Starting your marriage off just right!
Sunday. Its the day after most weddings, and its a great day to just sit back and think about the amazing day you've just had. Though you may not give it too much thought, the day after Your Big Day can use a bit of planning.
By just thinking about a few things in advance, on your wedding day, and even more on the day after, you'll be able to relax (and sleep in!) the first day of your married life. So consider a few things such as:
does anything need to be returned? Who can do it for you? Brides & Grooms shouldn't need to be running errands, right after their wedding day. But some things you may have agreed to returning to your wedding vendors could be the following:
florist vases, containers, rentals items
Cake plates, baker's platters, & items
Groom's men suits
if you're able to leave some items at the wedding site overnight, what time do you (or someone else) need to pick them up the next morning? Sometimes it might just be better to have an aunt/uncle, cousin, or sibling stay after the wedding a little bit to load up rather than going back early the next day. Some items you'll need to have packed up for you:
any left over alcohol if you brought it in
gifts & gift envelopes
all décor that you brought (engagement photo, guest book, card box, left over favors, etc,)
if you changed on site - the clothes you came it (can't tell you how often there are shoes left under a bed!)
What to do with the leftovers?
booze - At a wine country wedding, you're bound to have served some amazing wines. So why not throw another party (brunch or lunch), or hand out a bottle to the hard working servers who made sure your guests were taken care of.
items you purchased just for the wedding like a cake plate, easel- consider donating them to the site or better yet your planner (I have many items that have been left to me that we loan out to other brides. So before you buy it, ask if we have it)
Flowers - (this is my favorite) After you've told everyone that you'd like to gift an arrangement to (like your mom's neighbor who threw you a wonderful shower), or if everyone has traveled, there may still be one, two or 10 centerpieces left. These will last for days, and sometimes weeks if it wasn't too hot. So one thing I like to do, like I did today, is to donate them on behalf of the couple to convalescent homes, assisted living facilities, shelters, and if there are still some left over - i'll take them to some of the local schools for the secretaries who need to be in the office all alone during the summer. *My daughter, a girl scout, loves to take the centerpieces and reconstruct them into mini arrangements in plastic cups. From 1 centerpiece, we can often get 3-5 mini arrangements to deliver to Senior Citizens. It really brightens their day, and lasts up to 2 weeks! And although its hours of work for us, and we pay for the cups, clippers, etc. out of my own pocket, the smiles it brings is all worth it!
So take a moment to plan for the next day, and you'll be starting your marriage off just right!