# Wedding Logistics Checklist

> A wedding logistics checklist: organize planning, assign responsibilities, choose a point of contact, share the timeline and hand over vendor communication.

Source: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/logistics
Publisher: ReadyToWeddy (https://readytoweddy.com) · Last updated: 2026-09-17

Logistics are what let you relax on the day. These tasks cover your timeline, who does what, and the handoffs that mean you don’t have to answer vendor questions at your own wedding.

## Summary

A wedding logistics checklist should cover how you organize planning, who does what on the day, who vendors contact, and when the timeline and key handoffs happen. [Draft your wedding-day timeline](https://readytoweddy.com/guides/create-wedding-day-timeline) about 6–8 weeks out. About a month before, [assign responsibilities](https://readytoweddy.com/guides/assign-responsibilities), such as who holds the rings and looks after gifts, and choose a point of contact who isn’t you. Send the final timeline to vendors about two weeks out, then hand over vendor communication in wedding week.

## Checklist (17 tasks, in order)

### Agree on your top wedding priorities

- When: First steps (Getting Started)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Essential
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/getting-started#discuss-priorities

Agree on three to five shared wedding priorities before you book anything, so every later decision about budget, venue and vendors has a clear tiebreaker.

**Why it matters:** Almost every planning choice involves a trade-off: more guests or a bigger food budget, a sought-after photographer or a live band. When the two of you have already named what matters most, those trade-offs become quick conversations instead of recurring debates. Your priorities also make it easier to say no to ideas from family, social media or vendors that don’t fit the wedding you actually want.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Each write down how you picture the day.
- [ ] Share your lists and notice where they overlap.
- [ ] Talk through size, location, setting and formality.
- [ ] Describe the atmosphere and guest experience you want.
- [ ] List traditions to keep and ones to drop.
- [ ] Note where you’d rather spend and where to save.
- [ ] Agree on three to five priorities; keep them visible.

**Helpful questions:**
- “What’s the one moment you’d be most disappointed to lose?”
- “What do we want guests to say on the way home?”
- “Which traditions feel like ours, and which feel like obligations?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Couples often skip naming what they don’t care about, which is just as useful for saving money and time.
- Do this separately first, then together, so neither of you simply agrees with the other.
- Revisit your list whenever a decision feels stuck.

### Set up a shared planning system

- When: First steps (Getting Started)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/getting-started#set-up-planning-system

Set up one shared place for your wedding budget, guest list, vendor contacts, contracts and tasks at the start of planning, so both of you can see what’s happening.

**Why it matters:** Wedding details quickly scatter across messages, notebooks, screenshots and different inboxes. Keeping everything in one shared place means either of you can check a deadline, find a contract or answer a vendor without searching. It also makes it simple to hand information to a planner, coordinator or trusted helper later, and reduces the chance that something slips because only one of you knew about it.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Choose a tool you’ll both actually use.
- [ ] Add sections for budget, guests, vendors and tasks.
- [ ] Log each vendor’s contact, quote, deposit and balance.
- [ ] Set up a shared folder for contracts and receipts.
- [ ] Share a calendar for appointments and due dates.
- [ ] Consider a dedicated wedding email address.
- [ ] Give every task an owner and agree who leads what.

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Couples often forget to give each task an owner, which is how things end up done twice or not at all.
- A checklist app like ReadyToWeddy, a shared spreadsheet or a project board all work; consistency matters more than the tool.
- A short weekly check-in keeps you both up to date without planning taking over.
- Update vendor payments the day you make them, and add columns for arrival times and on-the-day contacts; you’ll need them later.
- Note refundable damage or security deposits so you remember to collect them after the wedding.

### Request time off work

- When: 4–8 months before (6–9 Months Before)
- Category: Honeymoon
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/6-to-9-months#request-time-off

Request time off work about 6–7 months ahead, covering the final days of preparation, the wedding, a day or two to recover and any honeymoon travel.

**Why it matters:** The days just before a wedding are busy with deliveries, setup, rehearsals and guests arriving, and the days after are often needed for rest, returns and goodbyes. Asking early gives you the best chance of getting the dates you want, especially in busy seasons. Workplace leave policies vary, so checking now also shows whether you need to save up days or arrange unpaid time.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Choose prep days before and recovery days after.
- [ ] Add honeymoon travel days if you’re going soon after.
- [ ] Check your leave policy and blackout periods.
- [ ] Submit your request in writing.
- [ ] Arrange cover for your work while you’re away.
- [ ] Set an out-of-office message before you leave.

