Whether it was an intimate elopement or you rode in on gold elephants to 400 guests, weddings are important! Weddings take time to put together. Hours of preparation, meticulous planning, and a huge responsibility for the couple to make sure it goes well for them and their guests. I mean, hello! There is a reason people call it “Your Big Day!” The few weeks leading up to a wedding the couple and vendors work nonstop to get all their ducks in a row and not leave anything out! But eventually, The Big Day is here and then…. it ends in the blink of an eye. No one tells you what to do after it's all said and done!! Here are a few things you can try to unwind after your wedding!
Take a break!
For some, this means a honeymoon. For others it may just be finishing out the weekend with no visitors while laying on the couch eating leftover cake and day drinking. My favorite is fishing out a bathbomb from under my cabinet, filling my cup with literally whatever and watching Disney+ in a hot bath. Give you and your new spouse time to actually do nothing and see no one! Also take some vitamins because your body is probably run down and letting go of a lot of adrenaline.
Talk it through
Talk through a spark-notes version of your wedding day with your spouse. Things you liked, things that surprised you and your most memorable moment of the day. Try this conversation without criticizing. No “well I wish this didn't happen” or “ugh I’m mad about that” Because frankly you can't change the past. For couples who had long term engagements or postponed your wedding, (that means you COVID brides) you've spent around 2+ years of your life planning this massive day, and then it's just...gone? Some couples admit feeling depressed and empty. Post wedding blues is a real thing! You're not alone :) Of course, if you need anything, please reach out to a loved one to let them know what's really going on. Find it in your heart to be thankful it happened and thankful it's done. Moving forward is cleansing!
Clean out your phone!
I'm almost positive you have tons of random screenshots, pictures and notes logged away in your phone about little things you didn't want to forget about. Erase them! Delete them all! Any related wedding apps, reminders, anything! Bye! We are a society that lives off our phones and consider them an extension of our own bodies, so cleaning your phone is cleaning your soul.
Write Reviews!
You've seen first hand all the effort and man hours that go into making a wedding. Reward your vendors with a detailed review! If someone was outstanding, mention them by name! They will LOVE IT! :) Now, what if you had a vendor you didn't love and wouldn't hire them again? First, reach out to them directly and discuss any problems you encountered. (give them some grace and the benefit of the doubt) but if they did not fulfill their contract or were misleading about their services, leave a polite, yet honest review. This will alert the business to any changes they should consider and inform potential customers not to make the same mistake.
Invest in Someone Else!
I’ll bet that someone helped you during your wedding planning process, and now you can take the opportunity to return the favor. Take that good karma and pass it on to a friend or family member whose wedding is coming up. This doesn't mean you have to buy things, or even go anywhere. You could recommend a vendor, tag along to an appointment or maybe shoot the couple a text and let
them know you're thinking about them! Doing this helps take the pressure of a spotlight off you, and pass the torch to another couple for their special day.
Make use of your stuff! (For DIY-ers)
If you brought personal items and décor to your wedding, it’s now time to find home for it. Selling décor on Facebook marketplace is a great way to repurpose the items, but not everything sells and you’re left with a closet full of stuff! My advice is to leave your items up for sale for about 3 weeks then, like Maire Kondo, say thanks for the joy, give it a goodbye to donate or trash it!
If you’d like to repurpose your flowers, some options are to take them home, donate to nursing homes, hospitals, or churches (There’s lots of organizations that will pick them up after the reception and take them for you with a small charge!) or give them as favors to guests or family members.
Lastly, your dress! The dress is a monumental part of your wedding story! Take some time to seriously consider what to do with your precious gown. Now I personally am a fan of keeping your dress and wearing it every year on your anniversary. Other great options are to have it professionally cleaned and preserved, sell it if it's in good condition, or give it to another bride in need. If you don't want to part with it, consider keeping it to give to your child in the future!
Freeze your cake!
It's basically a given that you’ll have leftover cake or you saved the top tier. If you don't know how to freeze your cake, because there is a right and wrong way, hand it off to a mom or aunt and ask them to help! Sometimes your baker will even help you out with instructions. When you're ready to eat, simply unwrap and let thaw then viola it's ready for you all over again! I will say, we have learned from experience not to let it sit out all week and feed off it for a week straight…. It sounds like a good idea, but trust us. It's not.
Weddings are a big deal and we hope this helped sort out some of the crazy aftermath. Congratulations on your marriage and we truly wish you a lifetime of happiness!
