Photography Provided by Lance Thurman

Cheers to you! YOU’RE MARRIED! After all of the many checklists you had planning your big day, there’s one last final checklist to complete. It’s so important to make sure you tie all lose ends up to your special day. Show your appreciation and gratitude to everyone involved with your wedding day. We’ve listed 7 important items you should DEFINITELY take care of after your wedding. Please feel free to post more!!!

1. Send Thank You Letters – It’s really important to send a handwritten letter to your wedding guests for their attendance and their gifts. Even if they didn’t give you a gift, send them a thank you note for attending. They took time out to celebrate a special day in your life, why not say thanks? (And you never know, they may send you something later…) If either of you have moved, stick a special message in to give everyone your new address. (2 birds and one stone) It’s also important to thank your vendors for a job well done. This can be done with a handwritten letter or an awesome review. Many vendors have online sites where you can post a testimony or review. Call or email them for their information so you can do so.
2. Change Your Last Name – If you plan to change your last name or hyphenate your last name, you may want to do this really soon. You’ll need to have your name changed on the following: social security card & drivers license. Most likely you will have a few checks with your new last name and this can definitely put a hold on depositing them. In the state of Missouri, a certified copy of the marriage license can be ordered when applying for the marriage license if the bride plans to change her name. The certified copy can be used at your local DMV and most Social Security offices.
   Here are a few other things you may need to change:
   Car Registration, Car/Health Insurance, Voter Registration, Bank Accounts/Credit Cards, Will, Passport
3. Get Rid of the Extras - After your big day, you may have several favors, candles, decorations, vases, and accessories. If you paid a pretty penny and want a portion of your money back, post the item(s) on Craigslist or eBay. This way you get to see some of your money back. If someone close to you will be getting married or hosting a party, they may be interested in the item(s), you can gift the items to them or sell it to them at a low cost. Depending on the type of favors you have, you can donate them to a local shelter to extend love to those who could use a smile. Also, your wedding vendors may be interested in purchasing certain items, so you may want to ask them. Whichever you decided to do with your extras, try NOT to keep them, as much as you think you may use them again, it will most likely end up collecting dust or in your garage sale, a year later.
   
4. Make Your Job Aware – Be sure to give notification of your name & marital status change to your Human Resources Department. They’ll need this information for tax and insurance purposes. They’ll also need to change your email address for your new name.
5. Clean House – It’s time to clean out the corners, dust the cobwebs and merge households! TOGETHER, it’s time to decide what goes and what stays. This is one of the first newlywed challenges you will face…letting go of the past and embracingthe future. Gifts & keepsakes from ex-relationships are probably not a great conversation starter…It’s time to let it go. That college furniture you’ve been holding on to for over 10 years…It’s time to let it go. Clothes that you will never wear or fit again….It’s time to let it go (you’ll need the closet space and it gives you a perfect reason for a shopping date together!)
6. Schedule a Date with Your Photographer & Videographer – If your vendors have given you a time frame of when your images and video will be ready, give them a call around that time to schedule a date when you can sit down together to review them.
7. Trash Your Dress – Most brides in St. Louis decide to preserve their dress for keepsake or in hopes of starting a new tradition for her future daughter. If you haven’t decided what you want to do with yours, why not take awesome pictures and have a keepsake that you can share with everyone??? Trashing your wedding dress doesn’t mean you are forsaking your vows or wishing bad luck on your marriage. It’s a fun way to get the most out of your wedding dress instead of it sitting in a box for decades. Trashing Your Dress can be very conservative or very extreme. Ask your photographer if they have shot any of these sessions before, if not ask for a referral. These shots can be so fun and exciting to reflect your personality and style. They can include water, fire, mud, animals, trees…anything to make great pictures. How sexy is this shot?!?!