Your big day has come and gone, you’ve returned from your honeymoon, and now you need to start working on those post-wedding tasks. Like many brides, you may just want to relish and relive your amazing wedding day, but the sooner you start working on your post-wedding to do list, the better — so, we at Bridal Spectacular put together of a few tips and steps to take after your wedding.
1) Preserve Your Wedding Gown
So you can enjoy your beautiful wedding gown in the years to come, it is best to have your dress cleaned and preserved within six months of your wedding — but the sooner the better! You can ask the retailer where you bought your gown what they suggest (some may even offer this service right at the store) or find a reputable cleaner that specializes in wedding dresses so they use the right solvents. Once your dress is back home, store it in a cool, dry place to help maintain its condition.
Please view here for a list of referrals: Bridal Gown Alterations & Care
2) Send Your Thank You Notes
If your family and friends attended your wedding, helped with any part of the planning, or gave you a gift, you are going to want to thank them. It’s best to send your thank you notes within two months of the wedding (it can be a little longer if you are waiting to get your photos back to include with the note).
You don’t want to attempt to write all the notes in one day, so try to do about 10-15 per night. Perhaps you can write the notes for your family and friends and your new hubby can write the notes for his to help split up the workload. However, both of you should sign each card and you will want to mail them all at the same time. A great time saver is to print out address labels to avoid any more writing — and your hand will thank you!
3) Return or Exchange any Wedding Gifts
Although most couples create a gift registry, you are bound to get 3 toasters or some gaudy crystal platter you will never use. So, to ensure you will be able to return or exchange any unwanted gifts, be sure to do it within two months of your wedding. Although stores are likely to be lenient with couples that registered with them, each store will have a different policy on when you need to make returns by and what they will take back. Worst-case scenario, if you can’t return something at least you will be able to start a wonderful collection of white elephant gifts!
4) Begin the Name Changing Process
If you choose to take your husband’s last name you will want to begin the process sooner rather than later (ideally, you should change all your IDs within 90 days after your wedding). To save you a little time and research, please take a look at our dedicated name changing blog to help make the process a little smoother: https://blog.bridalspectacular.com/changing-your-name-after-you-say-i-do/
5) Figure Out Your Finances & Insurance
This is certainly not the most fun item on your post-wedding to do list, but it is something that needs to be done (and, hopefully you already talked before you walked down the aisle). Are you going to have one joint account, keep your individual accounts or maybe a combination of both? There is no right or wrong answer, but you need to determine what is right for you as a couple and be sure you are both on the same page.
Similarly, you also need to decide whose insurance plan you are going to be on. Some couples each have their own plan and decide it’s best to just keep things the way they are, while others will end up switching over to their partner’s plan. Compare both cost and treatment options to see what is best. Also, it’s good to know that getting married is considered a qualifying life event for special enrollment, which means won’t have to wait for open enrollment to sign up for health benefits.
Once you’ve completed these five steps, you will be well on your way to becoming a bonafide married couple! For more wedding tips and ideas, please visit http://www.bridalspectacular.com or follow us on Facebook, twitter and Pinterest.