Staying organized throughout your wedding journey is SO important, but the most crucial time to do so is the week leading up to ensure that everything runs smoothly and stress-free.
Since I didn’t hire a wedding planner and am navigating this on my own, with the help of my parents, we decided to start by creating an extremely extensive day-of-timeline that covers absolutely everything you could possibly think of. If you’re planning your own wedding and think this might be useful for you, email lexitobinxx@gmail.com with your name and email address for more information.
After the timeline was complete, we shared this with all of our vendors so that they knew exactly how the day would run.
Once we had that all nailed down, we decided that it’d be good for us to drop off everything that’s needed at the venue on the actual wedding day, the Wednesday before the weekend, that way we can feel completely relaxed those days leading up. The key to staying organized is to separate everything into different organizational bags. I used these:
These bags aren’t just meant for you to shove things in for it to get transported to the venue; each bag should have a purpose. For inspiration on how to organize each bag with a purpose, below is how I organized mine:
Friday Night Rehearsal Dinner - Shabbat candles & candlesticks, Challah, escort cards, MOB speech
The Bride Wedding Day - shoes, bag, makeup, hair tools, undergarments, jewelry, brides PJs, bridal undergarment
Mother of the Bride Wedding Day — shoes, backup shoes, pocket book, hair extensions, bride and groom rings & extra wedding invitation to give to photographer for photos
Bridal Party Day of - acrylic hangers, eye masks for AM, bridesmaids PJs, bridesmaids slippers, camera, Maid of Honor gift
Ceremony - music stand for officiant, Ketubah with frame, Tallas, Kiddush cup, glass for groom to stomp on, Yamikas with clips, bride & groom vows, marriage license
Party - escort cards, custom table numbers (use code “LEXI10” for 10% off your order)
Party Decor - bathroom amenity basket, envelope gift box with custom wedding logo from Dani Rubin Designs, cocktail napkins
After Party - flip flops and any extra decor
After we nailed this down and put it aside, we then ordered a clothing rack for all of our outfits. You may be thinking, why do I need a clothing rack if I have all of my stuff hanging in my closet?! Obviously you dont need this, but it’s a great way to stay organized and make sure that each of your outfits has all of the accessories needed all in one place. That way once it’s done all being hung up, you can bring the rack straight to the venue and keep everything on hangers.
Here’s a checklist of what we put on our clothing rack:
For the Bride:
Rehearsal Dinner Outfit, shoes
Bridal Jacket for outdoor photographs
For the Groom:
Suit & suit shirt
Next to the clothing racks, we have these duffle bags that we put other accessories inside that pair with the outfits, such as:
For the Bride:
Perfume (use code “LEXITOBIN” for 10% off)
Jewelry
Shoes
For the Groom:
Bow Tie
Cufflinks
Hair gel
Cologne
Dress Socks x2 for RD/wedding day
Suspenders
Cufflinks
Dress Shoes x2 for RD/wedding day
Belt
Watch
Next up… honeymoon time!
If you’re going on your honeymoon soon after your wedding like I am, I highly recommend packing beforehand. Trust me, you won’t want the stress of packing for a big trip after your wedding weekend, so do yourself a favor and be proactive.
Personally, I wanted to stay in and relax the weekend before my wedding. So instead of going out for dinner or having plans with friends, we stayed in on Saturday night and packed for our honeymoon. Not only did this help us to feel like something was checked off our list of things to do, but it also was such a great way to get us pumped up. Sometimes it’s easy to forget about your honeymoon when you’re so focused on the wedding, so for us this was special.
I’m pretty old-school when it comes to packing for trips. I buy a few extra large Ziploc bags and divide each day/activity on our itinerary into a different bag. Once I’m done, I then write with a sharpie marker on the bag what each outfit is for (ex. Bangkok dinner night 1). I know this may also seem crazy and may not be something you’d ever consider doing, but trust me it’s an incredibly helpful way to stay organized when you’re moving from one hotel to the next! I even like to close the bags as tight as possible without air so that I can fit more things into my luggage.
Obviously everyone’s honeymoons are unique, but below are some basics that you shouldn’t forget on any trip:
Toiletries:
Hair brush or comb
Medicine
Other personal medications or prescriptions
Other:
Makeup
Hair tools
Sunglasses
Hat
Undergarments
Jewelry case & jewelry
Computer & computer charger
Wallet, ID, credit card
And last but least, I need to pack a bag for the hotel I’ll be staying in the weekend of my wedding, but luckily this is a light bag that just has my toiletries, hair, makeup, a Sunday brunch outfit, and PJs.
And now that we’re all packed… it’s showtime!!!
Now that I’ve done all of the heavy lifting with packing, prepping and organizing, I can now enjoy the pre-wedding week excitement filled with appointments and so much fun.
Do yourself a favor and follow these steps that way you can be your best self on your wedding week! Catch you on the flip side a week from today as a MRS!
With love,
Ms. Lexi Tobin