The wedmin doesn’t stop when the rings go on: there’s a couple of loose ends to tie up before your happily ever after
OMG you’re married! You might have loved every minute of your wedding planning, or will be glad to see the back of it, but either way there’s a few missing ticks on your to-do list:
1. Organise outfits
If you’ve hired suits or kilts, these need to be returned on the pre-arranged date or you may be charged. Dresses and groomswear you’ve purchased will need to be properly cleaned. And we don’t mean on the delicate wash setting.
Kilts require minimal care, and the majority of stains can be tackled with lint-free cloth or clothes brush. Most dry cleaners can take care of the rest of your Highlandwear or tailoring, but for a wedding dress, it’s always best to go to with a specialist bridal service. For example, Glasgow boutique Eleganza Sposa offers dry cleaning in-house, and can take care of any repairs or restoration work that might be required at the same time. So conga away to your heart’s content and don’t worry about torn straps. The Restory even offer a repair service for shoes and bags.
After cleaning, make sure your dress is expertly packed in a suitable box, and buy proper hangers for your kilt outfit, ahead of storing them somewhere cool and dark.
2. Forever in bloom
There’s been a decline in brides tossing the bouquet at their reception. Increasingly creative floristry make some arrangements too pretty to be torn apart by rabid ‘maids, and the advent of brooch bouquets are also to blame (no one wants to miss the evening buffet with a potential concussion). Consider having your hand-tie preserved to display around the house for a daily reminder of your wedding. Companies like Viva Design work with brides from all over Scotland and can include other wedding keepsakes in your dried work of art.
3. Send your thank you cards
Whatever you do, don’t leave it too long before sending your thank you cards. It’s especially important if you’ve asked guests for money. With financial contributions to a honeymoon or new home, it’s nice to include a photo from the trip or update on your property search to make guests feel part of what they’ve chipped in for.
4. In the frame
Your photographer or filmmaker will be hard at work as soon as you’ve waved them off, but during the busier summer months, you can expect to wait up to 10-12 weeks to see the fruits of their labour. During the process, you’ll get to pick shots for your album and select what songs will be the soundtrack to your film, so the suspense will be palpable by the time you’re holding the finished product in your hands.
5. Name-change necessities
You’ll need your marriage certificate for all the official parts of changing your name – if you choose to do so, it’s 2017 after all. Jetting off on honeymoon straight after the wedding? Don’t miss out on that like-heavy Instagram post of your matching Mr and Mrs boarding cards by applying for your new passport in advance.
Get your celebrant to fill in this form up to three months before the big day and of course, you have ID when buying wine in Asda – you’ll be begging for any opportunity to flash your new passport!
You’ll also have to notify a number of other organisations including: the DVLA, your employer (including HMRC and pension), any insurance policies you have, banking and credit card companies, your doctor and dentist, and breakdown cover.
But the most crucial? Get your name changed on Facebook before you’ve had the morning-after breakfast please, it’s not official until you do. Ok, that’s not true, but it’ll certainly feel like it.
6. Show some love
The team of people involved in making your day everything you dreamt of is pretty sizeable. You might have gifted the parents and bridal party on the day, but don’t forget your suppliers. We see plenty of boutiques posting thank you bottles of champagne from brides, but for everyone who doesn’t have a couple of crates stashed by for a rainy day, there’s plenty of cost-effective ways to show some love.
The cheapest is heading to their website or Facebook page and leaving a glowing review. We’d even suggest this is more important than sending a card, because this is increasingly becoming how brides-to-be find their own dream team (along with buying Tie the Knot Scotland, of course).