The Ultimate Wedding Day Checklist: What You'll Need for Every Part of Your Event
These wedding must-haves, from safety pins to cake knives, will help you create a smooth and memorable experience from start to finish.
Prepare for every part of your big day, from hem rips to lipstick stains and from a sudden downpour to your cake cutting, with this planner-approved checklist of wedding must-haves. Some of these items are absolute essentials (ahem: the rings), and others are wedding-emergency fixers that the pros rely on—but that you may be lucky enough to avoid needing.
To prevent last-minute panic and midnight runs to the drugstore, collect these items in the months before your wedding and keep them in labeled bins or boxes. "With every wedding, even the most well-planned and executed of events, a small hiccup is bound to arise. The more you can be prepared, the better!" says wedding planner Heather Balliet of Amorology.
Related: Your Ultimate Wedding-Planning Timeline and Checklist
Wedding Emergency Kit Checklist
If you're working with a wedding planner, your day-of contact likely has an emergency kit. "At nearly every wedding, we find ourselves in need of a safety pin, sewing kit, band-aids, and [stain-remover] pens to help get us through the day, but our list is ever growing!" says Balliet.
Couples who need to prepare their own emergency kit should get this task out of the way as early as possible—about three months before the wedding, recommends Terrica Skaggs, chief event planner and designer at Cocktails and Details. (Assign a member of the wedding party to make sure the kit travels with you throughout the day.) "Emergency kits can help minor aches and pains and major wardrobe malfunctions," says Skaggs. "Having one on hand ensures that you are prepared for anything without the party having to stop."
Safety pins
Fabric tape, to fix a fallen hem
Bobby pins
Clear nail polish
Bride's color nail polish
Nail file
Earring backs
Face powder
Eye drops
Aspirin
Antacid
Bandages
Tampons
Breath mints
Hand lotion
Perfume
Double-sided tape
Krazy Glue
Sewing kit
Anti-dust white chalk to cover any dress stains
Scissors
Tissues
Phone charger
The Bride's Wedding Checklist
Don't leave your wedding-day packing until the last minute, cautions Balliet. "To create a morning full of rest and relaxation, you want to make sure you have all of your day's items ready to go prior to the weekend," she says. "While you may have a beauty team with you on your day to pamper and prep you, it is good to be pre-packed and prepared for any additional styling needs. This allows you and your best gals to feel most comfortable, clean, and camera-ready!"
Button-down shirt, to wear while getting hair and makeup done
Dress
Veil
Shapewear
Undergarments
Shoes
Jewelry
Hair accessories
Hair styling products and tools
Makeup and beauty tools
Mirror
Deodorant
Toothbrush and paste
Floss and mouthwash
Extra pair of contact lenses
Straws, for drinking without ruining lipstick
Comfortable flats
Something old, new, borrowed, and blue
Chafing relief creams
Peppermint oil for aching feet
Cooling towels (in hot weather)
Extra lipstick in the chosen shade
The Groom's Wedding Checklist
The man of the hour may not be checking off a list that's as extensive as a bride's, but double-checking his essentials is just as—well, essential.
Suit or tuxedo
Underwear
Socks
Shoes
Shoe polish kit
Shaving tools
Hair styling products and tools
Deodorant
Toothbrush and paste
Lint brush
Fragrance
Cash
Cooling towels or hand warmers (depending on season and location)
Wedding Ceremony Checklist
Items that help your ceremony run smoothly, from programs to seating markers, allow you to say "I do" without any last-minute stress. One important note for this part of the day, says Balliet: "Make sure your marriage license and rings are given to someone responsible for safekeeping. Often your photographer will want your rings prior to the ceremony for photos, but they will need to make their way back to the best man along with your vows to the officiant to allow for a smooth sailing ceremony!"
Programs
Unity candle or ceremonial equivalent
Copy of the vows
Copy of the readings
Rings
Marriage license
Ring pillow and fake rings
Flower-girl basket
Aisle runner
Entrance signage
Reserved seating markers
Markers for wedding party positioning
Cocktail Hour Checklist
Relax after your ceremony knowing everything is in place for your cocktail hour. "As the bridge between 'I do' and 'we did,' the cocktail hour starts off the reception and can set the tone for the rest of the evening," says Skaggs.
Welcome signage
Escort display
Games
Bar signage
Seating
Music or other entertainment
Wedding Reception Checklist
While your vendors will handle the large-scale items at your reception, like linens, tables and chairs, and place settings, the personal details you choose to add are the pieces that make the most impact. "Gathering all the items for your reception can take some time, so we always suggest getting started early!" says Balliet. "Organizing and labeling in clear tubs makes all the difference for your planning team as they begin to set the space for your celebration."
Signage for guests
Menus
Place cards
Table numbers
Favors
Photo booth props
Guest book and pen
Toasting glasses
Cake topper
Cake knife
Garter
Gratuity envelopes
Bathroom baskets
Flip flops
Cake box for leftovers or top tier
Outdoor Wedding Checklist
Holding your ceremony or reception outside means preparing for all kinds of weather—hot, humid, cold, rainy, or windy (or any combination). "It can be very easy to fall in love with the vision of an outdoor wedding while forgetting that it lacks the amenities of being in an actual building to offer protection from outside elements or direct access to necessities," says Skaggs. Here's what you'll need to be prepared for just about anything, depending on your event's seasonality.
Sunscreen
Lotion with aloe vera
Bug spray
Bug-bite reliever
Pre-ceremony cold (or hot) beverages
Umbrellas
Fans
Cooling towels
Handwarmers
Pashminas
Light bracelets for low light areas
Heel stoppers (for grass)