The average couple spends 12 – 18 months planning their wedding. The details can take a life of their own: venue tours, cake tasting, fittings for a troop of attendants in pink bridesmaid dresses. Why invest all of this time only to watch it fall apart on the wedding day?
There are some things you simply can’t leave to chance. Here are 6 things to make sure you have under control before you take that first step down the aisle.

1. The Itinerary

You may have all of the details safely stored in your head, but you have a big job on the wedding day and can’t spend hours fielding questions about nuances you figured out long ago. Before the wedding, create a highly detailed itinerary with a hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute schedule, complete contact information for all of your vendors, and any special instructions you have for setup, breakdown and everything in between. Make sure all of your key players have copies. You’ll rest much easier knowing you’ve recorded your hard work and fondest wishes.

2. Must-Have Photo Requests

Many photographers today ascribe to a photojournalistic style of shooting that captures candid moments, rather than formal portraits. The style is gorgeous and fun, but you are still likely to have a small number of can’t-miss combinations – photos you would regret deeply if they were missed. Put together a list for your photographer of these must-have photos. Keep it short and skip the obvious (couple kissing for the first time and photo of first dance should be unnecessary).

3. Hair & Makeup

A run-through with your stylist is a must. Every person’s hair is different and requires different treatment, and personal makeup preferences vary widely. The wedding day is not the day you want your stylist learning your quirks. Scheduling a practice session will not only help you choose the perfect hair and makeup for you, it will give your stylist an idea how long your services may take, helping you to plan accordingly.

4. Seating Chart

It can be difficult to get all of your guests to respond to your invitations in full, complete with the names of their plus-ones, and their meal choices. Still, putting off the finalization of your seating chart until the wedding day not only causes you enormous, and unnecessary stress, it inconveniences servers who need to familiarize themselves with the layout of their tables, and chefs trying to prepare perfectly-timed meals. Set aside workdays before the wedding to take care of this highly important detail. You won’t regret it.

5. Eating

Sounds ridiculous, but a common frustration among newlyweds is that they spent so much time choosing their menu then were so busy on the wedding day, they never had the chance to eat their own wedding meal! Set aside time in your itinerary specifically so you can sit together and enjoy your food and let your vendors know that meal time is off limits for competing formalities.

6. Any Prep of Any Kind

It’s tempting to believe that you can throw together those last few favors while getting your hair and makeup done, or that you can help assemble some of the adorable homemade centerpieces and personal flowers while the girls put on their pink bridesmaid dresses. You will rapidly become overwhelmed, and soon resent the memory. Start early, pace your projects carefully, and avoid complete chaos on the wedding day.

Trust me – a little elbow grease now goes a very long way to making your big day magical. Don’t leave any of the big details to chance!

Author Bio

Wendy Dessler

Wendy is a super-connector with Outreachmama.com and Toweringseo.com who helps businesses find their audience online through outreach, partnerships, and networking. She frequently writes about the latest advancements in digital marketing and focuses her efforts on developing customized blogger outreach plans depending on the industry and competition.