Do-It-Yourself Wedding Day Task List - Wedding Concierge Services

Do It Yourself Wedding Day Task List

If you choose to orchestrate your own wedding events without the assistance of Wedding Concierge Services, please take into consideration what will be involved. It is highly unlikely that your hotel or country club "wedding planner" is going to perform many of the duties listed below.

It is strongly recommended that no member of the wedding party (including bride, groom, bridesmaids, groomsmen, parents or family of the bride or groom) take this on. If you choose not to hire one of our professional wedding coordinators, provide the name of the individual who will be taking care of the following duties to your wedding site representative so they may communicate.

The following are highlights of some of the more major tasks involved:

Pre-Rehearsal and Wedding:

Create and finalize master time line of all major wedding events and places: from rehearsal, ceremony, to cake cutting, first dance, toasting, arrival of vendors, etc.
Send master timeline to all vendors: Be prepared to re-do and re-send as many times as necessary until everyone is in sync.
Make sure any and all specially requested touches or family traditions are integrated as requested by the bride throughout the pre-wedding process and wedding day.

Rehearsal:

Set the date, time and coordinate all participants for the rehearsal including bridal party, family, officiant, musicians, etc.
Orchestrate processional, recessional in order and to music desired.
Assign ushers, guest book attendant, who will place party favors and by what time on the wedding day, go over job descriptions with each key player, what time they are expected to be there, etc.
Assign bridal party the designated place and time of arrival, etc.

Wedding Day:

Be present a couple of hours prior to start of ceremony to greet and direct vendors as they arrive.
Assist with final adjustments on placement of favors, guest book, etc.
Be ready with "survival kit" including a mini-sewing kit, double-back tape, mints, Kleenex, etc. to assist with last minute emergencies.
Assist bride and bridal party as they get ready, assist in getting bridal party and families to any pre-wedding photographic sessions on time.
Make sure they are out of the way in time for the arrival of the first guests for the ceremony.
Watch time very carefully and monitor guest arrival flow of traffic to determine when to start ceremony. When this time arrives, get bridal party, families and everyone queued up and ready for processional.
Final check on boutonnieres, corsages, flower arrangements, ring on ring-bearer's pillow or with best man.
Cue music.
Start processional.
Ensure bride's entrance is flawless.
After ceremony, escort bridal party to hidden place, clear guests out of ceremony area and direct over to reception site so wedding ceremony site is clear for photographer to complete final photographs with bridal party and families.
Ensure cocktails and hors d'oeuvres are ready to greet guests before their arrival.
Make sure guest book and any gifts that were (mistakenly) brought to the ceremony site are transferred to reception site gift table.
Transfer any flower arrangements from ceremony to reception site (if applicable).
Provide scotch tape and verify any loose cards are taped to their corresponding gifts at the gift table.
Time and orchestrate Grand Entrance of bridal party to reception (after their final post-ceremony photos).
Queue them up in correct order for their introduction.
Ensure toast, first dance, cake- cutting etc. are all orchestrated on time. Coordinate this with banquet staff.
Assist the bride and groom as necessary in getting their meal, make sure all vendors are fed.

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