Wedding Day Checklist: 14 Things Couples Always Forget
After coordinating hundreds of weddings, we've seen couples forget the same essential items over and over. From vendor tip envelopes to emergency kits, here are the 14 most commonly forgotten wedding day items—and how to make sure nothing slips through the cracks on your big day.
Planning a wedding can feel like juggling a thousand details at once. Between choosing your venue, finalizing the guest list, selecting the perfect dress, and coordinating with vendors, it's easy for small but crucial items to slip through the cracks. Even the most organized couples find themselves scrambling on their wedding day because certain essentials got overlooked in the chaos of planning. The good news? After years of wedding planning experience, we know exactly what tends to get forgotten—and we're sharing our insider knowledge so you can avoid the last-minute panic. Whether you're months away from your big day or in the final countdown, this checklist will help ensure nothing gets left behind.
Before the Wedding Day
1. Adding Vendors to Your Guest List
It might seem obvious, but many couples forget to add their vendors to the final guest count and seating chart. Your photographer, videographer, DJ, and coordinator need to eat too! Forgetting to include them in your catering count can create awkward moments and hungry vendors who are working hard to make your day perfect. And don’t forget to ask if there are dietary restrictions!
Pro tip: Confirm vendor meal requirements at least two weeks before your wedding. Some contracts include vendor meals, while others require you to provide them separately. Make sure your venue or caterer knows exactly how many vendor meals to prepare.
2. Preparing a Photographer Details Box
Your photographer will want to capture all those beautiful details—your invitation suite, rings, perfume, shoes, jewelry, and other meaningful items. Many couples forget to gather these items in one place, leading to a rushed scramble the morning of the wedding.
Pro tip: Pack a beautiful box or tray with all your detail items the night before. Include your invitation suite, both rings, jewelry, perfume, shoes, vow books, and any sentimental items like your grandmother's handkerchief or a special gift from your partner. Working with us? Your coordinator will have everything styled and ready before your photographer arrives, so you're not paying for extra time while they prep details. We'll remove tags, steam fabrics, and arrange everything on matching hangers—because every minute with your creative team counts (and costs!). This means more time capturing genuine moments and fewer dollars spent on setup.
3. Getting Wedding Attire Photo-Ready
Your dress, suit, and accessories need to be steamed, pressed, and displayed beautifully for those getting-ready photos. Wrinkled fabric or a dress still in its garment bag doesn't photograph well and can add unnecessary stress to your morning.
Pro tip: Hang your wedding attire on beautiful, matching hangers the night before. Invest in personalized wooden hangers or elegant velvet ones—they make for stunning photos and become keepsakes you'll treasure. Have your dress steamed professionally or use a handheld steamer the evening before.
4. Preparing Envelopes with Vendor Tips
You've budgeted for vendor tips, but if you don't prepare the envelopes ahead of time with cash and clear labels, they often get forgotten in the wedding day chaos. Your vendors work incredibly hard to make your day special, and they deserve to be tipped appropriately.
Pro tip: Prepare labeled envelopes with cash tips at least a week before your wedding. Write each vendor's name clearly on the outside and designate a trusted person (your wedding coordinator, best man, or parent) to distribute them at specific times throughout the day.
5. Booking Late Night Transportation
The celebration is winding down, you're exhausted and elated, and suddenly you realize—how are you getting back to your hotel? Many couples book transportation to the venue but forget about the ride home, especially if the reception runs later than expected.
Pro tip: Book round-trip transportation or ensure your service includes wait time and a return trip. If you're using a rideshare service, have a trusted friend pre-schedule it for your estimated end time, and make sure your phone is charged or someone else can call it for you.
6. Communicating Family Seating for the Ceremony
Your immediate family members are standing in the back wondering where they should sit, while your ceremony is about to start. This creates confusion and can delay your processional. Don't assume everyone knows where to go—even close family members need direction.
Pro tip: Create a simple diagram showing which rows are reserved for family members on each side. Share this with your ushers or ceremony coordinator, and have someone specifically assigned to seat immediate family members. Let your parents, grandparents, and siblings know in advance which rows are reserved for them. Working with us? Your custom planning portal will include this diagram and we’ll ensure everyone knows the plan.
Morning of Your Wedding
7. Eating Breakfast and Staying Hydrated
You're excited, nervous, and running on adrenaline—eating is the last thing on your mind. But skipping meals on your wedding day is a recipe for feeling lightheaded, especially if you're wearing a tight dress or standing for long periods during your ceremony.
Pro tip: Set reminders to eat and drink water throughout the day. Have a bridesmaid or family member bring you protein-rich snacks like nuts, cheese, or fruit. Avoid anything too heavy that might make you feel bloated, but don't go into your ceremony on an empty stomach.
