Congratulations! You’ve pulled off a successful destination wedding in Punta Cana. Now you can relax and enjoy being married. The day after the wedding, you’ll likely feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders. (Well, that, and you may feel a little hungover too…) But you’ll still need to finalize a few things before you can close this chapter and move on to the next.
You’ll probably be running over the day in your head, discussing it with your new husband (finally, you get to call him that!) There might be a couple of things that didn’t go as planned. Maybe a few others that you would have changed. But overall, it was an amazing day!
So now what?
Even though your wedding day has come and gone, you’re not out of the woods quite yet. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of all the little tasks you’ll need to accomplish before you can completely relax and leave your wedding day behind.
First, let me start you off with a little warning:
You May Feel A Little Depressed After the Wedding Day
It’s called the post-wedding blues, and it’s totally normal (and more common than you may think). After all the planning, coordinating, and anticipation, it’s normal to feel a little sadness when it all comes to an end.
You’ve been thinking about this day every day for months. Years even! Planning every last detail. And suddenly, it’s all over. What are you supposed to do now? What do you have to look forward to?
You’ll return to work. Pack your wedding dress away. And get back to normal life. It all just feels a little mundane… Hopefully for you, that won’t be the case and you can live off the newlywed bliss for a while longer.
If you do feel this way after your wedding day, however, know that you’re not alone, and the feeling will pass soon enough.
Here are some tips to get you through it:
How to beat the post-wedding blues
- Take the time to acknowledge and process your emotions. Marriage can be a huge adjustment so it’s normal to feel a little uneasy during this time. Try not to ignore your feelings. Discussing them with your partner, family, and friends can help make the transition easier.
- Shift your focus from the wedding day to your marriage. While your wedding day is over, remember that your marriage has only just begun. Focus on your relationship and how to make your bond even stronger going forward.
- Make a new plan. Life doesn’t have to be boring after the wedding day! Plan romantic date nights and weekend getaways. If you didn’t take a honeymoon right away, you can dive into honeymoon planning! Maybe you’re ready to buy a house, or get a puppy, or start trying for a baby. Find anything that the two of you would love to do together, and do it! A little excitement goes a long way.
I hope that helps you find a little relief from the post-wedding blues. If you’re still feeling depressed after six months, then it may be time to consider counseling to help you through it. Take care of yourself.
Now that we’ve covered the difficult stuff, let’s move on to those little tasks I mentioned earlier.
What to Do After the Wedding Day
Here’s a quick post-wedding checklist for you:
- Go on a Honeymoon
- Clean and Preserve Your Wedding Dress
- Organize Your Wedding Gifts
- Write and Send Thank You Cards
- Write Reviews for Your Vendors
- Update Your Account Info
- Enjoy Your Wedding Photos & Videos
- Discuss Your Future Plans
- Celebrate!
Keep in mind: Some tasks may take longer than others. Some will be really boring and time-consuming. Others, like the honeymoon, you’ll hope never end! Take it one step at a time.
Let’s dive into each step so you can feel more confident after the wedding. You’ve got this!
Take a Honeymoon
Okay, obviously this one is the most fun, but it will take a little planning and preparation. You may decide to take your honeymoon in Punta Cana in the days following your wedding, or you may want to plan a completely different vacation.
Many couples are now deciding to take their honeymoon for their one-year anniversary. That’s great, too! It’s your choice but I definitely do recommend taking a honeymoon at some point if your budget allows.
This is a time for you to celebrate all the hard work you put into your wedding without any of the stress. It’ll be just the two of you in a romantic place, enjoying all the beautiful things life has to offer.
Find your dream destination, then figure out how to make your dream come true.
After that, let’s come back down to earth and get into the more important but not-so-exciting tasks.
Clean and Preserve Your Wedding Dress
Spoiler alert: Your wedding dress is going to be really dirty after your wedding day. Think of all that sand and seaweed stuck to the bottom of your gown. Not to mention any champagne sprays, wine spills, or cake smashes that happened throughout the day. (You may want to consider a Trash the Dress Photo Session before you leave Punta Cana.)
Afterward, take your dress to get cleaned professionally. The sooner you take it, the better chance you’ll have of removing any stains.
Cleaning and preserving the dress will give you the option to keep it forever without the color fading or turning yellow. Nobody wants that! And if you decide to donate or sell your dress, you’ll have that option too.
