The Post-Wedding Checklist
The party is over, but your work isn’t finished just yet! There are a few important details to take care of after the wedding day has come and gone. It may feel overwhelming coming back to the real world after your honeymoon, but we’ve created this quick, step-by-step post-wedding checklist to help you accomplish these tasks quickly and easily! After you complete these post-wedding tasks, you’ll be fully prepared to settle into your lives as a newlywed couple.
Make Sure You’ve Tipped Service Vendors
First things first – make sure that you’ve tipped service vendors. You can ask your wedding planner or another trusted person to distribute tips and thank-you notes after the reception is over.
Service vendors that should be tipped includes catering staff, bar staff, rental company employees and anyone else who working to make your reception happen, like musicians. Other vendors also expect or would appreciate a tip for exceptional service, including your wedding planner, officiant and hair and makeup artists. Wedding photographers don’t necessarily expect a tip, but it’s always a kind gesture of appreciation.
Also be sure to send thank-you notes to your vendors. This personal touch will always be appreciated. If they did exceptional above-and-beyond work, leave a Google review or ask how you can provide feedback however they would prefer. Reviews are worth their weight in gold for wedding pros. Your insights will also help other couples connect with the vendors that are a good fit for them.
Clean and Preserve or Pass Along Your Wedding Attire
It’s just a fact – your wedding dress will pick up some sweat and grime during outdoor photo ops and a night full of dancing. But don’t be alarmed, most if not all of the debris should be removable, especially if you act quickly. Aim to have your gown cleaned within six months of the wedding, but the sooner, the better! Even if you’re not sure what you want to do with your garment next, having it professionally cleaned is the best first step. Heart of NC Weddings‘ recommended gown cleaning and preservation services are experts in wedding attire (including formalwear) and packaging garments to protect them for years to come. Once you get your attire back, be sure to store it as recommended.
Why preserve your wedding dress?
Next, consider if you want to preserve your dress in order to pass it down to a family member, or even to someone in need. Some organizations collect second hand wedding dresses to provide at little or no cost to veterans. There are also consignment stores that have special occasion or bridal departments. If you’re local to the Triangle, check out Emerald & Oak‘s consignment program! These are great ways to give your dress a new chapter as a wedding gown for another bride.
If you want to pass your wedding dress down to your children or another family member, it’s important to keep it in pristine condition until that time comes. We caution against hanging it in the back of your closet and calling it a day. Without proper preservation, your wedding gown may show signs of age over time. The professional cleaners we recommend have tools to keep your dress looking as fresh and beautiful as the day you walked down the aisle in it.
Create Your Wedding Album
You’ve posted all your favorite snapshots to Instagram, now what? Create a wedding album that will serve as a lasting memento for years to come. Your wedding photographer most likely sent you a gallery that includes hundreds (if not thousands) of beautiful images of your big day, and you may have a hard time selecting your favorites on your own. We recommend working with your photographer to select photos for your album. Depending on the package you purchased, your photographer may include this in your costs already. Others will offer this as an additional service, or allow you to use an outside vendor to create an album.
Write Thank-You Notes
Here in the South, we’re big on etiquette. As soon as you get back from your honeymoon, you should get started on those ever-important thank-you notes … especially if you had a large wedding, because they’ll take some time to write! We think it’s worth making the effort to include a personal, handwritten note to show your guests how much you appreciate their gifts and attendance on your special day. Aim to have all your thank-you notes in the mail no later than three months after the wedding. If this task seems overwhelming, divide and conquer. Ask your partner to write the notes to their closest friends, or tackle them together over a few weeks.
Tackle Registry Returns
No matter what, you’ll probably end up with more than one of certain items you registered for. Don’t let those three hand mixers collect dust in your closet. Most stores will take registry returns up to 90 days after your wedding date, but it’s best to get a jump on the returns before you misplace any gift receipts or hit any snags. And, after all, you’ll probably receive store credit that you can use toward another item on your registry that you need.
Preserve Your Bouquet and Wedding Flowers
Your flowers are one of the most beautiful details of your wedding day. Now, your stunning bouquet or centerpieces can become a fantastic keepsake. If you want to hold on to your wedding flowers for the long haul, you’ll need to have them preserved in some way. You can DIY it, but our recommendation is to use a professional service to dry your bouquet or flowers. Or, look in to having resin coasters, wall art or trinket trays made with the petals.
Get Organized
Now that the party’s over, it’s time to get organized take care of a few tasks. You should think about the legal aspects that changed when you tied the knot. Are you and your spouse merging your finances? Will you be filing taxes jointly? What about insurance? Beneficiaries? Nobody enjoys having these mundane conversations, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important.
Of course, if you decide you want to change your last name, now is the time for that, too. This isn’t a fun to-do, but it’s necessary to complete the required paperwork if you want to change your name.
Squash the Post-Wedding Blues
After putting a ton of time and energy into planning, you probably experienced a wave of emotions leading up to and during the big day. Some newlyweds find themselves feeling low once all the fun is over and guests have gone home. Consider getting started on planning your first year together as a married couple. Maybe you want to focus on giving back to the loved ones who helped make your wedding dreams a reality. Or, maybe you want to focus your energy on combining holiday traditions from each of your families into one. Either way, there’s so much to look forward to!