**Helpful questions:**
- “Does our workplace offer any leave for weddings?”
- “Are there busy periods when leave is harder to approve?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Couples often forget to book a day off after the wedding, when rentals, belongings and goodbyes still need attention.
- Keep at least one full day free before the wedding with nothing work-related in it.
- Share a short handover note so colleagues know who to contact instead of you.

### Create your wedding-day timeline

- When: 1–3 months before (1–3 Months Before)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Essential
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/guides/create-wedding-day-timeline

Create your wedding-day timeline about 6–8 weeks before the wedding, building it around fixed moments like the ceremony, meal service and venue close, then adding buffer time.

**Why it matters:** A clear timeline keeps vendors, family and the wedding party in sync without anyone needing to ask you. Drafting it now gives vendors time to review and flag issues, and it reveals gaps such as too little time for photos or travel while there is still room to adjust.

**Steps:**
- [ ] List fixed times: venue access, ceremony and closing.
- [ ] Work backward for getting ready, travel and pickups.
- [ ] Schedule photos, checking sunset for outdoor shots.
- [ ] Add guest arrival, dinner, speeches and music end time.
- [ ] Build in buffer time between big activities.
- [ ] Share the draft with key vendors for feedback.
- [ ] Note who is responsible for each moment.

**Helpful questions:**
- “How much time does our photographer need for family photos?”
- “When must vendors be packed up and gone?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Couples often forget to schedule time for themselves to eat and simply be together.
- Add 10–15 minutes of buffer around anything involving travel or large groups.

### Confirm vendor arrival and access times

- When: 2–5 weeks before (1 Month Before)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Essential
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/1-month#confirm-vendor-access

Confirm when each vendor can access the venue, where they load in and park, and the setup and cleanup windows, about a month before the wedding.

**Why it matters:** Venues often have fixed access times, and several vendors may need the same loading bay or service lift. If the florist, caterer and band all arrive at once, setup runs late and the photographer may catch an unfinished room. Agreeing arrival slots and pack-down times now prevents clashes, overtime charges and early-morning surprises for whoever is in charge on the day.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Ask the venue for its earliest and latest access times.
- [ ] Collect each vendor’s preferred arrival and setup time.
- [ ] Stagger arrivals so vendors aren’t competing for space.
- [ ] Share loading, parking and step-free routes.
- [ ] Agree cleanup times and what can stay overnight.
- [ ] Add all arrival and departure times to your timeline.

**Helpful questions:**
- “What time can vendors start setting up?”
- “Are there any charges if vendors stay past the agreed time?”
- “Can rentals be collected the next morning instead of that night?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Late-night collection of rentals is easy to miss, and someone may need to stay behind to let the supplier in.

### Assign wedding-day responsibilities

- When: 1–6 weeks before (1 Month Before)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Essential
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/guides/assign-responsibilities

Assign wedding-day responsibilities about a month before the wedding, naming one trusted person for the rings, documents, gifts, vendor questions, rentals and end-of-night tasks.

**Why it matters:** On the day, dozens of small jobs need an owner: holding the rings, keeping cards safe, answering vendors, moving flowers from the ceremony to the reception. If nobody is named, those jobs fall back to the two of you. Assigning them now lets helpers prepare, and it means you can be present at your own wedding rather than managing it.

**Steps:**
- [ ] List every job that needs an owner, day and after.
- [ ] Cover rings, documents, gifts, cards and vendors.
- [ ] Add décor moves, rental returns and photo signs.
- [ ] Include leftovers, phones and a final room check.
- [ ] Ask one reliable person per job, with room to say no.
- [ ] Write the list with names, times and contact details.
- [ ] Share it with helpers, coordinator and key vendors.
- [ ] Name a backup for the most important jobs.

**Helpful questions:**
- “Would you be comfortable looking after the rings for us?”
- “Can you stay a little later to help pack up?”
- “Will you have a car to take décor home at the end?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: End-of-night jobs, like collecting décor and checking the getting-ready room, are the ones most often left without an owner.
- Give each helper one clear job rather than a long list.
- Choose people who aren’t already giving a speech or performing.

