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Wedding Day Checklist: Packing Lists and Hand-Offs
On the wedding morning, the fear is that the rings, the license or the tip envelopes are still sitting at home. A wedding day checklist sorts everything you need into a ceremony box, a reception box, a getting-ready bag and an emergency kit. It then gives every item a person who carries it and a time they take it over.
In short, pack by the place where each thing is used. Fill six containers the week before: a ceremony box, a reception box, a getting-ready bag, an emergency kit, a paperwork folder and an overnight bag. Then write one name and one time next to each container and each valuable item. Hand the boxes over at the rehearsal. Keep the night before for envelopes, rings and rest.
| Step | When | What to do | What to watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One week before | Set out six containers and label each one | Packing by room at home instead of by place at the venue |
| 2 | One week before | Fill the ceremony box | The license and rings traveling in the wrong bag |
| 3 | One week before | Fill the reception box | Items that need a person, such as the card box |
| 4 | Five days before | Pack the emergency kit | A kit nobody carries |
| 5 | At the rehearsal | Hand every container to a named person | Jobs given to "someone" |
| 6 | Night before and morning | Envelopes, rings, rest | New tasks on the last evening |
Step 1: Set out six boxes for your wedding day checklist
Six containers cover almost everything a wedding needs from you. Use one sturdy box for the ceremony and one for the reception. Add a tote for getting ready, a small pouch for emergencies, a folder for paperwork and money, and your overnight bag. Each one goes to a different place, so each one gets its own carrier.
Label the outside of each box with two things. Write the place it goes, such as "ceremony, front table", and the name of the person who unpacks it. A box that says only "wedding stuff" ends up in a car trunk.
Start a week out. A week gives you time to find the cake knife you forgot you own and to buy what's missing. Lay each box open on the floor and fill it as you go through the next three steps.
Step 2: Pack the wedding ceremony checklist box
The ceremony box holds everything the ceremony space needs and nothing else. Your coordinator or an usher unpacks it before guests arrive.
- Ceremony programs, or program fans for a hot day
- Welcome sign and an easel
- Reserved seat signs for the front rows
- Aisle decor, petals or confetti
- Unity candle, sand or any other ritual items, plus a lighter
- A printed copy of the processional order
- The special seating list for ushers
The seating list matters more than it looks. The Emily Post Institute's list for the final weeks says to prepare a list of special ceremony seating for guests, to give to ushers. Its page on ceremony seating arrangements adds that an usher may keep a list of guests to be seated in the first few rows. Put that list in the box with the reserved signs.
Three items never go in the ceremony box. The rings, the marriage license and the officiant's envelope stay in the paperwork folder until they are handed to a person in Step 5. A box can be left on a table. A ring box in a best man's pocket can't.
Step 3: Pack the reception box and the getting-ready bag
The reception box is the biggest. Pack it so the person setting up can work top to bottom.
- Seating chart and its easel
- Escort or place cards, in table order
- Table numbers and menus
- Guest book and pens
- A card box that closes, for gifts and envelopes
- Favors and any favor sign
- Bar, favor and unplugged signs
- Cake knife and server
- Toasting glasses
- Send-off sparklers, bubbles or petals, with a lighter
Pack the paper items flat in a folder inside the box, so they don't bend. If you are printing your own day-of paper, the guide to wedding signs covers which signs you need. Order the place cards by table before they go in. Whoever lays them out will thank you.
The getting-ready bag goes with you to the hotel or house where you dress. It holds the dress or suit, shoes plus a comfortable pair, jewelry and cufflinks, and a steamer. Add a phone charger, snacks and water, and any gifts for each other or your parents. Pack the overnight bag at the same time, with a change of clothes, toiletries and travel documents if you leave the next day.
Step 4: Pack a wedding emergency kit someone carries
A wedding emergency kit only helps if it stays near you. Pack it in a small pouch. Give it to one person who is with you from getting ready to the last dance. Usually that's your maid of honor, a sibling or your coordinator.
| Problem on the day | What fixes it |
|---|---|
| A torn hem or popped button | Sewing kit and safety pins |
| A spill on the dress or shirt | Stain remover pen |
| New shoes rubbing | Blister plasters, and the comfortable pair from the getting-ready bag |
| Headache or nerves | Pain relief and antacids |
| Shine and tears | Tissues and blotting papers |
| Hair coming loose | Hair pins and hair spray |
| A long, warm day | Deodorant, mints, water |
| A sign or hem that won't stay put | Double-sided tape |
| Thread, tags and ribbon | Small scissors |
| Candles that won't light | A lighter |
| Rain between photos | An umbrella |
If you're both getting ready in separate places, pack two small kits. One person carries each. A wedding planner emergency kit, if your coordinator brings one, usually covers the venue side. Ask what's in it, so you don't pack the same things twice.