Not sure where to have your dress preserved? Check with your bridal shop or the seamstress who altered your dress. They’re sure to have a few recommendations.
If your groom didn’t rent his wedding attire, you’ll definitely want to have it cleaned as well. If he did rent, consider keeping a tie or pocket square as a memento. You can even have them preserved and displayed in a beautiful shadow box.
Organize Your Wedding Gifts
Next on your post-wedding checklist comes all of your lovely wedding presents. Of course, it’s a lot of fun to open them! But it’s not so fun to organize everything, make returns or exchanges when needed, and cash any checks that you receive.
Here’s a tip:
As you’re opening gifts, keep a list of what you receive and from who. That will make this next step a lot easier.
Write and Send Thank You Cards
You’ve probably been dreading writing thank you cards as much as you’d been dreading your wedding seating chart before the wedding. Depending on your guest list and the number of gifts you receive, this can be a pretty daunting task.
It could take you a few hours, a couple of days, or even a few weeks to complete. Take it slow.
There’s no rush. Some wedding professionals recommend sending thank you cards within 3 months of the wedding day… But you’re a destination wedding bride. You march to the beat of your own drum. So take all the time you need!
I guarantee your family and friends aren’t counting down the days until they receive a thank you card. They’ll be happy whenever they receive it.
If you can take a little extra time to write a heartfelt note with a memorable moment from your wedding in Punta Cana, they’ll appreciate it even more.
Write Reviews for Your Vendors
Now is the time to write online reviews for all of the vendors who helped make your wedding day a dream come true. This includes all of your vendors in Punta Cana (ie. venue, resort, wedding planner, photographer, videographer, makeup artist, officiant, etc.) as well as all of your vendors back home (travel agents, bridal shops, seamstresses, etc.).
Chances are, you used some online reviews when planning your destination wedding, so you know how valuable they are. Take the time to help out all those newly engaged couples hoping to get married in Punta Cana and to reward any vendors who did an outstanding job. We appreciate it more than you know!
Update Your Account Info After the Wedding
Are you changing your last name? If not, then you can skip this step in the checklist.
If you are changing your name, however, you’ll have a lot of paperwork to fill out to ensure all of your accounts are up-to-date.
Start here:
- Driver’s License
- Passport
- Social Security Card
- Credit Cards
- Bank Accounts
- Insurance
After that, the rest will fall into place.
You’ll likely have bills, memberships, and other expenses that you’ll need to update directly with each company. Don’t forget to notify your employer and the post office, as well as to update your voter registration.
Note: If you’re taking a honeymoon, you’ll want to delay changing your name until after you return so you don’t have any issues with your passport details and travel documents not matching up.
Enjoy Your Wedding Photos and Videos
Whew! You’ve made it through the hardest part. Now you get to enjoy it! What better way to celebrate than by reminiscing about your beautiful wedding day. You may catch yourself daydreaming of Punta Cana more often than you think.
Take the time to swoon over your wedding photos and videos. Share them with your family and friends. Post on social media. Print and frame your favorites. And make a wedding album to keep in your home.
Don’t forget to back up your photos and videos on a USB or an external hard drive so you always have them to look back on in the future.
Check out What to Do With Your Wedding Photos for more tips and ideas.
Discuss Your Future Plans
This one’s kind of an ongoing process, but it’s definitely worth mentioning. You’ve probably had similar conversations with your partner before, but when you’re planning a wedding, it can be hard to talk about anything else.
Now that you’re married, you’ll want to make a plan for the future. Talk about your goals and dreams. Where do you see yourself one year from now? What do you want to accomplish in the next five years? Ten?
Whether you want to start a new job, move to a new city, or buy a home and start a family, discuss it with your partner and decide how you can align your goals. How can you work together to make these dreams come true?
Exploring these subjects can bring you closer together and can make you feel more excited for the future.
Celebrate After the Wedding!
Enjoy the bliss of being newlyweds. You may find a little cushion in your wallet now that every penny isn’t being saved for your wedding week, so enjoy it fully before you jump into something new!
Take romantic getaways together. Or splurge on a date night at that new place you’ve been dying to try. Maybe you want to host a dinner party and test out the new stemware.
Find something that makes you happy, and do that together. You’re married now!! Enjoy every second.
