The Wedding is Over...Now What?
So, you’re married—congrats! Now that the months spent planning and your wedding celebrations are over, what do you do next? We love to keep in touch with brides that we’ve helped in the past and often get asked about post-wedding activities and important to-dos that might not be top of mind. We’ve created a list of six things that you can do once your wedding is over that contains both fun and important checklist items.
A.Fogarty Photography
A. Fogarty Photography
1. Finalize your last name change
If you opted to forego your maiden name, it’s important to get started on the process of your last name change. There are many documents that you will need to get individually changed such as your passport, driver’s license, credit cards, social security card, and mailing address. You can go to your nearest DMV to get started on making your new last name official! We also are a huge fans of HitchSwitch - they offer several packages that will do most of the work for you!
Greta Tucker Photography
2. Preserve your wedding dress
There are many different options for the modern day bride in terms of what to do with your wedding dress after the big day. For those that would like to preserve your dress, we recommend getting started on this process as soon as possible after your wedding day as well. We recommend starting by doing a bit of research for a preservationist in your area that has knowledge about your specific type of dress. Preservationists are even trained to spot those “invisible stains”, which will darken or turn yellow over time. Additionally, preservationists can assist you in cleaning your dress as well as sealing it in an airtight box so that your dress does not discolor over time. Be sure to read the tag on the inside of your dress for what types of dry cleaning or solvents may be needed. Our local go-to is Pratt Abbott who we guarantee will handle your garments with care!
Julie K. Gray Photography
3. Send thank you notes
This is one of our most important tips for newlyweds—don’t push off sending those thank you notes to your guests! We recommend getting started on these after settling back in after the honeymoon. Adjusting back into your routine and creating a new routine together is going to take some time in and of itself. However, getting out those thank you notes right away will be another checklist item that you will be happy you crossed off right away. Besides, the notes will feel a bit more personalized when the emotion and memories from the day are fresh! Don’t forget to use our promo code PinchMe on Basic Invite for 20% off customized thank you notes.
4. PRESERVE YOUR PHOTOS
Every bride knows how important choosing the perfect photographer is and how special the photos from your wedding day truly are. It goes without saying that finding a way to display your photos will bring you joy for years to come! We have a few recommendations for easy ways to get started on preserving your photos after you have them in your possession from your photographer. We love Framebridge for custom and affordable options to framing photos. Artifact Uprising is another one of our favorite websites for creating photo books specifically. Lastly, Parabo Press has great options for customizing prints in addition to customizable photo books.
5. preserve your bouquet
As we wrote about earlier this month, no bouquet should be forgotten! That’s why we highly recommend our friends over at the Heirloom Bouquet to preserve the uniqueness of your special florals.
6. Choose something special to celebrate your anniversary
Now for the fun part! You and your husband have put so much time and energy into a beautiful wedding—it’s important that you two can cherish that special day for the rest of your lives. We suggest planning a night over wine (or your drink of choice!) to chat about what you loved about your wedding day and how you can commemorate some of those feelings/moments/places on your anniversary each year. Is it planning a trip to that special place? Is it breaking out the wedding album and re-living those moments together over said bottle of wine? Whatever it is, personalize it, mark it on your calendars, and get excited!