You’ve gone through the stress of planning your wedding, partied on the big day, and then relaxing with an amazing honeymoon. It is all over right? WRONG. There is still work to be done AFTER the wedding, and it is just as important as what you did before the wedding.
1.) Say Thank You
Yes, thank you notes are a necessity for a wedding. You want to show your thanks for your friends and family who shared in your special day. Proper etiquette states that you have 3 months after your wedding to get your thank you cards out. Will people disown you if it is a few days late? No. But they will talk if it is getting close to a year, so get moving on that.
The best thing to do is to take half of your list and split it with your fiancé however you see fit. Make sure you write a personal note that either mentions what they gave you as a gift, or talks about their role in your wedding. You want it to be clear that your note is personalized and can’t be sent to guest #76. Whether your card matches your theme, is a photo of the two of you, or a simple card, just take the time to say thanks.
2.) The Dress
Remember what care you gave to your dress the days leading up to the wedding? It probably had its own closet so that nothing could touch it, and god forbid it touch the ground outside! Well, take a good look at it now. It probably looks quite defeated. The bottom is dirty, there might be a spill or two on it and wrinkles…well forget about it. So what do you do with it now? There are a few options. Many people want to keep it around in case their daughter might want to use it or some people just like knowing it is still in their hands. If this is you, then take your dress to get cleaned. The bridal shop that you purchased your dress can most likely refer you to a professional dress cleaning service, handles wedding attire. The Association of Wedding Gown Specialists has a locator feature on their site, where you can find one of their recommended specialists: Beware, these can usually be pricey and you may not see your dress for a few months. Just do your research and make sure you feel comfortable with your choice. On a more affordable hand, you can go to your neighborhood cleaner if you trust that they do good work and they will clean it and box it for you.
One piece of advice: if feasible (and local), ask to see your dress before it gets boxed. There have been reports of some cleaning people “renting” dresses out. Buyers beware! Just make sure that the dress is your dress and it is in the same condition, only cleaner, that you gave it to them in.
3.) Your Bouquet
You probably spent a good amount of money on your flowers, so they should last right? Well, they can! Just as you would preserve your dress, you can preserve your flowers. Heller and Reid is a site that specializes in this type of flower preservation. When you sign up for the service, a bouquet shipping kit is sent to you, which will help protect your flowers during shipping. Then they preserve it and place it in a display of your choosing. This process can take up to 18 weeks and can cost anywhere from $160-$700, depending on your display choice. Another preservation site is Keepsake Floral and they offer the same services as Heller and Reid, I just find their site easier to navigate.
If this is not an option for you, you can be very careful with your flowers and they will last. After the big day, hang them upside down, without touching anything to help them properly dry. Then, carefully display them where you would like. Be forewarned, they will be very fragile and can break easily if you were to be rough with them.
4.) Your Name
We have written a post about this in the past, but if you are going to change your last name, we highly suggest Ms. Now Mrs. It makes dealing with all of those documents insanely easy. They will even send notes to your doctors to have them update their files!
5.) Be Happy!
You are on such a high for your wedding day that is hard to come down. There is such a thing as post wedding depression. You may be going through withdrawal of planning or the attention. You put months or maybe years of work into your wedding and then it is over. But, it gets easier. First, take a good look at your new spouse and be happy. You two are in love after all! Not to mention, now you have so many more exciting events to look forward to like getting a pet, buying a house, or starting a family. If all else fails, plan a vacation! It’s like you are honeymooning all over again!
