Your Post-Wedding To-Do List
Now that you are engaged, most of your time and brainpower is probably going to planning the wedding. However, many brides forget about the things they should do after the wedding. Some of these tasks are enjoyable, while others just have to get done. To help you remember the things you have to do after the big day ends, here is your post-wedding to-do list.
1) Write and Send Thank You Cards — Different people have different theories on how much time you have to send thank you cards. Basically, the sooner you get them out, the sooner you can stop worrying them. (And the sooner grandma will stop asking you about them.) Since this task can be time consuming, enlist your husband’s help.
2) Take Care of Any Left Over Wedding Business — Once the wedding is over, pay any remaining balances and return all borrowed items. Your vendors will appreciate not having to hunt you down, and the people who lent you items won’t have to worry about you losing, breaking, or forgetting about the borrowed pieces.
3) Play With All Those Pictures — One of the most fun post-wedding tasks is creating your wedding album and any photo gifts you plan to make for family and friends. Let your husband help you sort through all the great shots and decide how you want to display them.
4) Preserve Those Keepsakes — There will be plenty of items from your wedding that you want to hold on to, so be prepared to preserve them after the wedding. Some options include preserving your gown or bouquet or creating a shadow box of mementos.
5) Open All Those Gifts — This is possibly the best post-wedding task. You’ll love reading all the heartfelt messages in the wedding cards and opening and using all the great gifts people bought. Plus, you can usually expect to find some cash in those envelopes.
6) Begin the Name Change Process — You’ve been looking forward to the day you’d become a Mrs., but if you decide to change your name, there is a long-list of to-dos. Once you visit the social security office and motor vehicle department, be sure to change your name on all important documents such as credit cards, bank information, insurance companies, etc.
7) Consider Your Finances — Now that you are married, you may want to open a joint account with your husband. While it isn’t necessary to combine all of your money, a joint account will help you pay the bills you both will share. You may also want to create joint accounts for your insurance or phone bills. Often times, married couples can receive a discount by being on the same plan.
