Post-Wedding Checklist: What to Do After Saying ‘I Do’

Your wedding celebration was incredible! Everything you dreamed, and more.

Rather than feeling relieved now that the planning’s over, you’re still stressed. You’re married now and there’s so much to be updated, organized, and attended to. Like—wait! Did you even pay the caterer?

With all the articles and energy directed toward wedding planning itself, there’s not a lot of information preparing you for the aftermath.

But don’t worry.

This checklist will help guide you through all of it, so you can finally relax. Just melt into that soft warm sand and listen to the waves on your honeymoon…  

Directly After the Wedding:

After you’ve tied the knot, there are a lot of little details to attend to. Here’s a checklist of the most common ones.  

Not everything on these lists will be applicable to you. Check off the things that are, and if there’s something you need to attend to that’s not on any of these lists, make sure you add it so it’s not forgotten.

• Appoint a cleanup cleanup crew to clear and  pack everything away post wedding celebration
• Get your wedding dress dry cleaned and stored appropriately in a garment protector (Still in the market for wedding and bridesmaid’s dresses? Check out Bella Bridesmaids! They have a gorgeous collection of both)
• Return rented items like tuxedos, linens and any decor
• Ensure all your vendors are paid in full
• Begin opening cards and gifts and start composing thank-you cards (do your best to personalize each–pay attention to who gave you what)
• Change your last name
• Finish/close out your gift registry
• Write reviews for your vendors

Just like when wedding planning, it’s okay to ask for help crossing some of these items off the list. 

If you have a wedding planner, they may assume some of the responsibility. You can also delegate tasks to your bridesmaids. After all, they owe you for choosing that stunning bridesmaid dress you had them wear…

Honeymoon Prep:

If you’re dashing off to relax and finally soak up some much-needed one-on-one time, set yourself up for success by making sure everything is finalized and organized. Sitting in an Uber on the way to the airport is not the time to be desperately searching for your wallet.

• Double check reservation accommodation and travel arrangements
• Ensure you know where your passports are if you’re traveling internationally and ensure they’re not expired
• Check that you’ve packed everything you need—use a packing checklist if you need to

Wedding Photos, Memorabilia and Gifts Galore:

Cake topper, bouquets, photos, and boxes of gifts. After the wedding, there’s a lot to sort. You’ve got sentimental pieces and a whole lot of new kitchen appliances.

Now, these tasks can be checked off either before or after the honeymoon. Your main goal here is to not keep kicking them further down the road. Otherwise, they may never get done…

• Go through your wedding day photos, and decide which ones you want to frame and display
• Create a wedding day album
• Figure out how you’d like to preserve your sentimental items saved from your big day
• Go through your gifts and make any necessary returns
• Declutter older redundant appliances and dishes to make space for new ones

Update Legal and Financial Matters:

Now that you’re married, finance, trusts, and a whole lot more need to be updated.

• Combine bank accounts (if this is something you’ve planned on doing)
• Update will and trust—or draft one up if you haven’t already
• Update beneficiaries on life insurance and other accounts, if applicable
• Visit social security office to update new last name, if applicable
• Change last name on driver’s license and passport, if applicable

Work and Admin Tasks:

Now that you’re married, you can be on your spouse’s insurance policy, or the other way around.

• Sign your spouse onto your insurance policy, or have them add you to theirs
• Combine your auto insurance policies into one
• Consider life insurance
• Have HR update your records to reflect your marital status, and change your emergency contact information if necessary

Future Oriented Tasks:

Now that you’re officially married, you’ve got a whole exciting future ahead of you! To set your marriage up for success, it’s important you discuss important life decisions to ensure you’re on the same page.

• Establish a household budget
• Establish your short and long-term goals
• Figure out when you’d like to start growing your family, if applicable

Conclusion:

Remember, not everything on this list needs to be crossed off immediately. Take care of the more pressing matters, and then just enjoy the honeymoon.