After you’re married you might think that your to-do list is finally finished, right? No more planning meetings or last-minute fittings that clutter up your schedule. Well, sorry to break it to you, but you’re not off the hook just yet. In fact, there are a lot of time-sensitive tasks you should plan on taking care of pretty soon after the big day. So snap out of your marital bliss fog and take care of these tasks so you can get back to staring at your new bling and doodling your new last name.
Change your last name
Okay so this isn’t exactly unexpected, but there’s a lot more that goes into it than you’d think. Hitchswitch will give you a huge jump on the legal paperwork, but once that’s taken care of there’s still more to do. Don’t forget to tell your employer and have the IT guy update any account usernames or emails. You’ll need to update your personal social media handles. Here’s a handy tip: reserve your new email address ASAP once you’re engaged, especially if you want a professional sounding one. That way, once you’re married you won’t have to worry about being stuck with mrswifey82429@gmail.com as your contact info.
Have a money talk
This one isn’t fun, but it’s so important to have this conversation. Sit down with your new hubs and treat the meeting like a business conversation. What assets and debts are you each bringing into the marriage? Are you going to combine accounts? Then talk about your bigger money goals such as paying off student loans, starting a family, buying a house, or travelling. Whatever it is, take a look at what obstacles are in your way and make a plan to tackle them together. Then go do something fun because money talks can really suck the life out of you.
Review your wedding vendors
If your wedding vendors made all of your dreams come true, make sure you show them some love with a glowing review. In the unfortunate case that something didn’t go as planned, a thoughtful review can help another bride avoid the same problem. Word of mouth is huge in the wedding industry so taking the time to write reviews can be a big help for their business. Plus, doesn’t your wedding planner deserve it after dealing with your Bridezilla moments?
Take down your registry and wedding website
Once you’ve opened your wonderful gifts, take a look at your wedding registry. Most will offer a discount for purchasing any items you weren’t gifted, so take advantage of that while it’s still good. Then it’s time to say goodbye and delete the registry along with your wedding website if you had one. While it served its purpose, it’s just not what you want popping up in an employer’s Google search ten years down the road. Trust us, it’s time to let it go.
Organize your life
You were smart and changed your name with HitchSwitch, which made the entire process pain-free, but now you’ve got a stack of important paperwork taking up room on your counter that you cannot afford to misplace. Arm yourself with a filing system and label maker and get to work creating a process for storing everything. In addition to organizing your name change paperwork, this is a good time to sort out important docs from car purchases, taxes, insurance and apartment leases. You’ll feel like you’re really #adulting with your newly organized system. What’s next, making your own doctor’s appointments? Slow down!
