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Tasks to do after the wedding

Tasks to do after the wedding


Alison Hargreaves Guides for Brides Bio
Alison Hargreaves Updated:
8th of March 2023

You may have dreams of jetting off on honeymoon the morning after your wedding, but there are still practical things that you'll have to sort out after the wedding. Some of these tasks you'll be able to delegate, and some you may need to do yourself. Here are some of the things you'll need to take into consideration...

After the wedding

To delegate

  • Clear up at the venue and return items. Ask your wedding coordinator or one of the bridal party to do a last-minute sweep of the venue to be sure nothing is left behind. This is also the time to ensure that you have any hired items (such as vases from your florist) packed away ready to be collected or shipped back to suppliers. 
  • Collect the wedding gifts and cards. Your gifts and cards may have been stored in a secure location at your venue, so if you haven't already, ask someone you trust to collect them for you. 
  • Give away flowers to guests. Immediately after the wedding, give away floral decorations and centrepieces to guests to avoid waste. This is a good task for one of the mothers to keep an eye on. 
  • Return hired menswear. Ask the best man or one of the fathers to organise the collection of all the men's suits and accessories (you might want to check them all off on a checklist!) and return them to your hire supplier. 
  • Drop off the wedding dress for dry cleaning. If you're heading off on honeymoon quickly, you may want to delegate dry-cleaning the dress. The quicker your dry cleaner deals with the dress, the better, to avoid deep set stains. 

To do yourself

  • Pack for the honeymoon. This is pretty self-explanatory, but depending on how quickly you're jetting off, you might want to pre-pack a bag and leave it in your accommodation, ready to take with you the day after the wedding. 
  • Open your gifts and write your thank you cards. One super useful tip we hear from brides is to write your thank you cards as you open your cards and presents so that you can't lose track of who got you what. 
  • Review your wedding suppliers. How did your wedding suppliers do? Writing a review while your memory is fresh is a great way to thank them for their help, or help other brides-to-be decide on their own suppliers. 
  • Change your name. One thing to bear in mind when deciding when to legally change your name is the name you've booked your honeymoon in. If your passport doesn't match up with the name you booked your honeymoon under, then you won't be able to fly!
  • Order your wedding album. Once your wedding photos come in, we recommend putting together a couple of printed albums - one for you, and one each for the sets of parents!
Alison Hargreaves Guides for Brides Bio

About the author


Alison Hargreaves

Alison has been advising brides, grooms and bridesmaids for more than 25 years. She has an unrivalled knowledge of the British wedding industry and frequently appears on podcasts and expert panels. She regularly attends international wedding conferences to keep the UK at the forefront of wedding planning trends.

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