Many brides complain of the post-wedding blues that set in the morning after their wedding. It’s that feeling that’s a result of all of the excitement, dreaming and planning coming to an abrupt end. Even if your wedding went off without a hitch, it can still be a bummer when you realize it’s now over.
Fortunately, your to-do list hasn’t ended just because the flowers and decorations have all been packed up. Now that you’re part of the married club, there’s still a lot of important paperwork and other odds and ends to take care of. Right now we’re sharing the ultimate, all-inclusive checklist for all of the areas newlyweds should be aware of after they say “I do”!
- Finish Up Wedding Duties
Let’s start with the easy stuff. You’re probably aware of the mandatory wedding tasks you have to accomplish after the big day. This list usually includes writing thank you notes to your generous guests and preserving your dress in some way. You may have purchased a preservation package from the shop you bought your dress from but if not you might want to research dry cleaners in your area that offer reliable dress preservation. Additionally, take the time to check in with your parents, new in-laws and bridal party immediately after your wedding to make sure there aren’t any other loose ends that need to be tied up.
- Receive Final Products from Vendors
Depending on your contracts, a few weeks after your wedding you should receive your final products from the photographer and videographer you worked with. After you cry all over again at the memories of your special day, make sure you place an order for photo prints right away. Chances are the rest of your family and friends are dying to see those pictures too! This is also a good opportunity to leave reviews for all of your vendors on a site like Wedding Wire. Since the wedding industry is largely driven by word of mouth, leaving a review can make a big impact and be very helpful to other brides who are in the planning stage.
- Change Last Name
If you’ve decided to change your name, research the requirements for your state and request a few certified copies of your marriage license. Start with updating your social security card and license, since those are most commonly used to verify your identity at other places. Once those are set, make sure you update the post office, student loans, bank accounts, credit cards, utility bills and your employer. Plus, don’t forget about the fun things too like changing your Instagram handle!
- Get Finances in order
Now that you’re married it’s crucial to have a serious talk with your new spouse about budgeting and debt, if you haven’t already had the conversation. Decide how you will handle money in terms of joint bank accounts and what your priorities are for saving and spending. Talk about the purchases that should be a joint decision and what things are okay to buy without checking in first. Now is also the time to plan for long-term money goals. Do you have large goals like buying a house or paying down student loan debt? It’s important to be honest here about any debt you’re bringing into the union. Now that you’re a cohesive team you can help each other find solutions for money problems, such as exploring student loan refinancing if you’re dealing with a mountain of college debt. It can feel awkward at first to be so candid with another person about money, but with a lot of communication you’ll soon find a system that works for both of you!
- Update Insurance
Another not-so-fun post-wedding task is dealing with insurance. First of all, it’s important to notify your insurance of your name change and change in marital status. For some, this might even mean a cheaper rate for your car insurance! For health insurance, you’ll have to decide if you’ll both join one person’s policy or maintain individual policies. Marriage counts as a qualifying life event so you’re able to change your policy outside of open enrollment periods if you want, so take this opportunity to research both policies available to you. Finally, don’t forget to add your new spouse as a beneficiary to any life insurance policies or retirement accounts you have.
As you can see, just because the wedding is over doesn’t mean you’re completely off the hook. Once you’ve finished taking care of these important tasks, schedule something fun for yourself and your new spouse, like a date night. Even if that just means re-watching your wedding video for the fiftieth time, we won’t tell!
