What do you actually need to do in the last 6 weeks before your wedding?

You've booked the venue.

You've booked the photographer.

You've sorted the food.

You've probably got a spreadsheet, a Pinterest board and approximately 47 tabs open on your laptop.

So why, six weeks before the wedding, does it suddenly feel like there are a million things left to do?

Because this is the point where wedding planning stops being about booking things and starts being about making sure everything you've booked actually works together.

The final few weeks are all about logistics, timings, supplier communication and the little details that are very easy to overlook.

Here's what you should actually be thinking about.

1. Get every supplier on the same page

Having all your suppliers booked is one thing. Making sure they all know what's happening is another.

By this point, every supplier should have the information they need about:

• Arrival and setup times
• Venue access
• Parking
• Contact details
• What they need from the venue
• What they are responsible for
• When they need to leave
• Who they should speak to on the day
• Any other suppliers they need to coordinate with

Your photographer needs to know when the ceremony starts.

Your caterer needs to know when speeches are happening.

Your DJ needs to know when the first dance is.

Your florist needs to know where everything is going.

And someone needs to make sure all of those timings actually work together.

2. Create a proper wedding-day timeline

Your wedding timeline shouldn't simply say:

1pm — Ceremony
2pm — Drinks
3.30pm — Food
7pm — Dancing

There's a lot more happening around those big moments.

A proper master timeline might include:

• Suppliers arriving
• Hair and makeup
• Flowers being delivered
• Photographer arrival
• Catering setup
• Venue setup
• Getting ready
• Wedding party photos
• Guest arrival
• Ceremony
• Confetti
• Drinks reception
• Couple portraits
• Group photographs
• Wedding breakfast
• Speeches
• Cake cutting
• Room turnaround
• First dance
• Evening food
• Entertainment
• Final suppliers leaving

And someone needs to own that timeline on the day.

Because when the ceremony is running 10 minutes late, you don't want to be the person trying to work out whether that means dinner, speeches and your evening plans are now all 10 minutes late too.

3. Decide who is actually doing everything

This is one of the biggest things couples forget.

You've spent months planning your wedding, but who is actually going to do all the jobs?

Who's putting out the place names?

Who's making sure the favours are on the tables?

Who's telling the DJ when it's time to start?

Who's making sure the cake has arrived?

Who's moving the furniture?

Who's putting the candles out?

Who's telling the photographer that Great Aunt Susan is ready for her family photo?

Your mum shouldn't have to do it.

Your bridesmaids shouldn't have to do it.

Your best man shouldn't have to do it.

And you definitely shouldn't have to do it.

Every job needs an owner, and ideally that person isn't one of your guests.

4. Have a proper wet-weather plan

Please don't let your weather contingency plan be:

"Hopefully it won't rain."

I am a Dorset wedding planner. I can tell you now: the weather will do whatever it wants.

Think through exactly what happens if the weather changes.

Where does the ceremony move?

Who moves the chairs?

What happens to the drinks reception?

Where do guests go?

What happens to outdoor furniture?

Does your photographer know?

Does your caterer need to change anything?

When do you make the decision?

And, most importantly:

Who tells everyone what's happening?

Having a plan doesn't mean you have to expect rain.

It means you don't have to panic if it happens.

And don't forget about the other weather possibilities either. A summer wedding can be too hot, incredibly windy or surprisingly cold.

5. Think about what happens between the big moments

This is where wedding-day logistics can get complicated.

You might have:

Dinner → speeches → dancing

But what happens in between?

Perhaps:

• Tables need clearing
• Furniture needs moving
• The cake needs bringing out
• The DJ needs to set up
• Lighting needs changing
• Evening food needs preparing
• Guests need moving into another area
• The photographer needs certain people for photographs
• The band needs access
• The bar needs restocking

These things don't magically happen.

Someone needs to know they're coming and make sure they're happening at the right time.

6. Give everyone their final information

Your final few weeks are the time to get all those little details confirmed.

Make sure you've got:

• Final guest numbers
• Dietary requirements
• Table plan
• Supplier contact details
• Final supplier timings
• Venue access information
• Parking information
• Transport arrangements
• Song choices
• Photography shot list
• Speech timings
• Final balances
• Any outstanding supplier questions

And don't just keep all of this in your head.

Put it somewhere everyone who needs it can access it.

7. Pack the things nobody remembers until they need them

There are always things that don't seem important until something goes wrong.

Safety pins.

Plasters.

Scissors.

Tape.

Cable ties.

Phone chargers.

Umbrellas.

Stain remover.

Sewing kit.

Spare tights.

Painkillers.

Snacks.

The list can go on forever.

You don't need to pack the entire contents of your house, but having a small emergency kit can save the day.

I've personally used emergency supplies to fix a guest's broken shoe with two cable ties.

Not glamorous.

Very effective.

8. Decide what you're NOT going to do

This might be the most important one.

Your wedding day is not the day to discover that you're actually the project manager.

You shouldn't be:

• Chasing suppliers
• Checking timings
• Answering questions
• Moving furniture
• Organising guests
• Finding missing items
• Fixing problems
• Checking whether the cake has arrived
• Working out where the photographer needs to be
• Wondering why dinner is late

You should be getting married.

You should be drinking champagne.

You should be dancing with your friends.

You should be present for the moments you've spent months planning.

The six-week test

If you're approaching the final six weeks, ask yourself these five questions:

1. Does every supplier know where they need to be and when?

2. Is there one master timeline everyone is working from?

3. Does every job have an owner?

4. Do you have a proper plan for rain, wind, heat or anything else the weather might throw at you?

5. Who is actually running the wedding while you're getting married?

If the answer to number five is currently:

"...I hadn't thought about that."

That's exactly where a wedding coordinator comes in.

At Dorset Wedding Co., I step in around four to five weeks before your wedding and take over the logistics you've spent months putting together.

I'll liaise with your suppliers, create your master timeline, work through the final details, solve the problems and make sure everything you've planned actually works on the day.

Because you planned the wedding.

You shouldn't have to run it.

That's my job.