Photo on the thumbnail courtesy of Ulises Reyes Studio.
Here at Madera Estates, our number one goal has always revolved around making dream weddings come to life! From the most beautiful ceremonies where vows are exchanged to the fun receptions filled with plenty of dancing that follow, seeing couples tie the knot truly is something that never gets old. For anyone that’s followed some of our prior blog posts, you likely know that there are no shortage of wedding-related topics and quite a few of these posts discuss tips for a seamless wedding planning process. After all, this should be an enjoyable experience for the couple and not one that gradually turns into a stressful one!
With that being said, this week’s blog is going to be slightly different as we’ll be taking a look at the tasks you’ll be completing AFTER the big day, as opposed to advice on the steps leading up to your wedding. Before we start looking into those tasks though, we would first like to say hello to anybody visiting our website for the first time. Welcome to Madera Estates! We are a luxury wedding venue and event space located in Conroe, TX, just north of Houston and The Woodlands. As mentioned in the opening paragraph, our wedding blog is largely designed as a resource for couples in search of tips and inspiration for their own wedding day. Now, let’s take a look at what you should be planning on completing after your wedding!
Changing Last Name
After enjoying your special day, you’ll notice there are a wide variety of tasks to work on. Just like we strongly recommend with wedding planning responsibilities, having a checklist to utilize will make your life so much easier and ensure you don’t forget anything important along the way. One task that won’t need to be completed immediately after your wedding day is changing your last name (if you opt to do so). When it comes time to complete this task, it’s important to note that there are several resources out there to help streamline this process. Nonetheless, the first place you’ll want to change your last name (while making sure you have certified copies of your marriage license) is with the Social Security Administration. Once that’s completed, it will be time to change it everywhere else, such as bank accounts, credit cards, insurance, employer, driver’s license and so on!
Send Out Thank You Notes
Another important task is to show your gratitude for all of your guests that celebrated the big day with you and also took the time to give a gift as well! Between you and your spouse, it should be fairly easy to split these up and start getting them in the mail. Just like with changing your last name, this doesn’t necessarily need to be done the first day right after your wedding, but you also don’t want to be sending them out a year later either! Carve out some time during a few evenings or the weekend and send thank you notes to your guests!
Enjoy Your Honeymoon
Every wedding day (and the planning that precedes it) can look a little different. Similarly, so can the events that follow the special day as well. One example of this is not only where you’ll go for your honeymoon, but also when the trip will actually take place. Some couples opt to schedule their honeymoon to occur immediately after the wedding, while others choose to wait a few weeks or months. In any case, the reason we’re mentioning it in this blog post is because you should truly make sure to enjoy the entire trip! Not much more that needs to be said here!
Up-to-Date on Wedding Bills and Gratuities
Take a look through some of our previous blog posts on our website. Without a doubt, several of them include tips tied to the vendor selection process. For one, there are plenty of talented vendors (especially in a larger market like Houston) that you’ll be able to pick from. In addition to that, there’s no denying the importance they serve in the grand scheme of things and truly making every aspect of your dream wedding day a reality! You came to this blog post to learn more about post-wedding to-do’s though, right? Make sure you’re up-to-date on any invoices or gratuities for your talented team of wedding vendors. Since there can be numerous vendors involved throughout the ceremony and reception, it wouldn’t hurt to have a checklist so you know you have everything taken care of (in terms of finances).
Share Those Amazing Photos on Social Media
Would you agree that one thing you’ll certainly be extremely excited to do after your wedding is to share some of the stunning photos on social media? Even though it may take a little bit of time for your complete photo album to be finished, many photographers will share a sneak peek beforehand. By the way, while on the topic of wedding photos, it wouldn’t hurt to inquire about the post-wedding process while you’re evaluating potential options for wedding photographers. You can ask questions about the timeline for receiving the finished photos after your wedding and whether or not you’ll also receive sneak peeks before the final album is ready.
In addition, in case you needed a reason to incorporate a wedding hashtag into your wedding day festivities, another fun post-wedding thing to do will involve checking out all of the photos your friends and family posted to social media. The reason I mentioned wedding hashtags here is because they’ll allow you to have all of the photos compiled into one place and essentially create a digital photo album.
Freeze Top Layer of Wedding Cake
In several previous blog posts, we’ve mentioned how various traditions are featured throughout the wedding world. While every wedding is unique and not all couples are required to follow each of these traditions, it is important to acknowledge them in case you’re considering including them in your wedding. One of these traditions that many couples choose to participate in is freezing the top layer of your wedding cake and having a slice on your first anniversary.
Relax!
If you’re currently in the process of planning your wedding, you likely are aware of just how many different things you need to take care of before the big day comes around. While this certainly isn’t meant to be an overwhelming process, it’s safe to say that you will be busy (especially when combined with your normal day-to-day responsibilities)! Having said that, while you will have a few more remaining tasks to do after the wedding (as evidenced throughout this blog), it’s important to take a moment to relax and truly enjoy the significant event that just took place!
Tie the Knot at Madera Estates
Long before you’re thinking about sending thank you notes, changing your last name and so on, you’ll be focused on crafting every single detail behind your dream wedding day! From the picture-perfect venue and beautiful floral arrangements to a talented photographer and more, planning your wedding day is an experience you’ll never forget. As mentioned in the opening paragraphs, Madera Estates is a wedding venue located close to Houston, TX. If you’re still searching for a wedding venue in this area, we would be more than happy to show you around. Feel free to click the link HERE to check out our online booking calendar and schedule a tour! We look forward to learning more about your big day!