### Decide who looks after gifts and cards

- When: 1–5 weeks before (1 Month Before)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/1-month#plan-gift-security

Decide who will look after gifts and cards at your wedding about a month ahead, and plan a lockable box, a supervised spot and a safe way to take them home.

**Why it matters:** Cards often contain cash or checks, and a gift table is usually left unattended while everyone is dancing. Choosing a trusted person, a secure container and a clear plan for the end of the night protects generous gifts and saves you from worrying about them. It’s one of the most commonly missed details, and one of the easiest to fix.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Choose a trusted person and a backup for gifts.
- [ ] Get a card box that closes or locks.
- [ ] Agree a supervised spot for the gift table.
- [ ] Decide when cards move somewhere secure.
- [ ] Plan whose car takes everything home at the end.
- [ ] Choose a secure place to keep gifts overnight.

**Helpful questions:**
- “Does the venue have a lockable room or safe we can use?”
- “Would you be comfortable keeping the card box with you all evening?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Many couples plan the card box but not who carries it home at the end of the night.
- Add a small sign on the card box if you’d like guests to write their name on envelopes.

### Choose your wedding-day point of contact

- When: Up to 2 months before (1 Month Before)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Essential
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/1-month#choose-day-of-contact

Choose one wedding-day point of contact, a planner, coordinator or trusted friend who isn’t either of you, about a month before the wedding, and share their details with every vendor.

**Why it matters:** On the day, vendors and guests will have questions: where to unload, whether to start dinner, what to do about the rain. If your number is the one on every contract, those calls come to you. A single named contact, who knows the plan and can make small decisions, keeps things moving and lets the two of you step back.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Choose someone organized who’s there from setup to end.
- [ ] Confirm whether your planner will take this role.
- [ ] Walk them through the timeline, vendors and payments.
- [ ] Agree which decisions they can make without asking you.
- [ ] Share their name and number with every vendor.
- [ ] Ask them to keep their phone charged and on loud.

**Helpful questions:**
- “Would you be willing to be the main contact for our vendors on the day?”
- “Are you comfortable making small decisions without checking with us?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Couples often forget to replace their own phone number with the day-of contact’s on vendor paperwork.
- It shouldn’t be either of you, or anyone with a big role in the ceremony.
- Give them a printed copy of the timeline and contact list.

### Send the final timeline to vendors

- When: 1–3 weeks before (2 Weeks Before)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Essential
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/2-weeks#send-final-timeline

Send your final wedding-day timeline to every vendor and key helper about two weeks before the wedding, with arrival times, addresses and your day-of contact’s details.

**Why it matters:** Each vendor sees only their part of the day. A shared timeline shows the photographer when speeches happen, tells the caterer when the ceremony ends and lets the DJ know when to announce dinner. Sending it two weeks out gives vendors time to raise conflicts, and it becomes the single version everyone works from.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Add confirmed vendor arrival and pack-down times.
- [ ] Check ceremony, photo and meal service times.
- [ ] Include speeches, first dance, last song and exit.
- [ ] Add the venue address, parking and your day-of contact.
- [ ] Send it to every vendor and ask them to confirm.
- [ ] Share it with your wedding party and officiant.
- [ ] Fix any clashes vendors point out and resend once.

**Helpful questions:**
- “Does this timing work for you, or is anything too tight?”
- “Is there anything you need from us before the day?”

**Tips:**
- Label the file as final with the date, so older versions don’t get used.
- Send later changes only to the day-of contact, who can pass them on.

**Best done after:** Create your wedding-day timeline

### Start packing for the wedding and honeymoon

- When: 1–3 weeks before (2 Weeks Before)
- Category: Honeymoon
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/2-weeks#start-packing

Start packing for the wedding and honeymoon about two weeks ahead, separating wedding-day items, overnight bags and travel essentials, and finish the honeymoon bag in the final week.

**Why it matters:** The final days fill up quickly with rehearsals, guests and last details. Packing gradually lets you notice what’s missing while there’s still time to buy it, and keeps wedding-day items separate from honeymoon luggage. It also makes it easier to hand bags to the right person on the day.

**Steps:**
- [ ] List what you need for the day, night and honeymoon.
- [ ] Set aside a space where wedding items stay together.
- [ ] Check travel ID, tickets, bookings and insurance.
- [ ] Pack clothes, medication, chargers and adapters.
- [ ] Buy anything missing now rather than in the final week.
- [ ] Finish the honeymoon bag a few days early.
- [ ] Label bags and decide who brings the luggage.

