Photo: Samm Blake
You can't start packing for your wedding too early. No, seriously. You should be making that packing list the day you start planning your wedding because that is when your mind is racing and you're thinking of all the little things you might need.
Even if you're getting married in your hometown, having a list of the things you'll need is critical. Odds are you're not getting ready at home. Or you're not dressing at home. You need to create a list of every possible thing you could ever possibly need and have it with you that day.
And the honeymoon—don't forget the honeymoon! As you begin shopping for that special trip, you should be putting all of those clothes aside and not wearing them beforehand. Otherwise, they won't be quite as special. Invest n a portable rolling clothing rack you can put all of your wedding clothes on (both yours and your fiancé's) as you accrue those items during the planning process.
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For those brides and grooms who are having a destination wedding, and some of whom will be taking off directly from their wedding destination on a honeymoon someplace else, packing can be a real project. To streamline the process, take two boxes and label them "Things to Pack" and "Things to Ship." For a destination wedding, you will inevitably have things you need to send ahead to your wedding planner or your venue. As you get these things, put them in the box to ship.
As you buy things for your wedding day—special perfumes, jewelry, hair pins, shoes, etc.—put them in the "Things to Pack" box. Not only will this keep everything organized in one place so you don't have to hunt for it, it's also the best way to keep an eye on how much shipping and packing space you're going to need.
If you're leaving on your honeymoon directly from your wedding, everything should be pre-packed, as much as possible, in a separate suitcase you're not going to open til after you've gotten married. You'll likely have a list of things you need to be sure to switch from your wedding luggage to your honeymoon baggage—Dopp kit, makeup, hair supplies, some shoes, etc.—but if you have the list ready to go before your wedding, you won't have to even think twice when it's time to load and go.
There's no such thing as being too organized or too prepared. The earlier you start your plan for packing, the more relaxed you'll be in the month prior to your wedding date.
Owner of Weddings in Vieques, a destination-wedding planning company off the coast of Puerto Rico, Sandy Malone has helped countless couples plan their big day since 2007.