The last 30 days before the wedding: a week-by-week checklist

Say there are six days to go. In a single day Murad gets calls from the venue, the photographer, two aunts and a neighbour. They all ask the same thing: «What time?» Meanwhile Nərgiz still does not know whether three guests are coming. That is the typical last month, and it can be avoided.

The list below is split by week. By the end of each week a few things should be «closed». If an item slips, move it to the next week, but do not drop it. Split the work between the two of you, but give every item a single owner.

4 weeks out: confirm everything in writing

1. 01Message every vendor: venue, singer or band, DJ, aparıcı (the host who runs the evening), photographer, videographer, flowers, cake, car. Include the date, address, arrival time and what exactly was agreed. Save the replies as screenshots in one folder.
2. 02Invitations should already be out. If not, send them this week and call guests from the regions and abroad as well.
3. 03Book the final dress and suit fittings. Bring the shoes you will wear on the day: the hem is set to them.
4. 04If the civil registration is on a separate day, confirm its date and the documents you need this week.
5. 05Put every vendor's name, number and arrival time into one table. Later it goes to your wedding day point person.

A little-known trick: never ask a vendor «is everything still on?». Write «You are at the venue on Saturday at 17:00, correct?» A specific question exposes a mistake immediately, while a general one always gets a «yes».

3 weeks out: replies, music, programme

1. 01Set a reply deadline for guests, for example 14 days before the wedding, and state it clearly in your reminder.
2. 02List everyone who has not replied and split the list: the groom's family calls his side, the bride's family calls hers.
3. 03Send the singer or DJ your music list: first dance, the couple's entrance, family dances. Add a separate «please do not play» list.
4. 04Write the evening's timings together with the host: guests arriving, the couple's entrance, dances, cake, the close.
5. 05Give the host a written list of everyone who will make a toast: the order, how they are related to the couple and how to pronounce their names.

Collecting replies from scattered chats is tiring. In the reply form inside the invitation, a guest picks «coming» or «not coming» and says how many people, and you see the list in your account. Replies given by phone you add by hand, and guests who stay silent get a WhatsApp reminder.

2 weeks out: lock the number

1. 01Give the venue your final guest count. Ask after which day that number can no longer change.
2. 02Build the seating plan: family tables first, then older guests (away from the speakers, close to the exit), friends last.
3. 03Sort out transport for elderly guests and those coming from outside the city: who brings whom and at what time. Send addresses to drivers in writing.
4. 04Confirm where guests from other cities will stay.
5. 05Give the photographer a «must shoot» list: grandparents, relatives who travelled, closest friends. The photographer does not know them, and without a list someone ends up with no photo.

A tip from practice: keep one table empty in the seating plan. On the last day there is almost always someone saying «we are coming too», and you will not have to squeeze other tables. Tell the venue about it so that table is set too.

1 week out: payments, timings, one point person

1. 01Make the final payments and keep every receipt or message in the same folder. Put any cash due on the day into separate envelopes and write on each who it is for.
2. 02Write the day out hour by hour and send the same file to every vendor. Put one contact number at the top.
3. 03Choose a «wedding day point person»: a calm, reliable relative or friend. The venue, photographer and drivers call only them.
4. 04Send guests a reminder: date, time, address and map.
5. 05Give the point person some cash for taxis and small surprises.
6. 06Pack the emergency kit.

The rule is simple: on the wedding day, every call to the couple is someone else's job.

What goes in the emergency kit

• A needle, white thread and thread matching the dress, safety pins, small scissors.
• Painkillers, plasters, wet wipes, a stain remover pen.
• A fully charged power bank and two cables.
• Comfortable shoes for the bride, hair pins, powder, lipstick.
• Water and a small snack: the couple often goes the whole day without eating.
• Two printed copies of the programme: one for the host, one for the point person. When a phone dies, paper still works.

The last 2 days: rest and gather everything

• Put the rings and ID cards in one box and decide now who holds it.
• Envelopes and gifts: in Azerbaijan guests often give money in envelopes, so ask one person to keep them all evening and take them home at the end.
• Charge every phone and power bank the night before.
• Keep the outfit, shoes and accessories together, and agree who brings them in the morning and in which car.
• Try nothing new: a new skin treatment, new shoes or a new perfume can wait until after the wedding.
• Go to bed early. Tomorrow everything has to run without you, and that is what the point person is for.

The wedding morning

1. 01Eat breakfast. Sitting down to a proper meal later in the day will be hard.
2. 02The point person double checks timings with the venue, photographer and drivers.
3. 03Tidy the getting-ready room before the photographer arrives, so bags, bottles and garment covers stay out of the shots.
4. 04Guests receive their table message: everyone knows in advance where they sit.
5. 05Hand your phone to the point person or put it in a bag.
6. 06Emergency kit into the car, the paper programme to the host.

The seating plan can be built on a hall layout in your account: drag guests onto tables or let it seat them automatically. On the wedding morning a WhatsApp table message goes out, each guest sees their own table on their personal link, and nobody queues at the door asking «where am I sitting?».

If you want the invitation, replies and seating plan in one place, browse the templates.

Quick answers

When do you give the venue the final guest count?

Usually 7 to 14 days before the wedding. The venue sets the exact day in the contract, so ask when you book.

Who should be the wedding day point person?

A relative or friend who knows the family and the guests, stays calm and does not mind the phone. Give them every vendor's number and the plan for the day.

What should be done a week before the wedding?

Final payments, one timed plan for all vendors, one point person, a reminder to guests and the emergency kit.