Post-Wedding Checklists: 15 Things to Do Immediately After Wedding
Congratulations on your successful wedding ceremony. You deserve every gift and accolade you received throughout the day.
It’s good to see months of preparation, practicing the wedding rehearsal ideas you’ve learned online, and finding the right wedding venue resulting in a memorable and glamorous event.
Though the wedding is over and the honeymoon is the next thing on your mind, there are some important things to do before and after your romantic honeymoon.
The following post-wedding checklist will help you and your spouse begin your married life in the best way possible.
Pick Everything from the Venue
Joy and excitement can make you forget valuable items in your wedding venue. Therefore, the first post-wedding task involves checking the wedding venue and ensuring you leave nothing behind.
You don’t have to do this yourself; bridesmaids, reliable friends, or family members can help you.
Appreciate All Wedding Vendors With Positive Reviews
It’s time to celebrate all the wedding vendors who played significant roles before and during the memorable event. Appreciate the wedding host for providing a quality venue, lively atmosphere, and top-notch security.
Thank the wedding planner for coordinating other vendors, and ensuring everything turned out well. Leave a positive “will hire again” review on their service pages to show your appreciation and boost their business.
Check Online for More Wedding Pictures and Videos
Though you have a hired wedding photographer for the big event, there’s nothing wrong with checking online for video clips and pictures. Search your wedding hashtag on Instagram, Twitter, and other platforms. You will see more than enough images and videos you would love to have in your archives.
Snapchat and WhatsApp are other social networks that allow you to view your wedding photos within 24 hours of upload. View your friend’s status for many wedding photos to store on your device. It’s that simple.
Get Ready For Honeymoon
Honeymoon is always on every newly-wedded couple’s mind, and nothing will stop yours. You and your spouse should unwind from the wedding stress in a romantic destination.
However, like weddings, honeymoons require perfect preparation to be memorable. Select the best honeymoon destinations, find the best romantic ideas for honeymooners, and decide the duration with your better half.
Write Creative and Personalized Thank-You Notes
Thank you notes are valuable when you send them a few days after your wedding. Therefore, here’s a tedious but essential post-wedding checklist you must tick before embarking on your honeymoon trip.
However, that does not mean you should send generic notes to all well-wishers who gave you one or two gifts on your big occasion. Get your writing materials, unwrap the boxes or cards, and jot everyone’s name alongside their gifts.
Creatively compose a thank-you message for each guest, stating the specific gift. Send them to the appropriate addresses like you do to the invitation cards.
This gesture will convince them to attend subsequent events. You and your partner should handle this session to make it faster and easier.
Clean and Preserve Your Wedding Attire and Accessories
Many couples fail to take good care of their wedding attire and accessories after their wedding. That’s not good for the longevity of these items.
Even though you’re done and dusted with the wedding, you’re not done yet with your wedding attire and accessories, as there are many things you can do with them after your big day.
So, clean your women’s and men’s wedding band, and all other accessories. Also, wash your wedding dress and suits. If you can, take them to the dry cleaners to eliminate stains that could affect their beauty.
Pay All Debts
A wedding is an expensive event that requires much spending from all parties. It’s understandable if you couldn’t settle all payments before marching to the altar. Settle all debts after the wedding to avoid embarrassment. Check the payment records and confirm vendors that are yet to receive their full payment.
It’s Time to Get a New Legal Name
This is one of the world’s oldest wedding traditions. The newly-wedded bride will change her name to the groom’s surname as a sign of total submission and respect.
However, the wedding tradition is fast losing its relevance as more than 21% of couples didn’t alter their names after weddings in 2021. It depends on what you and your partner want for your home. Approach the legal authorities to change your name if that’s your final decision.
If you’re not sure how and don’t want to deal with the process, you can hire name change specialists to do it for you. Just consider hiring local experts, as they will know the procedure best. For example – if you live in Illinois, make sure to hire an Illinois name change service, and so on.
Send a Change of Name Notification to Appropriate Organizations
Endeavor to update all the close people and relevant organizations regarding the recent name change. Your employer and doctor deserve special notifications so they can make the necessary changes.
Get Your License (If You Haven’t Done It Yet)
This is a non-negotiable after-wedding checklist for all couples, especially those willing to change their names. Your marriage is kind of illegal or unrecognized without the marriage license documents. Hence, you should collect your marriage license a few weeks after the wedding.
The wedding officiant should fill out the necessary paperwork while you provide other information to quicken the process.
Update Your Home Address
Update your home address and number if you moved into a new apartment immediately after the ceremony. Inform relevant people of the latest change in location so they will know and save your new address.
Similarly, update your name on all social media platforms, passport, ID card, Revenue, Customs, bank account, driver’s license, etc.
Plan for the Future
Though you must have discussed the future with your partner before the wedding, it’s time to map out a strategy to achieve all your plans.
Do you want a joint or separate account? How many kids do you want? How do you intend to take care of family and in-laws? These are crucial questions to answer if you must remain a happily married couple.
Close Your Wedding Website (If You Want)
Couples create a wedding website to have organized preparations and a memorable ceremony. The online website allows couples to share vital information about the big day with their guests, friends, and close relatives.
They can easily communicate last-minute changes, and share route navigation and location details with the public via the website. You should close the website since the wedding is successful and guests have returned to their respective locations.
Alternatively, you can keep it active by uploading your wedding photos and video clips for keepsakes. Also, you can turn it into a wedding blog, publish articles regularly, and monetize it. It will serve as an alternative source of income.
Create Photo Albums
Here’s another task on your post-wedding to-do list. Having obtained all the wedding photos, turn them into a well-packaged album. Contact your photographer and tell him what you want. He will produce the best photo album you and your partner will cherish forever.
Have Quality Time with Your Spouse
After the wedding, all guests, friends, and family members will be back at their base. And it’s just you and the love of your life now. So, you must spend quality time with your partner.
Enjoy uninterrupted time together, visit tourist attractions, watch romantic movies at the cinema, play games, and have fun while you prepare for marital life.
Wrapping Up
Whether you recently tied the knot with your spouse or are about to wed, you need these tips for a smooth transition into married life. You won’t only have a memorable honeymoon but also raise a happy home with your spouse if you observe them. Meanwhile, discover ways to keep your marriage alive, fresh, and exciting.