The 13 Key Tasks You Need to Do the Week Before Your Wedding—And the 4 You Don't (2025)

In the week leading up to your wedding, you may be filled with excitement about the upcoming celebration. However, you may also be experiencing some anxiety, worried about something going awry on the day of your nuptials. Yet the last thing you need to be doing is stressing about logistics. To help ease some of your fears, when you begin the planning process, pretend that your ceremony is two to three weeks earlier than it actually is. By doing so, you'll have plenty of time to complete all of the necessary tasks without feeling hurried. Whether you want to ensure you get your last facial with your preferred esthetician or have plenty of time to organize your escort cards, this buffer will guarantee you have the hours you need.

Faith Folayan, the founder and creative director of This Love Weddings, supports this idea. "Square away as much as you can before the week prior," she says. "It helps with any last-minute pickups or clarification needed between family members or vendors." Additionally, in the days before your nuptials, prioritize spending time with loved ones—and taking care of yourself. By doing so, you'll ensure you're feeling your best on the big day.

Ready to start making the last-minute preparations for your celebration? Read on for a realistic and practical look at what to do the week of your wedding—and, perhaps more importantly—things you should definitely not do the week of your wedding.

What to Do the Week Before Your Wedding

Beyond waiting with eager anticipation for your big day, there are a few tasks you may want to tackle in the last free moments you have before your nuptials. Below, Folayan breaks down what to do the week before your wedding.

Touch Base With Your Wedding Party

Ensure your wedding party is where they need to be on your big day by providing them with a chronological schedule of events. Break down the time and place for the rehearsal, pre-ceremony preparations, and photo sessions. Aim to include all of these details on a single slide that's the size of a smartphone screen to make it easily accessible.

Take Time Off

"If you’re not leaving straight for your honeymoon, I’d suggest taking the entire week before off," says Folayan. If that’s not possible, try to have at least two out-of-office days scheduled before the day of your rehearsal. If you’re tying the knot on a Saturday, that means taking off Wednesday and Thursday, in addition to Friday.

Finalize Your Seating Charts

While you’ll want to confirm your final guest count three to four weeks before your wedding, a few loved ones may request specific seating arrangements in the days leading up to your nuptials. Use the week before the wedding to accommodate those requests where possible.

Alphabetize Escort Cards

The easiest way for your guests to find their seats is in alphabetical order according to their last name. Once you have your final seating chart, confirm table numbers and organize yourescort cards accordingly.

Make Final Payments

After confirming your head count, you'll typically need to make your final payments to your vendors. If, however, there are stragglers, ask if you can pay early so that you won’t need to talk numbers on your wedding day—or worry about sending money when you’re away on your honeymoon.

Prep and Deliver Welcome Bags

"This should be done a couple of days before guests arrive," says Folayan. Secure and pack up any perishable treats, then work with your hotel to ensure thewelcome bagsare delivered to the correct rooms.

Gather Gratuities

"Withdraw cash and place it in separate envelopes," Folayan says. Express your gratitude in a card included in the envelopes and, if necessary, provide instructions for how you’d like to see the given amount disbursed.

Prioritize Self-Care

Reserve some time before your nuptials for self-care. "Use the final week to pamper yourself," says Folayan."Make sure you have that mani-pedi, and you can do a facial if it’s one you’ve done multiple times." Prioritize the activities that make you feel your best. For some, that’ll mean taking a strenuousfitness studio class; for others, it might look more like running a hot bath.

Book a Trim

If you have short or close-cropped hair, the week before your wedding is the time to get that final cut. However, remember this isn't the moment to deviate from a style you already know looks good on you.

Break in Your Wedding Shoes

"Please make sure your wedding day isn’t the first time you’re wearing your shoes out and about," says Folayan. "You want to be sure you’re able to walk and dance."

Get Your Marriage License

If you’re not local to the area where you’re marrying, you’ll want to ensure you arrive with enough time to secure yourmarriage license. Pay close attention to local requirements, as these can vary from state to state. If you are local, Folayan recommends getting your license about a month in advance. While states will have different rules on waiting periods and expiration dates, typically, 30 days in advance is the perfect amount of time.

Put Rain Plans Into Place

While official policies will vary from vendor to vendor, some tent companies will give you seven to 14 days to release a hold on a tent if you don’t want to be charged for it. If your budget allows for it, you can hold off on making final decisions about tenting outdoor spaces until the week before your wedding. However, try to make the decision as soon as possible so that your vendors can adjust for any extra set-up time that's needed.

Pack Your Suitcases

Leaving for your honeymoon within a few days of your wedding? If so, use the week before your nuptials to pack two suitcases: one with all the essentials you’ll need for your wedding weekend and another filled with the clothes and toiletries needed for the trip.

What Not to Do the Week Before Your Wedding

While there's much to do in the week leading up to your wedding, there are also some things you should avoid. Here, we break them down.

Try New Skincare Treatments

"If you’re doing anything new to your skin, try to do it for the first time at least two months prior [to your wedding]," says Folayan. The last problem you need to deal with the week before your nuptials is an unexpected allergic reaction.

Get a Haircut

If you have medium-to-long hair and are planning to wear it down, plan on booking your final cut three to four weeks ahead of you wedding so that you’re free of split ends—but still have time to settle into the look.

Write Your Vows

If you’ll bewriting your own wedding vows, the week before your celebration isnotthe time to start working on them. However, it is the time to practice saying them. This is especially important if you’ll be hiring awedding videographer. "A lot of times they’ll plan to record a voiceover of your vows or a letter you two have written to each other," says Folayan. By practicing your vows ahead of time, your delivery will have more impact on the day of your nuptials.

Make Unnecessary Changes

The week before your wedding is not the time to decide on new flowers, redo signage, or alter any venue spaces that don’t need to be changed. You’ll spend too much time worrying about what’s possible to pull off instead of savoring what should be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.