• Make reservations or suggest to your guests’ accommodations near your reception venue. It is nice to get blocks of rooms or have all your family and friends stay in the same place. It can be heart breaking if one couple or family is stuck at a different hotel from the rest of the guests. Out-of-town family members, especially, will most likely want to be in the same hotel. Check into group or block rates and reserve early, especially if it’s the busy summer season at the shore! Recommended hotel accommodations are a great thing to post on one of those personal wedding websites.
  
  
• Mail Your Invitations….Even if you’ve given all your guests a save the date heads up, you need to mail your invites at least 6-8 weeks ahead of time. Don’t wait until last minute or you’ll have to make phone calls before you can give the caterer a head count and plan your seating chart.
  

• Try on the dresses! Make sure you and all your bridal party members try on your gowns to make sure they (still) fit. Brides and bridal party members have been known to change dress sizes after their gowns have been ordered and sized. So, even if the gown fit when you picked it up at the shop a couple months ago, avoid a last minute fiasco and try the dresses on again. If you, or anyone in your party has gained or lost 10 pounds since your final fitting, you don’t want to discover this the day of the wedding.

• Tuxes – Technically your groomsmen should try on their tuxes when they pick them up. One bride we know of was left trying to get someone to go back to the tuxedo rental store (not a store on our site) the morning of the wedding because the ring bearer’s tux didn’t fit.
  
  
• Break in the shoes you’ll be wearing the day of your wedding. Walk around the house and break them in a little. Also consider having a backup pair of comfortable shoes – flats, sneakers, sandals – for later in the reception. Shoes with pointy toes tend to give me blisters. Add a heel to that and I’m Sasquatch in action. Hopefully you’re a bit more coordinated, but it can be a long evening if your shoes hurt.

• Final Seating Arrangements should be done. If you’re having a children’s table, shop for fun favors for the kids at dollar/party supply stores. Make sure party favors are appropriate for a wedding. For example, choose glow stick necklaces over silly string.

• Parking / Valet – Make sure your guests know where to park. In shore communities, it can be difficult to find parking during the summer months. If you’re having a ceremony on the beach, for example, let your guests know where to find municipal parking (think Ocean City).  You may want to include directions to available parking with your invitations.
  
  
• Salon / Spa Day / Tanning Treatments – If you’re planning a facial it’s recommended you do this a few days before the wedding in case you have any redness or skin irritation as the result of any procedures. Take great care with tanning not to overdo it. Same with bridal party members. Sunburn and bathing suit lines with strapless gowns do not look great in photos. Skin bronzing lotion may help hide lines but try it out a few weeks ahead of time – not in your white gown. Sometimes these lotions smear and run or and you don’t want to get it on your gown. Also if you don’t like the look you get, your skin can stay tinted that color for a while. You can also try out a skin tanner/bronzer on an inconspicuous place to see if you like it. Airbrush tanning can be an even better option for hiding bathing suit lines as well as other skin blemishes and/or tattoos.
  
  
• Review Day of Event Services / etc. – On the day of the event, are there any things you still haven’t covered or reviewed with your vendors? Did you give the final head count to your caterer/reception site? Who is cutting and serving the wedding cake? Are the table centerpieces something that can go home with guests or do the vases go back to a florist or party rental company? If the centerpieces can go with guests, how will they be given away? Is there any setup or takedown that isn’t covered by your reception hall? Have you scheduled enough time for hair and makeup before the limo arrives? Make sure the ceremony officiant will have the marriage license. If you tend to be a "worrier" consider an event planner just for their "day of" services.
  
  
• Final Payments to Wedding Vendors – if you have final payments due to your wedding providers, typically many wedding officiants get paid the day of, make sure you have this ready.
  
  
• Wedding Rings – don’t laugh – you can forget anything, just make sure this isn’t one of them.
  
  
• On Being Merry -
  Rehearsal Dinner Tip: Brides/Grooms/Bridal Party Members - do not drink too much at the Rehearsal Dinner. You want to feel and look your best the next day. Also, remember that even 2 or 3 drinks can impair your driving so please be sure to plan designated drivers. Same thing for the wedding – if alcohol will be a part of the festivities and you’re not providing limo transportation for the bridal party members, provide or assign designated drivers.  
  
  
• On Drinking - 
  Remember to drink water on your wedding day! Whether it’s hot outside or not. You’ll want to feel great all day and you can easily get dehydrated if you’re not drinking water which can lead to headaches or passing out. Your mind will not necessarily be thinking about water so consider having some in a cooler in the limo or designated transportation to your ceremony/reception. Also get in plenty of water inbetween sips of champagne.
  
  
• On Eating - 
  Try to eat – many brides and grooms only get in a few bites of food at their reception so plan to eat a good breakfast/brunch. (Hint: Choose protein and complex carbs that metabolize slower vs. starchy carbs that spike your blood sugar and cause an energy crash later.)
  
  
• Toiletry Basket for Restrooms – This is a cute idea and can include everything from hair spray and breath mints to mini sewing kits.
  
  
• Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue – If you want to stick with tradition, make sure you are wearing one of each of the above.
  
  
• Honeymoon Arrangements / Passports – Make sure you have all paperwork, tickets, etc. for your honeymoon and travel to and from the airport if you’re flying. Confirm any hotel / car rental reservations.  Pack for your honeymoon.
  
  
• Wrap your Bridal Party Gifts!
  
  
• Groom and Bridal Party Member Tuxedo Returns – Make sure you know how and who will be returning the tuxedos. You’ll be on the honeymoon. Note that some tuxedo companies now provide convenient pick up service to your home (or your parent’s home) the day after the wedding.

For a complete wedding planning timeline, from start to finish, check out our
Wedding Planning Timetable.

Have another tip or idea for the final countdown to your wedding? 
Email us at info@atlanticcityweddings.com