During Your Reception
8. Actually Eating Your Dinner
It sounds impossible, but most couples barely touch their meal at the reception. Between greeting guests, taking photos, and soaking in the moment, your carefully chosen menu goes untasted. We've seen countless brides and grooms leave their reception hungry!
Pro tip: Designate someone—your coordinator, a trusted friend, or venue staff—to bring you plates during cocktail hour and save portions from each course. Have them wrap up food you can enjoy later in your hotel room. Consider stepping away to a private space for 10 minutes to actually sit and eat together.
9. Scheduling Time to Open Cards and Gifts
In the whirlwind of your reception, you might not have a chance to open cards or acknowledge gifts. While you don't need to open everything at the reception, it's nice to have a moment to appreciate the love and generosity of your guests.
Pro tip: Designate a specific person to collect cards throughout the night and keep them safe. If you have a card box, make sure someone is responsible for it. Consider scheduling 10-15 minutes during a quieter moment (like while guests are eating) to look through some cards together.
10. Having Cake Cutting Utensils
Your beautiful cake is ready, the photographer is positioned, your guests are gathered around, and then... no one can find the cake server and knife.
Pro tip: Confirm with your venue or caterer who is providing the cake cutting set. If it's your responsibility, purchase or borrow a nice set and give it to your coordinator early in the day. Some couples bring special family heirloom servers that need to be specifically packed and labeled.
11. Providing Pens for the Guest Book
You've chosen a beautiful guest book or alternative (like a photo guest book or wooden sign), but without pens readily available, many guests will skip signing it entirely. Don't let this keepsake go incomplete because of something as simple as missing pens.
Pro tip: Place 3-4 nice pens at your guest book station—not just one, in case it runs out of ink or walks away. Test them beforehand to make sure they work. For outdoor weddings, use pens that won't smudge if the paper gets damp.
End of Night Essentials
12. Delegating Someone to Collect Gifts and Cards
At the end of the night, you'll be exhausted and ready to leave. The last thing you want to worry about is gathering gifts, cards, centerpieces, and personal items. Yet many couples forget to assign this crucial task, leading to items being left behind or lost.
Pro tip: Assign a responsible person (or better yet, your coordinator will do this!) to collect all gifts, cards, decorations you want to keep, and personal items at the end of the night. Give them a specific list of what needs to be taken and where it should go. Load everything into a designated vehicle before you leave for your send-off.
13. Preparing Your Thank You Speech
You want to thank your guests, parents, and wedding party, but in the emotion of the moment, it's easy to forget important people or stumble over your words. Many couples plan to "wing it" and then regret not having prepared remarks.
Pro tip: Write out your thank you speech beforehand and bring it with you in a small card or on your phone. You don't have to read it word-for-word, but having it as a reference ensures you won't forget to thank anyone important. Practice it once or twice so it feels natural.
Don't Forget to Enjoy the Moment
14. Taking Time to Breathe and Be Present
This might be the most forgotten "item" of all—the intention to actually relax and soak in your wedding day. Couples get so caught up in making sure everything goes perfectly that they forget to pause, look around, and truly experience the love surrounding them.
Pro tip: Schedule intentional moments throughout your day to be present. Hold hands during cocktail hour and take a mental snapshot. Steal away for five minutes alone to take it all in. Dance like no one's watching. This day is about celebrating your love—don't let it pass by in a blur of logistics.
Have you found yourself asking you these questions?
Who should be responsible for wedding day items?
What should be in a wedding emergency kit? Read more here for a complete list.
When should I start preparing my wedding day checklist?
How do I make sure vendors get their tips on the wedding day?
What items should I bring to my wedding venue?
Who keeps track of gifts and cards at the reception?
Ready to Stop Worrying About the Details?
If these questions are swirling around in your head, take a deep breath. Planning a wedding shouldn't mean drowning in checklists and logistics. Let's hop on a quick call to see if we're the right fit to take these worries off your plate. When you work with Behind the Scenes Events, we handle all these details—from emergency kits to vendor coordination—so the only item on your to-do list is showing up and celebrating your love story.
Want to be a guest at your own wedding? We’d love to have the honor of being your planning or month-of coordinator. Learn more at behindthescenesevents.net💫💗
xo, megan
Behind the Scenes Events specializes in luxury wedding planning and coordination for couples who want to be guests at their own weddings. After coordinating hundreds of weddings, we know what busy couples need: expert guidance, stress-free planning, and seamless execution.
Serving North Dakota & Beyond Since 2019