s best to leave it as a last minute wedding item. Waiting until the day before or day of your wedding to write a thoughtful letter will help keep the content fresh. It will also allow you to mention anything that happened right before the wedding.
Of course, if you’d like to prepare for writing letters you can start planning well ahead of the wedding. For example, you can pick the cards and pens out. You can also look up quotes to use, or templates online. Just leave the actually finalization and writing for the last minute.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
As you can tell, there’s lots to do right before your wedding. The good news is, though it will be busy, you can plan ahead for most of it. Make sure to leave time in your schedule to allow for last minute wedding tasks. When possible, procure materials or make plans early on. Lean on your partner and community if you need to. It will all get done!
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