Step 5: Hand off every box and valuable to one named person
Hand-offs are where wedding day plans go wrong. The rings are "with someone", the envelopes are "in the car". Fix it by writing a short table with what, who and when. Then read it out at the rehearsal.
| What | Give to | When |
|---|---|---|
| Ceremony box | Coordinator or head usher | At the rehearsal, or the day before |
| Reception box | Coordinator or venue contact | At the rehearsal, or the day before |
| Special seating list | Ushers | At the rehearsal |
| Must-have photo list | Photographer | The week before |
| Tip envelopes and final payments | Coordinator or one trusted family member | Morning of |
| Rings | Best man, maid of honor, or the ring bearer's parent | Before the ceremony |
| Marriage license and the officiant's envelope | Officiant | Before the ceremony |
| Emergency kit | Maid of honor or a sibling | Morning of |
| Card box and gifts | A trusted family member | End of the night |
| Decor and rentals | Coordinator, with return details | End of the night |
The marriage license needs one extra line. After the ceremony, the officiant signs it and returns it to the office that issued it. Deadlines differ by state. In Texas, the State Law Library's guide to conducting the ceremony says the license must be returned not later than the 30th day after the ceremony. Ask your county clerk for your deadline, and write it next to the license on your list.
Tip amounts and who gets an envelope are covered in the wedding vendor checklist. The photo list is a whole job of its own, and the wedding shot list shows which shots and family groups to put on it.
Keeping a packing list and a hand-off table in step is easier in one file. Our wedding planning bundle includes a day-of checklist spreadsheet for Excel or Google Sheets. It has 44 items in 6 sections and a hand-offs sheet. It shows what is packed in each section, the share packed and what is still to pack. Printable pages come with it, a cover, a two-column checklist and a hand-offs page. The vendor contact list in the same bundle adds up the envelope total per vendor and the cash you need on the day.
Step 6: Get through the night before and the wedding morning
The night before is for checking. If Steps 1 to 5 are done, the evening list is short.
- Count the tip and payment envelopes against your list and seal them
- Put the rings and the license where you will see them in the morning
- Lay out the getting-ready bag and the overnight bag by the door
- Charge your phone
- Send the wedding party the morning's call times
- Eat a real dinner and go to bed early
The rehearsal comes first, often on the same evening. The Emily Post Institute's list for the final weeks says to reconfirm the rehearsal plans with your officiant and remind all attendees of the time and place. Use the rehearsal to walk the processional order, show ushers the reserved rows and hand over the two big boxes.
On the morning, hand out the envelopes, the emergency kit and the rings. Eat breakfast. Then let the people you chose do their jobs. The hour-by-hour plan for the rest of the day is in the guide to the wedding timeline.
A wedding day goes smoothly when nothing important is still in the couple's hands.
When a day-of checklist spreadsheet is the wrong choice
A detailed packing list suits a wedding where you bring the paper, the decor and the payments yourself. If you've hired a full-service planner, they usually run their own checklist and bring their own kit. You'd only need to give them your items and your envelopes. A courthouse wedding with dinner for ten needs only a note on your phone.
Our checklist is also a file, not an app. It sends no reminders, and you update it on your computer in Excel or Google Sheets, or print it and tick it by hand. If you want the checklist together with the timeline, the shot list and the vendor contacts for the same day, our wedding planning bundle has all four.
Frequently asked questions
What do brides need on a wedding day checklist?
The rings, the marriage license, IDs, vows, the dress and shoes plus a comfortable pair, the tip envelopes and final payments, and an emergency kit. Add everything the ceremony and reception need from you, such as programs, the seating chart, place cards and the guest book. Write next to each item who carries it, so you are not holding any of it yourself.
What to include in an emergency wedding kit?
A sewing kit and safety pins, a stain remover pen, blister plasters, pain relief and antacids, tissues and blotting papers, hair pins and hair spray, deodorant and mints, double-sided tape, small scissors, a lighter, a phone charger, snacks, water and an umbrella. Give the kit to one person who stays near you all day.
What should a day-of-wedding coordinator checklist include?
The day's timeline, every vendor's arrival time and phone number, the boxes of decor and paper with where each piece goes, the envelopes for final payments and tips, the special seating list for ushers and the must-have photo list. It should also say who takes the gifts, the card box and the rentals at the end of the night.
What are the key things to include in a wedding rehearsal checklist?
Confirm the time and place with your officiant and the whole wedding party, walk the processional and recessional order, show ushers who sits in the reserved rows, and hand the packed ceremony and reception boxes to your coordinator or venue contact. Bring the marriage license, the rings and the officiant's envelope so you know where they are.
Conclusion
Pack by the place where each thing is used. Fill a ceremony box, a reception box, a getting-ready bag, an emergency kit, a paperwork folder and an overnight bag the week before. Write a name and a time next to every item that leaves your hands, and hand the boxes over at the rehearsal. Keep the night before for envelopes, rings and sleep. On the morning itself, the only things you should carry are your vows and your phone.
