Last-Minute Wedding Checklist for the Final Week

The last week before a wedding is rarely the week you imagined back when you got engaged. You pictured serene final touches. What you actually get is a flurry of phone calls, a car boot full of jars, and a sudden panic about whether the buttonholes are sorted. So let's strip it back to what really needs doing, and let the rest go.

By this point the big decisions are made. Nobody is rebooking a venue or rewriting their vows from scratch. The final week is about confirming, counting, and packing, not creating. If a job isn't on this list, it probably doesn't matter as much as your brain is telling you it does.

Confirm your numbers and tell your caterer

Your final guest count is the single most important thing to nail down. Most caterers and venues want confirmed numbers somewhere between seven and ten days out, and that figure drives everything: place settings, portions, table plans, the lot.

Chase any stragglers who still haven't replied. A quick, warm message works better than a guilt trip. "We're finalising numbers with the caterer this week, could you let us know either way by Friday?" gets a faster answer than silence ever will. If you collected replies through an online RSVP system, this is the moment it earns its keep: one screen tells you exactly who's coming, who's declined, and who you still need to nudge, rather than a scattered pile of texts and a half-remembered conversation at the pub.

Once you have the final number, share it in writing with your caterer and venue. Then update your seating plan to match, and don't forget the people who need feeding but aren't sitting in the room: photographer, band, videographer, planner. Most suppliers expect a meal, and a hungry photographer at hour eight is not who you want behind the camera.

Pay outstanding balances and prep the cash

This is the week most final invoices land. Go through your supplier list and pay anything still owing, because the last thing you want is a band asking for a bank transfer while you're trying to do your hair.

Sort any cash tips into labelled envelopes now and hand them to your best man, maid of honour or planner to distribute on the day. Tipping isn't compulsory in the UK, but if you've planned to thank a few people that way, sort it in advance rather than scrambling for a cashpoint on the morning.

A quick week-of money check:

• All final supplier balances paid
• Tips in labelled envelopes, handed to a trusted person
• A bit of float cash for taxis, last-minute bits and unexpected costs
• Marriage licence or schedule paperwork located and packed

Run through the day with your key people

You don't need a three-hour meeting. You need a short, clear conversation with the handful of people who'll be steering things while you're busy getting married.

Walk your best man, maid of honour and any willing parent or planner through the running order. Who's giving speeches and roughly when. Where the rings are. What time cars arrive. Who's holding your phone. Who chases the florist if the flowers are late. Writing a one-page timeline and sharing it with this group means nobody's asking you questions while you're meant to be enjoying a glass of fizz.

If your venue has a coordinator, they'll usually run a final call or meeting around now too. Use it to confirm timings, deliveries and access for suppliers.

Pack, prep and gather everything in one place

Decanting your whole wedding into the car the night before is stressful. Start gathering things into one room across the week so you can see what you've got.

Here's a rough sense of what to do when in those final days:

Lay out your outfit, shoes and accessories so you can see the whole look together. Try the shoes on one more time. Charge every device, camera and battery pack the night before. And pack a small emergency kit: plasters, painkillers, safety pins, a stain pen, deodorant, blister plasters, a phone charger and a snack. You will be amazed how often the safety pins get used.

Look after yourselves, not just the list

In the rush to tick boxes, the two people getting married often forget to eat, sleep or breathe. Try not to.

Drink water. Eat proper meals. Get to bed at a reasonable hour the night before, even if sleep is patchy, because lying down still rests you. If you can, build in one quiet thing in the final week that has nothing to do with the wedding: a walk, a takeaway on the sofa, a film you've seen a hundred times.

The truth is that by now the day will largely run itself. Your suppliers know their jobs. Your people know the plan. The flowers will be lovely even if one variety got swapped, and almost nobody will notice the thing you're quietly fretting about. The final week isn't about perfection. It's about handing things over, trusting the people around you, and giving yourself permission to actually arrive at your own wedding ready to enjoy it.