How to Make Your Post Wedding Day Checklist

A post wedding day checklist will help you tie up loose ends before you go off on your honeymoon as well as after you return.

Learn how bride Lisa Spooner saved $22,000 on her dream wedding

Once the wedding reception is over, make sure there is a plan in place for:

• Taking the wedding gifts from the reception location and storing them in a safe place (not in your empty house or apartment) while you're on your honeymoon
• Breaking down decorations and cleaning up the ceremony and reception venues



• Returning rented items. Will the rental company be picking the items up or are you contractually required to return them within a certain amount of time?
• Returning borrowed items. Make sure you have a list of each item you've borrowed for your wedding -- from jewelry to lights and furniture -- attached to your post wedding day checklist and a plan for how the items will be returned to their owners while you're on your honeymoon
• Bouquet preservation, if desired

• The tuxedos or any other rented wedding attire to be returned (best man usually does this)
• Your wedding dress to be taken to the cleaners for cleaning and/or preservation (maid of honor does this)
• Your mail to be held and your gift registry to stop shipping

• Lift the hold on your mail and delivery of gifts from your registry
• Write personal thank you notes as soon as possible for gifts, to friends and family who helped you out, and to any vendors who went above and beyond
• Ask friends and family to email you snapshots they took on your wedding day,
  or have a service where everyone can post their photos to a website
• Change your name, if you choose
• Order and post your wedding photos
• Meet with financial planners and insurance agents (get a new financial plan for your new life!)

• If you purchased any items for decorations like lights, lanterns, candle holders, bowls, urns or pedestals for centerpieces, photograph them and resell them separately or as a wedding lot on Craigslist or eBay
• If you plan to resell your wedding dress, do it as soon as possible after the dress is cleaned. If you bought the dress retail, keep all receipts and tags to copy and send to the buyer (and for quoting prices and style name, number), and keep the manufacturer’s photo and description on file. List the dress on eBay, Craigslist or consign it

Wherever you decide to resell, make sure you follow all safety rules to avoid getting caught in a scam.

Each couple will have a different post wedding day checklist, use this as inspiration and make your own.

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