Unless you regularly plan elaborate parties for 50 to 400 people, your wedding is likely the most detailed and complicated event you will ever organize. All but the most spartan of weddings requires intricate coordinating with a group of persons from family and friends to bakers and caterers and florists and much more.

The best way to maintain control—and your sanity—is clear communication. To that end, we highly recommend the use of checklists, not just for you and your fiancé, but for other members of the wedding party. What you need are separate checklists for everyone from the groomsmen to the maid of honor for the actual day of the wedding. Keep a copy of each checklist in your own personal planner, so that you can occasionally reference them and check to see if things are getting done. Also have additional copies available for those who might have misplaced or lost theirs.

These checklists are not meant to cover the responsibilities of the wedding party from the moment you got engaged until “I Do”. Rather, it is a specific list of items he/she is responsible for the day of the wedding. Thus, it does not need to be distributed until much closer to the wedding—about two to three weeks prior to your big day. Feel free to add more specifics where necessary. For example, if you are placing a specific responsibility on the maid of honor—such as collecting centerpieces—then provide that detail on this checklist in the space provided. With these checklists, the lines of communication can be improved greatly. Included in this packet:

1. Maid/Matron of Honor Checklist
2. Best Man Checklist
3. Bridesmaid Checklist
4. Groomsman/Usher Checklist
5. Groom Checklist
6. Bride Checklist

Bonus! Free Guide to Giving Bridesmaid/Maid of Honor Speech