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: An outfit and toiletries for the morning after are easy to forget when everything else is packed.
- Pack one outfit and essentials for the day after the wedding in a separate bag.
- Take photos of important travel documents and store them securely.

### Save vendor contacts offline

- When: 1–7 days before (Wedding Week)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/1-week#save-contacts-offline

Save every vendor’s name, on-site contact and phone number offline in the final week, and give a printed contact sheet to your coordinator or day-of contact.

**Why it matters:** Venues with weak signal, flat phones or a locked screen can all make contact details hard to reach at the moment they’re needed. A printed sheet, plus an offline copy on a couple of phones, means anyone helping can call the florist, the transport company or the caterer without looking for you.

**Steps:**
- [ ] List each vendor’s on-site lead and phone number.
- [ ] Add the venue, officiant, transport and key helpers.
- [ ] Include arrival times and the venue address.
- [ ] Print copies for your coordinator and key helpers.
- [ ] Save an offline copy on at least two phones.

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: The transport company’s number is often missing from the list, yet it’s one of the most likely to be needed.
- Add a copy to the emergency kit too.

### Hand over vendor communication

- When: 1–7 days before (Wedding Week)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Essential
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/1-week#hand-over-vendor-contact

Hand over vendor communication to your coordinator or day-of contact in the final week, and tell vendors to contact that person, not the two of you, from now on.

**Why it matters:** In the last days, your phone should be for family, friends and each other. Once vendors know to contact your coordinator or day-of contact, small questions get answered without interrupting you. It also means one person holds the full picture of arrivals, changes and payments on the day.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Give your day-of contact contracts and the timeline.
- [ ] Walk them through any open questions.
- [ ] Email vendors introducing your day-of contact.
- [ ] Tell family and the wedding party who to ask.
- [ ] Explain the plan for day-of payment envelopes.
- [ ] Agree what still comes to you, like emergencies.

**Helpful questions:**
- “Is there anything you need from us before you take over?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Close family are the people most likely to come straight to you, so tell them who to ask instead.
- On the day, a simple line helps when someone asks you: “Our coordinator has all the details.”

**Best done after:** Choose your wedding-day point of contact

### Stop making big changes

- When: 1–7 days before (Wedding Week)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/1-week#freeze-the-plan

In the final week, stop making big changes to the plan and only adjust what genuinely needs fixing. What you have now is ready.

**Why it matters:** Every late change has to reach vendors, helpers and the timeline, and that’s where mistakes creep in. Pausing big decisions protects the plan you’ve built and gives you space to rest and enjoy the lead-up. Most details that feel urgent this week won’t be noticed by guests at all.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Agree together that the plan is now set.
- [ ] Write new ideas down for later instead of acting.
- [ ] Only change things that fix a real problem.
- [ ] Send any essential changes through your day-of contact.
- [ ] Make time for rest and the people you love.

**Tips:**
- Keep a list called ‘nice to have’ and let it go if nothing gets done from it.

**Optional:** It’s okay to stop here. The plan is good, and the wedding will be lovely without one more tweak.

### Check in with your coordinator

- When: 1–2 days before (The Day Before)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/day-before#check-in-with-coordinator

Check in with your coordinator or day-of contact the day before the wedding to run through the timeline, deliveries, open questions and who handles what tomorrow.

**Why it matters:** A short call the day before catches the small things that slipped: a delivery time that moved, a vendor who hasn’t confirmed, a room that opens later than expected. It also lets you hand over the last loose ends so you can stop thinking about them. Your coordinator walks into the day knowing exactly what you want, and you walk into it knowing someone else has it covered.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Book a 15–20 minute call or quick meeting.
- [ ] Walk through the final timeline from setup to cleanup.
- [ ] Confirm vendor arrivals, pickups and phone numbers.
- [ ] Share any last changes to guests, seating or schedule.
- [ ] Confirm who holds payments and handles cleanup.
- [ ] Confirm the weather call time and who makes it.
- [ ] Agree which questions still need you, and which don’t.

**Helpful questions:**
- “Is there anything you’re still waiting on from a vendor?”
- “What do you need from us tomorrow, if anything?”
- “Who should guests go to if they have a question?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Confirming who will pack up and remove your belongings at the end of the night.
- Send your coordinator the latest timeline again, even if nothing changed.
- If you don’t have a coordinator, have this conversation with your day-of contact.

