Post-Wedding Tips for Every Bride

Image by Veton Ethemi from Pixabay

Your wedding has come and gone. It was great but now that the big day is over, you have a new to-do list to tackle.

From selling your wedding dress to changing your last name, here is your guide for everything you need to do after the wedding.

Sell Your Wedding Dress

You may have easily spent a few thousand dollars on your bridal gown – and it was probably only worn for one day.

Consider selling your wedding dress to recoup some of the money, rather than having it sit in storage for years to come. Get your dress professionally cleaned, take a few nice photos of the dress, and list it.

Someone else will be able to have the dream dress they want at a more affordable cost. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Send Thank You Cards

It’s common practice to send thank you cards to your guests after the wedding. Unfortunately, many new couples wait far too long to get them done. Experts suggest sending them no more than 90 days post-wedding.

A great tip is to write them on your flight for your honeymoon. It’ll be fresh in your mind and it’ll give you something to do for those few hours of downtime.

Pay and Tip the Vendors

The vendors were the hardworking people behind the scenes who helped to make your big day a success. Double-check that you’ve finished paying (and tipping) all of them.

While it’s not required to tip, it’s proper etiquette to provide a small percentage based on the package you purchased. If you want to go the extra mile, leave a review for your vendors online, too.

Change Your Name

Before the wedding, you had to ensure you obtained your marriage license. This license will help you to legally change your name.

It’s not the most fun, but it’s necessary. You’ll need to make a list of everywhere your name currently exists including, but not limited to:

• Social Security Card
• Driver’s License
• Passport
• Bank Accounts
• Credit Cards
• Employment Details
• Car Insurance
• Health Insurance
• All rent, mortgage, and utilities
• Any other auto-payments or regular monthly subscriptions

Freeze Your Cake and Leftover Food

More than likely, there is still plenty of food leftover from your wedding. If not, then you calculated better than most. Make sure to freeze leftover plates along with your wedding cake.

It’s also a fun tradition on the first anniversary to take a slice of the cake out and eat it with your spouse. We wouldn’t recommend this with all the food, but your cake should stay good for that long.

Print Your Wedding Photos

You didn’t hire a professional wedding photographer just to have the photos live on the cloud or Facebook. Take time to look through all of your wedding photos and have some of them printed.

You can also print a wedding album – something many photographers offer at an additional cost. 

Get a Gift for the Parents

Something to consider is getting a special gift for your parents or for those who contributed to making your wedding a possibility. It’s a great way to show appreciation for what they’ve done.

Summary

You might want to jumpstart your honeymoon and take a break from all of the responsibilities you had put together on your wedding day. Before you leave the last year of your life behind, make an after-the-wedding checklist with deadlines.

Otherwise, certain things will get forgotten, and you’ll be scrambling to get it all done. Trust us, you’ll thank yourself for this later.