The last seven days before a wedding are about confirming, not deciding. By now the venue, vendors and outfits should be booked; this week is when you check that every one of them knows exactly what to do, when and where. This checklist is built around weddings in Mathura and Vrindavan, where guest arrivals, temple-town traffic and venue rules all need attention in the final stretch.
If you are still months away, start with our long-range wedding planning checklist and come back to this one in the final week.
Day 7: Confirm everything in writing
- Call every vendor: decorator, caterer, photographer, makeup artist, DJ or band, pandit, mehendi artist, transport. Confirm date, reporting time, venue address and the person they report to.
- Send each of them a short written schedule on WhatsApp so there is a record.
- Recheck balance payments due this week and keep them ready, with a note of who gets paid when.
- Confirm the final guest count with the caterer and the hotel. Include vendor crews and drivers in the meal count.
- Check with your venue on music timings. Loudspeakers and DJs in open spaces generally must stop by 10 pm unless local authorities allow otherwise.
Days 6 and 5: Guest arrivals and rooms
Most outstation guests come either by road on the Yamuna Expressway or NH-19, or by train into Mathura Junction, which has direct trains from Delhi and much of India. Guests flying in usually land at Delhi’s IGI airport and drive down, which takes roughly 3 to 4 hours.
- Make an arrivals sheet: guest name, phone, train or flight number, arrival time, pickup point, hotel and room.
- Assign vehicles and drivers to each arrival slot at Mathura Junction. Share driver numbers with guests a day before.
- If the wedding is between December and January, plan for fog delays. Keep a driver on standby rather than fixing tight pickup windows.
- Prepare welcome kits for rooms: schedule card, local contact number, water, and a box of Mathura peda.
- Put one family member or coordinator in charge of the hotel desk during peak arrival hours.
This is the part of the week our hospitality and guest management team usually takes off the family’s hands.
Day 4: Vendor briefing
- Hold one call or meeting with the planner, decorator, caterer and photographer together. Walk through each function in order.
- Agree setup and teardown times for every function, especially where the same space is used twice.
- Give the photographer a shot list: family groups, rituals you do not want missed, and the names of the people who will point out relatives.
- Confirm the menu for each meal. Sattvik vegetarian food is the norm here, and many venues serve no alcohol, so make sure everyone has the same understanding.
Day 3: Outfits, jewellery and ritual items
- Do a final fitting. Pack each outfit with its jewellery, footwear and dupatta in a labelled bag per function.
- Check the puja samagri list with your pandit and assign one person to carry it on the day.
- Keep jewellery with one trusted person and agree when it moves between rooms and venue.
Day 2: Site check
- Visit the venue with your planner. Check power backup, washrooms, parking, the bride’s and groom’s rooms, and the route guests will walk.
- If the venue is near a busy temple area in Vrindavan or Mathura, time the drive at the hour of your function. Traffic near Banke Bihari or around the Janmabhoomi area can vary a lot through the day.
- Check the weather. In winter, plan heaters and shawls for evening functions; in summer, plan shade and cooling.
Day 1: Hand over and rest
- Hand the run sheet to your coordinator and agree that vendor calls go to them, not to the couple.
- Charge phones and power banks. Keep cash in small envelopes for tips and last-minute payments.
- Sleep early. The day starts before sunrise for most families.
The wedding day itself
- Morning: coordinator checks decor progress against the plan and sends photos to the family.
- Makeup and dressing run to a written timetable, with buffer time added.
- Baraat route, vehicle and band are confirmed one more time two hours before start.
- One person stays with the pandit to keep rituals on time and call family members when needed.
- Catering lead confirms the serving time and headcount an hour before dinner.
- After the pheras, the coordinator handles vendor payments and the teardown while the family stays with guests.
Emergency kit checklist
- Safety pins, needle and thread in common outfit colours, double-sided tape
- Basic medicines, band-aids, ORS sachets, antacids, any guest’s regular medicines
- Phone chargers, power banks, a small extension board
- Spare dupatta, hair pins, comb, tissues and wet wipes
- Printed copy of the run sheet and vendor phone list
- Small cash envelopes
- Umbrellas in monsoon, shawls in winter
Let us carry the final week
The final week is where a coordinator on the ground matters most. Our team is based in Mathura and runs wedding weeks across Mathura and Vrindavan, from station pickups to the last vendor payment. Call or WhatsApp +91 97560 74725, or reach us through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Mathura Junction from Vrindavan?
Vrindavan is about 12 to 15 km from Mathura, so allow time for the drive from the station, especially at busy hours. For guests arriving by train, a pre-assigned car and driver saves a lot of confusion.
Should guests take the train or drive from Delhi to Mathura?
Both work. Mathura Junction has direct trains from Delhi, and the drive on the Yamuna Expressway is roughly 3 to 4 hours. In December and January, fog can delay both, so plan flexible pickups.
What should be in a wedding day emergency kit?
Safety pins, a sewing kit, basic medicines, ORS, chargers and power banks, tissues, a printed run sheet and small cash envelopes. Add shawls in winter and umbrellas in the monsoon.
When should we confirm vendors before a wedding in Vrindavan?
Confirm every vendor in writing about a week before, then hold a joint briefing a few days later. Recheck reporting times the day before, since traffic around temple areas can change travel time.