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Got the night-before-your-wedding jitters? We don’t blame you. Night-before (and day-before) nervousness is par for the course. Channel all that energy into completing these 26 things the night before your wedding, and you’ll give yourself peace of mind and create a good foundation for the big day itself.
1. Eat a Healthy Meal
Though the greasy pizza and the bag of Cool Ranch Doritos might be screaming your name, stick to the fresh fruit and the whole grains. They won’t have you waking up with a food hangover like a Big Mac and a side of fries will on your wedding day.
2. Pack a Bag or Clutch of Personal Items
Put together your reception clutch and your post-reception bag, and hand it off to your wedding point person who can ensure it’s waiting for you in the bridal suite or your hotel room.
3. Drink a Lot of Water
Keep a cold glass of water nearby and make sure you spend some quality time with it. This will help you avoid any dehydration that stress and running around can cause.
4. Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Or at least try to tuck yourself underneath those covers at a decent hour.
5. Turn Your Phone on Silent
Say goodbye to checking Facebook and answering frantic text messages. Turn your device on silent or hand it over to somebody you can trust to look after it.
6. Put Any Bags You Need in the Car
Pack the car with all the items you’ll need for your wedding day so that you can wake up in the morning and not have to worry about doing any heavy lifting before getting out the door.
7. Make Sure You Have Cash on Hand
Have a couple of $20 bills nearby in case you need to tip vendors or there are any last-minute emergencies.
8. Double-Check Payment for Vendors
Have them sorted out digitally—whether that means you’re scheduling payments via PayPal or Venmo or gathering checks and cash. If the latter, put them in clearly marked envelopes and hand them off to your point person for the wedding day.
9. Gather a Survival Kit
Toss a bunch of must-have items into a small tote bag in case anyone needs them. Grab a handful of Band-Aids, safety pins, packets of Advil, and, of course, hair-ties.
10. Print Out a List of Vendor Details
Be sure to have a list of vendor info, like their phone number, arrival time, and name.
Pass this list on to your point person, so they can make sure everything is in order.
11. Write a Love Note to Your Partner
Something short and sweet. Reminding the person who will be waiting for you in a freshly cleaned outfit that they are the love of your entire life.
12. Grab a Pair of Flip-Flops
Keep these close by. You’ll want to change into them throughout your wedding day—whether after the morning photos are taken or in the middle of the reception. Your feet are going to need a time-out before you do.
13. Watch Something That’ll Make You Laugh
In the spirit of putting yourself in a happy and enlightened mood, plop yourself down in front of some funny YouTube videos or search for your favorite rom-com.
14. Enjoy a Mani-Pedi
While you’re getting a fresh coat of polish, say “I do” when they ask you if you’d like to add on a 10-minute massage. Pamper yourself—you deserve it.
15. Assign Someone to Be Your Morning-After Person
This person’s role will be to collect all the gifts at the end of the wedding and do one final sweep of the venue when the party is over to make sure you didn’t leave anything behind.
16. Say a Big “Thank-You”
Before the wedding-day chaos kicks in, be sure to thank people in advance for sticking by your side through this adventure. Give an extra hug to your bridal party and pop a kiss on the cheeks of your family members.
17. Practice Walking in Your Shoes
Even better, make sure you practice walking a straight line in the shoes. After that, turn the volume up on your favorite Kesha song and bust out some dance moves. This will help you not only relieve some stress, but it’ll also make you see your threshold for when your wedding shoes are going to start throwing a temper tantrum on your feet.
18. Confirm With Vendors
There’s a time and a place for everything. Make sure your outside vendors know when and where to show up. Now’s the time to also let them know the name and phone number of your point person that day.
19. Practice Deep Yoga-Like Breaths
End the day before your wedding with five minutes of meditation and deep breaths. This will help calm you down before you hop into bed.
20. Keep Up With Your Nightly Beauty Rituals
Lather on the moisturizer, apply a face mask, stick on the whitening strips—whatever fits into your pre-wedding beauty routine. For a face moisturizer that offers optimal hydration, try Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream. It’s deeply nourishing and vegan-friendly. Plus, it protects skin from oxidative stress
21. Open Night Before Wedding Presents
Who doesn’t love opening some presents? The night before is an opportunity to open up any pre-wedding presents you may have received, but it can also be a time for you and your partner to exchange a small gift with each other before the big day.
22. Spend Some Alone Time With Your Partner
Before all of the excitement – and inevitable hecticness – that will take place the next day, make sure to enjoy some alone time with your partner the night before. Check in and remind each other that the only thing that matters the following day is celebrating the love you both share with one another.
23. Clean Your Engagement Ring
If there is ever a day where you would want your engagement ring to really sparkle, it would be your wedding day. Take some time to shine up your engagement ring – away from any sinks, of course.
24. Go Over Your Vows
The night before your wedding is the perfect opportunity to go over your vows one last time before the big day.
25. Charge Your Phone
In addition to putting your phone on silent, you will want to make sure it’s plugged in overnight. Not that you’ll be on your cell phone much during the day, but it’s good to have on hand in case of emergency or if you want to snap a quick pic.
26. Get in One Last Kiss
Whether you’ve chosen to embrace the tradition of sleeping separately and not seeing one another until the aisle or first look, or you’re heading to sleep together in anticipation of the big day, take a moment to take it all in and enjoy your last unmarried smooch session.