A useful handoff gives every professional the information they need to arrive, set up, work, and leave without guessing. Use this checklist as a starting point, then confirm the details with the people responsible for your event.
Start with a shared contact sheet
List the venue contact, planner or coordinator, and a day-of contact for each vendor. Include a phone number they will actually monitor during setup. Identify who can approve a timing change and who should receive routine questions, so the couple does not become the default dispatcher.
Confirm arrival and access
- Write down each delivery, setup, sound-check, and collection window.
- Share the exact entrance, loading location, parking instructions, and any access restrictions.
- Confirm where equipment can wait and who opens the building.
- Check dimensions and access for large installations, carts, or rental deliveries.
Make the floor plan usable
Share one current floor plan with a version date. Mark the ceremony, tables, dance floor, bar, catering workspace, power locations, and storage. Ask each team to confirm the space and access it needs. When a layout changes, tell affected vendors what changed and where the latest version lives.
Put setup responsibilities in writing
Clarify who places tables and chairs, handles linens, moves ceremony arrangements, lights candles where permitted, and packs personal items. Name an owner for each task. Ask the venue about its specific rules before planning hanging decorations, open flames, confetti, or other installations.
Walk through the timing together
Use one shared timeline covering vendor access, setup completion, ceremony, transitions, service, speeches, entertainment, and breakdown. Check dependencies: flowers may need tables placed first; room photographs may need decor completed; catering may need a clear route during a room change.
Give the weather plan an owner
Agree on the backup location, the person who makes the decision, and when vendors need that decision. Check what changes in the layout, delivery route, staffing, or equipment. A backup plan is more useful when everyone knows how to put it into practice.
Finish with breakdown and collection
Confirm the end-of-event schedule, storage arrangements, rental collection, rubbish responsibilities, and final walk-through contact. Record who keeps personal items and how anything left behind will be returned.
A copyable handoff outline
- Event: date, venue, guest count, and current plan link.
- People: day-of contacts and decision-maker.
- Access: arrival windows, entrance, parking, and loading.
- Setup: floor plan, equipment, dependencies, and task owners.
- Timeline: key moments, transitions, and vendor deadlines.
- Backup: weather decision, timing, and revised setup.
- Close: breakdown, collections, belongings, and final contact.
Check the handoff before the wedding
Ask each team to review the parts that affect its work, flag missing information, and confirm its responsibilities. Keep changes in the shared plan and notify the people affected. The goal is a plan people can use when the day gets busy.
What makes your handoffs work?
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