Woo-hoo, it’s your wedding day! The day has come to an end, you’ve just run through a crowd of your nearest and dearest waving sparklers and we know those photos are going to be gorgeous. Now, you’re in the Uber on your way to the hotel for your first night of wedded bliss. Suddenly, you remember! Oh, no, you didn’t let anyone know what to do with your bouquet or the framed photo you had on the gifts table! The gifts! What is going to happen to them? And here you are, on the way to your hotel, stressed and worried about who is going to take care of everything back at the reception.

In the rush of emotions and to-do lists during the lead-up to your wedding, you are bound to forget some things but when it comes to the last details of the night, you don’t need to stress on the way to your honeymoon. To make sure you won’t be, here are six questions to finalise your wedding plans. Remember, all these things should be considered and arranged before your actual wedding day.

1. How am I getting to my honeymoon/hotel?

First things first: how are you getting to your honeymoon? If you hire a car to bring you to the wedding, most times this driver and vehicle will not be returning for you to head to your honeymoon. So, will you ask a friend to drop you off or maybe order an Uber? Consider what time you want the Uber to arrive and if Ubers even service the area you’ll be in. If someone is graciously dropping you off, be sure to provide snacks if it’s a long drive (more than an hour) or at least be happy to converse with them during the drive.

2. Where are my bags to put in the car?

When you arrive at the ceremony, are you bringing your honeymoon bags? Maybe you have asked a friend to bring and stash them for you in their car. If not, your bags need to go from your car (which is often hired and not your own) to somewhere in the reception or ceremony area to be later added to your leaving car. Who is in charge of this? Where will the bags go? Who will make sure they leave the first car and arrive in the second?

3. Do I want my bouquet preserved or saved? How is this happening?

If you’re heading anywhere that isn’t home right after your wedding (which you 100% should be heading to a hotel or similar), you need to decide in advance what you want to do with your bouquet. Do you ask a friend to hang and dry it for you? Do you want the flowers pressed and made into glass photos? What about having them made into a picture or coasters with poured resin? Decide, organise it and put someone in charge of getting the bouquet where it needs to go.

4. Where are my personal decor items going?

If you brought personal decor items, such as signs, centrepieces or framed photos, you need to know who is in charge of making sure they make it home. Have some boxes or bags ready for those items to be packed into and ask a friend or family member to transport them home.

5. Where are my wedding gifts going?

Wedding gifts can be large or small and, these days, often come in the form of cash. Obviously, you don’t want these and the cards they come with to be misplaced. As such, if they’re not going with you, who do you trust to take care of them and drop them home for you while you’re away? Be sure to arrange this early to ensure there will be room in the appropriate car for transport.

6. Where is my wedding dress going?

Are you changing into a leaving outfit or wearing your dress to the hotel? If you get changed, who is taking your dress home and are they going to drop it to a dry-cleaner while you’re away? If you’re not changing into a leaving outfit, are you taking it on your honeymoon or leaving it at a hotel to be picked up? Consider and arrange for someone to care for it and make sure it ends up in the correct place.

When it comes to answering these questions, your wedding coordinator will be on hand to oversee and assist in making sure things will end up where they’re meant to. If you don’t have a coordinator, make sure you write a list of all the items that should be taken home and who they are going with on the night and give this to someone who can oversee this process for you. Also, actually ask the friend or family member who is meant to take the items home to do so; an advanced warning is always a good call so they can prepare their car to transport things easily.

And now, you’re leaving your reception, happy and relaxed after an amazing day. You’re confident that everything will end up where it’s supposed to because you were well prepared and answered these six questions before this moment.

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