Taking Care of the Day-Of Tasks Without a Planner
Taking Care of the Day-Of Tasks Without a Planner
Apr 29, 2016
If youve paid any attention to wedding checklists then you know that there are about nine hundred things you have to do before the big day and about a hundred that you have to remember the day of. Some of those checklist items are silly, superficial or totally unnecessary, but even after you ditch the items that dont apply, theres still quite a lot to do.
Though all the preparation and planning can seem overwhelming, its the day-of stuff that I found to be the most difficult. Its probably because the majority of the day-of tasks had to be delegated and I was no longer in charge. Classic control issues. But its not just control that can prove tricky on such a big day, its foresight. You have to prepare for all the little tasks that can or will crop up and you have to find a person to fill in for each of those places. If you dont have a wedding planner or day-of coordinator, then there are some key tasks you want to make sure you have assigned before the big day.
Cards and Gifts
Whether its a box of cards or a whole table full of gifts, you want to know ahead of time who is responsible for loading them up, keeping track of them and delivering them back to you. If you forget to assign a person then at the end of the night certainly someone will take care of it, but there will also certainly be a bit of panic before you figure out who that person is. Dont leave that up to chance.
Tips
You dont want to have to bother with keeping track of envelopes and doling out money at the end of the night, so make sure that you give someone else, usually the best-man, the task of tipping your various vendors.
Emergency Numbers
Brides and grooms are often the point-person for most of their vendors, but for any day-of emergencies you want to make sure they have a different contact. This way if there is a problem with the DJ while you are getting your first look pictures taken, someone else will be able to deal with it. You also want to make sure that this person has a list of all the vendor names and contact numbers as well as other important numbers like the mother-of-the-bride and so on. This position seems best suited to a maid of honor since she knows enough of what is going on and will be near enough to you if there is something you absolutely need to deal with.
Executive Decisions
Where do you want the escort cards? Which tables get white flowers and which tables get pink flowers? How many candles do you want burning? Where would you like the guestbook? These are decisions that you may not have really given much thought to before and they are insignificant enough that you dont need to be bothered with answering them on your big day. But they still need to be answered. For this role its good to pick someone who is closely involved in the wedding but not actually in the wedding. Pick someone you trust who has some understanding of your wedding vision and who can easily make split-second decisions without agonizing over them.
Of course other needs may arise, but as long as you have the basics covered everything else will fall into place.
{Lindsey}