Congratulations – you made it! So make sure you tick these off your post wedding to do list

When you first start your wedding planning it may seem like the actual day is a long way off, but before you know it the big day arrives and it’s all over in one happy blur! Once you’ve said your vows and left the venue as a married couple it doesn’t necessarily mean that all the planning is over. There is still plenty for you and your new husband or wife to think about as you start your married life together.

Book an anniversary getaway

There’s only one way to get over those post wedding honeymoon blues and that’s by booking another trip (sorry bank balance!). If you celebrated your wedding day in a hotel, double check with them first, as sometimes they offer special rates and added extras for couples who return to celebrate one year of marriage. Also, your honeymoon hotel may offer a similar sort of thing, so do check before booking.

Share your snaps

Social media was probably a flurry of excitement on your big day, with guests posting pictures of the amazing time they had. However, you were probably too busy enjoying every second to even give a thought to a status update. But now with some time on your hands, you may want to pop up a gallery of your favourite photos from the day. And of course, if your photographer has given you the professional photographs, that’s even better. 

Send your thank yous

It may have been a while since you opened all your cards and gifts, but we hope you remembered who bought what as now you’re faced with the important task of saying thank you to your friends and family. Traditionally, this would have been a card sent out in the post. But, hey, we’re in the 21st century, so if you’d rather send an email, a Facebook message or even a text that’s totally up to you – as long as you do it. 

Schedule in a date night

Maybe not straight after the honeymoon, but after a few weeks have passed, you may want to pencil in some quality time with your other half. If you visited the Amalfi Coast, book a nice Italian restaurant, if you headed to St Lucia, seek out some Caribbean cuisine and before you know it you’ll be reminiscing about your wedding highs and honeymoon highlights.

Decide about your dress

Instead of leaving your dream dress zipped up in a bag at the back of the wardrobe, there are some other things that you can do with it. Options include selling it on, upcycling it to wear again, or getting it professionally cleaned to have as a keepsake. If you do wish to sell it, try specialist dress-selling websites such as Preloved and Still White.

Manage your finances

We’ll admit that this isn’t one of the most fun post wedding things to do, but it really is essential. It involves sitting down and ticking off that big wedding budget spreadsheet that you probably created some time ago. Have you paid all your suppliers? Are there any honeymoon instalments to be paid off? Make sure you check everything – because the last thing you want is an overdue bill ruining your wedded bliss.

Change your name

If, when you got married, you changed your name, it’s time to make it official on all of your important documents. From updating your bank details and your passport right through to telling your dentist, there are a number of things to consider. Because this can be such a mammoth task, there are companies like Name Switch which provide a nifty service where they complete all of the admin for you. Definitely something to consider if you’re too busy to do it yourself.

Sell on your decorations

Is your spare room now filled with piles of faux flowers, endless strings of bunting and a whole load of table centrepieces? Instead of keeping them as a shrine to your wedding day (as fabulous as it was), you have a few alternatives. Selling them on is a good way to make a few pounds and, assuming they’re in good condition, you can usually get decent prices. You can sell them on sites such as Preloved and Sell My Wedding. Or, better yet, maybe think about donating them to charity.

Get recommending

Remember how useful you found it when your suppliers had real customer reviews for you to read? Well, if you’re feeling altruistic take some time and write an online review for one (or more) of your suppliers. If they are small companies, it will mean a lot to them and you can rest easy, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside knowing you’ve potentially made someone else’s wedding day just as amazing as yours.

Harness your creativity

If you thought the DIY-ing was over, boy you were wrong. There are plenty of things to get crafty with post wedding, too. You could make some artwork out of your wedding photos to remember your special day – think Polaroids hung on a string or mix-and-match photo frames for a focal wall. Pressing your bridal bouquet is another post wedding project to embark on, ensuring you keep your flowers looking good long after your I dos.

Preserve your wedding cake

Hopefully you were savvy enough to appoint a ‘chief cake monitor’ on your wedding day to save a slice or two for you to keep. Firstly, freeze the slice of cake for an hour to harden the icing then take it out to wrap it up properly. Use plastic wrap to make it airtight and then add a layer (or even two) of foil before placing in a container. Now it’s back in the freezer until a suitable occasion calls.