**Best done after:** Choose your wedding-day point of contact

### Set alarms and confirm the morning plan

- When: The day before (The Day Before)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/day-before#set-alarms

The night before the wedding, set two alarms and confirm the morning plan: wake-up time, hair and makeup order, breakfast, transport pickups and who arrives when.

**Why it matters:** The wedding morning runs on a tight chain of timings, and one late start can ripple through hair, photos and the ceremony. Setting backup alarms and confirming the morning schedule with the people involved means everyone knows where to be and when. It turns the morning from something you manage into something you simply follow.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Set two wake-up alarms on separate devices.
- [ ] Share the morning plan and address with everyone.
- [ ] Confirm the beauty order and photographer’s arrival.
- [ ] Plan a simple breakfast and who brings it.
- [ ] Confirm pickup times with your transport company.
- [ ] Agree who opens the door to vendors and deliveries.
- [ ] Lay out comfortable clothes for getting ready.

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Making sure the photographer and beauty team have the exact room number and parking details.
- Build in at least 15 minutes of spare time before you need to leave.
- Wear a button-up top while getting ready so you don’t disturb hair or makeup.

### Keep your essentials with one trusted person

- When: Wedding day (Wedding Day)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Essential
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/wedding-day#keep-essentials-with-someone

On the wedding day, give one trusted person your rings, marriage documents, vows, ID, phone, medication and room key, so the important things are always accounted for.

**Why it matters:** Wedding clothes rarely have pockets, and you’ll move between rooms, photos and venues all day. When important items are spread across several bags and people, something usually goes astray. One person holding everything means you always know where the rings are at the ceremony, where the documents are at signing time, and where your phone is when you want it.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Choose one calm, reliable person in advance.
- [ ] Pack rings, documents, vows and ID in a labeled pouch.
- [ ] Add phones, medicine, room key and emergency contacts.
- [ ] Explain what’s inside and when each item is needed.
- [ ] Tell your officiant and coordinator who has the rings.
- [ ] Agree where the bag stays during ceremony and meal.
- [ ] Collect everything back at the end of the night.

**Helpful questions:**
- “Could you keep this with you all day, including during photos?”
- “Can you bring the rings to the front just before the ceremony starts?”

**Tips:**
- Often forgotten: Arranging for someone to take the bag back at the end of the night when the two of you leave.
- Give them a list of the contents so they can check it before handing items back.

**Best done after:** Put rings, documents and outfits in one place

### Enjoy the wedding

- When: Wedding day (Wedding Day)
- Category: Timeline & Logistics
- Priority: Recommended
- Link: https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/wedding-day#enjoy-the-day

On the wedding day, let the plan work: the preparation is done, the people you trust have it handled, and the only task left is to enjoy it. Nothing else to plan. Go get married. ♡

**Why it matters:** Months of planning exist so that today can simply happen. Small things may shift, and that’s normal; most guests will never notice. What they will remember is the two of you looking happy and present. Letting go of the details now is not giving up control, it’s trusting the plan and the people you chose to carry it.

**Steps:**
- [ ] Hand your phone and essentials to your trusted person.
- [ ] Let your coordinator run the timeline.
- [ ] Send questions and hiccups to your day-of contact.
- [ ] Spend time with the people you invited.
- [ ] Pause now and then to look around.
- [ ] Dance, eat and celebrate.

**Tips:**
- If something goes differently than planned, it often becomes a favorite story later.
- When someone brings you a question, point them kindly to your day-of contact; most issues get solved without you ever hearing about them.


## FAQ

### When should you hand over vendor communication?

In wedding week, once your final timeline has gone out. Give your point of contact every vendor’s details and introduce them, so questions on the day go to them instead of you.

### How do you keep wedding plans organized?

Use [one shared planning system](https://readytoweddy.com/wedding-checklist/getting-started#set-up-planning-system), such as a spreadsheet or planner, for tasks, contacts and payments. Keep one master version of the timeline, and save vendor contacts offline in wedding week.

### What wedding-day jobs do couples forget to assign?

Commonly missed jobs include looking after gifts and cards, moving ceremony flowers, returning rentals, collecting leftover cake, taking décor home and checking the getting-ready room before leaving.