The advent of the nucleus during the evolutionary development of the eukaryotic cell necessitated the development of a transport system to convey messenger RNA (mRNA) from the site of transcription in the nucleus to ribosomes in the cytoplasm. In this review, we highlight components of each step in mRNA biogenesis, from transcription to processing, that are coupled with mRNA export from the nucleus. We also review the mechanism by which proteins from one step in the mRNA assembly line are replaced by those required for the next. These 'molecular wardrobe changes' appear to be key steps in facilitating the rapid and efficient nuclear export of mRNA transcripts.