What to Do After the Wedding

After experiencing the culmination of months of planning to create a magical day, many brides are left wondering, “Now what?” There are plenty of sources on wedding planning and tasks to do the day of, but there are still a number of responsibilities after it’s all over. Of course, there are also more fun or frivolous things to do that you may have been putting off until the wedding was over. Scheduling fun activities or experiencing what you couldn’t enjoy while planning your nuptials is also an effective way to stave off the post-wedding blues.

While some of the tips listed below may feel like common sense to some brides, the frazzled feeling that comes after a big event means you can’t assume that you’ll remember anything. This checklist helps to serve as a guide to make sure you start your married life as smoothly as possible. 

- Preserve the items that matter most to you, i.e. your gown, bouquet, or even the top tier of your wedding cake.
- Send thank-you notes within three months of your wedding, or after you return from your honeymoon if you took a particularly long trip.
- Order prints of your wedding photos so you can have a physical album as well digital copies.
- If you have decided to change your name, now is the time to go through the legal process (and be prepared for what comes after you change your name.
- Go on a honeymoon! If you have to delay a big trip until later due to scheduling or financial reasons, you should still be sure to take a mini-moon to bask in your new marriage.
- Review your vendors in order to thank those who worked hard on your special day as well as to advise future brides to make the right choices.
- Find a way to reuse your wedding décor. Otherwise sell, donate, or dump it in order to rid your house of the clutter.
- Continue to go on regular dates. It’s important to keep love in the air even after the honeymoon is (literally) over.
- Return any duplicate or unwanted wedding presents. 
- Complete the sets for registry gifts you didn't receive. You don't want to discover they've been discontinued!
- If you were careful to grow your hair out for the wedding but now you’re tired of sticking with the same style, now is your chance to go bold with a new, shorter cut.
- Do a home project with your new spouse. Even if you lived together before marriage, you may want to redecorate a room to make it more your own as a married couple.

For more ideas, find out what to do the morning of your wedding, review our newlywed to-do list with your sweetheart and learn how to handle wedding-day disappointment.