Things You Shouldn’t Forget to Do After the Wedding

Ahh, you’re finally married! The party has gone off without a hitch, your house looks like less of a disaster, and you’ve got a new ring on your finger. You’re done with all this wedding stuff now, right? Well, not quite. Post-wedding, you still have a handful of things to take care of before wedding planning can be a (beautiful, wonderful, amazing) memory. 

Write and send thank you cards to all wedding guests and gift-givers.

If you haven’t been tracking gifts as they come, now is the time to start! Create a list or spreadsheet that includes anyone who attended your wedding and anyone who gave you a gift. Don’t feel like you have to write all of these in one sitting; break them up into batches of 5-10 and each of you can work on them every day until they’re done. Old etiquette says that you have one year to send thank you cards. Please do not listen to old etiquette. Try to send cards within three months of when you receive gifts/your wedding day. These folks celebrated your day with you and gave you gifts to kick off your marriage; remember that when you’re staring at your stack of cards that is starting to feel like a chore.

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Write thank you cards to your vendor team.

This isn’t necessarily a “must do,” but I can promise you that your vendors love getting love notes from their past clients. If you have vendors that went above and beyond for you, go ahead and write them a thank you card too! What’s another handful after the first hundred or so? 

Write reviews for your vendors on their preferred platforms.

Reviews are so incredibly important to wedding vendors, and they mean the world to us. Some vendors will let you know their preferred review platform upfront, but you may need to ask others. When in doubt, Google and listing platforms (like Aisle Guide or Zola) are a great place to start! 

Check to see if you have any remaining balances or damage fees after the wedding.

You’ve likely paid for everything at least a week before your wedding, but be sure to keep an eye out for any last-minute charges, including any damage or overtime fees from your venue and other vendors. This can also include tipping vendors if you didn’t already do so on your wedding day.

Decide if you want to change your last name and start the paperwork.

If either or both of you plan to change your last name(s), prepare to fill out a lot of paperwork. Once you’ve gotten your marriage license, you can get started by changing your name with the Social Security Administration. Once everything is squared away, you can update your driver’s license, bank account, etc.

Make any necessary changes to important things like insurance, emergency contacts, etc.

Now that you’re married, you probably have lots of small but important changes to make when it comes to life administration. It can be as small as changing your marital status for work to updating your life insurance. If you haven’t already, be sure to talk through major changes like moving to one health insurance plan or joining finances. There is no one right way to be married, so these changes will be completely different from couple to couple.