The confetti has been swept away….the last glass of champagne has been drunk and you’ve danced, laughed and smiled for a thousand photos…..
Your wedding day has been and gone and it’s perfectly normal to be feeling the “Post Wedding Blues” – afterall – you’ve given up a HUGE amount of time over the past year or so meticulously planning every little detail of the day, and just like that – it’s over.
So what now?
Well – here’s the sticky truth – the hard work isn’t over yet mate! Sorry to break it to you – but now that you’re officially someone else’s spouse…there’s still a few more boxes on your To-Do list to check off. What – no one TOLD you about the post-wedding to-do list? Ahhh – well let us break it down for you. Here’s our Top 10 things to be getting on with now that you’re hitched:-
- DRY CLEAN THE DRESS/SUIT – whether you’re intending to keep or sell your wedding dress and/or wedding suit – it’s imperative you get it dry cleaned and back to tip-top shape sooner rather than later. If you’re intending to onsell – your wedding day ensemble will gather maximum $$$ if it’s in pristine condition – so get it cleaned, fix up any lose threads, buttons, beading or lace and get it looking as good as new before you advertise it for sale. If you’re intending to keep your gown to one day pass on to a love one – or just for your own pleasure – it’s super important you get it cleaned before you store it. Organic matter like food, dirt etc with eventually mould or rot – taking your dress with it and make-up and fake tan will leave a permanent mark on your gown if you don’t get it cleaned ASAP. If you are intending to keep your gown – get it boxed up for long term storage rather than taking up valuable closet space and exposing it to potential damage.
- FREEZE YOUR CAKE – traditionally couples keep the top tier of their wedding cake to share at a future special occasion. Even if you’re not the traditional type – chances are you’ve got a heap of cake left over – and heck you might as well freeze it and eat it on future anniversaries. Best way to do this – remove any decorations including flowers, ribbon etc. and then wrap your cake in a layer of greaseproof paper followed by layers and layers of cling film (don’t use tin foil). Mark it clearly as Wedding Cake before freezing so you don’t accidentally defrost it too early. Some cakes freeze better than others – if in doubt – ask your cake makers advice.
- ROCK YOUR FROCK (trash/drown your gown) – if your photography package included this – definitely do it BEFORE you get your gown dry cleaned. This can be a REALLY fun way to finish off all the Wedding festivities and create some beautiful and unique images of you in your treasured gown AND get your monies worth out of it (if you’re intending to sell your gown – you might want to skip this).
- SAY THANK YOU – send thank you notes to your guests both for their presence on their day and their generous gifts. Try to make them personal – don’t just send out a generic thank you letter. Take the time to also say Thank you to your vendors – either personally or leave them a review on their social media pages or websites – they’ll be really appreciative of this.
- RETURN/EXCHANGE GIFTS – if you didn’t register or have a wishing well then it’s inevitable that you’ll receive at least one or two duplicate gifts – return/exchange them sooner rather than later to ensure you don’t lose out.
- ORDER YOUR MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE – you’ll need this before moving on to the next stage. The piece of paper you took home on the day is your copy of your Marriage Licence and you’ll need this (or the information on it, at least) to request your marriage certificate.
- CHANGE YOUR NAME – this isn’t a very fun task. It’s CRAZY the amount of things you need to change your name on – bank accounts, drivers licence, passport, emails, etc – that’s not even taking into consideration your social media accounts! For many of these items – you’ll need your marriage certificate.
- ONSELL YOUR WEDDING DECORATIONS – if you were a DIY bride who bought or made a lot of their own decor etc – chances are you now have a cupboard filled with all manner of wedding paraphernalia – time to dig it out, photograph it and put it on Trade Me/Ebay/Buy and Sell groups and free up all that valuable cupboard space for all your lovely new wedding gifts.
- ORDER YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS – usually 6-8 weeks after your wedding you’ll receive your proofs from your photographer (possibly longer – check your contract) and it’s time to pour over them with a glass of wine and remember all the special moments of your big day. Then carefully and methodically select your favourites for your album and prints.
- ENJOY MARRIED LIFE – being married is ACE! It’s a lot of fun being someone elses other half so remember to enjoy and appreciate each other and live a long and happy married life together.
