Often, in spite of the best planning and impeccable organization, that last week before the wedding gets wild and things get misplaced or forgotten. As a wedding officiant, in spite of numerous reminders, I have had couples forget the rings, the marriage license and the candles for the unity candle ceremony as well as other things not so critical.

At one Friday evening rehearsal I reminded the couple to be sure to bring their marriage license to the Saturday afternoon wedding and they looked at each other and at me with stunned expressions. In the excitement of the arrival of family and friends and with the last minute preparations, they simply forgot to get their marriage license. There was momentary full-out panic. I told them I would research the law and call them early Saturday morning. The result was that we had the full formal wedding on Saturday and on Monday, after they obtained a license, we had an informal wedding with just their parents and me. The law does not allow for a ceremony to be performed prior to obtaining the license and I did not want them ever to wonder if their marriage was valid.

I can guarantee that forgetting to bring critical items causes all kinds of excitement and consternation and often delays the start of the ceremony. This is particularly difficult when the couple lives a long distance from the ceremony site and we have to wait while someone goes to get the marriage license.

A solution?

Make a checklist of everything you need for the ceremony; e.g. Rings, license, candles, roses for the mothers, etc.

Pack each item in a bag well in advance of the ceremony and put it in a place that it cannot be forgotten. For those last minute items like roses or wine, leave a big note on the outside of the bag. You might be able to assign a family member you can trust to be responsible for checking the items with the check list and bringing the bag to the ceremony site. Be sure you can depend on them.

Trust me -- something happens to the mind that last week before the wedding, so get everything done ahead of time before the mind goes into that place of wedding-mind-fog. A Wedding Ceremony Bag helps you get there with everything you need and avoids the shock and awe of missing wedding rings and marriage license.