Home » After the Big Day » Things to Think About
Things to Think About
Time flies and once you get back from honeymoon you’ll be thrown back into your busy lifestyle. There are however, a few things that will need to be done on your return from honeymoon so it makes sense to consider them in advance of your wedding day. The main things to think about are:
Cleaning your wedding dress
After your wedding day, your beautiful wedding dress will look a state. Grass, mud & wine are just a few stains you may collect throughout the day. Whether you wish to keep your dress or sell it on, a professional dry-clean from a wedding specialist will maximise the chance of returning it to its original condition.
Many dry cleaners recommend that dresses should be cleaned as soon as possible after the wedding to maximise the chance of removing stains. This is especially important for bad stains. Even minor stains can become set over time resulting in permanent marking. With this in mind, it makes sense to shop around and find a dry cleaner before your big day. That way, you can arrange for your dress to be cleaned on your return from honeymoon – or even arrange for someone to do this whilst you’re away.
Wedding dress cleaning is a complicated process given the delicate material of most wedding dresses. For this reason, most reputable dry-cleaners will not guarantee that they will be able to remove every stain if doing so would damage the dress.
The advantage of getting your dress dry-cleaned is that most dry-cleaners will wrap and box your dress in a special presentation box. Not only will this keep your dress clean and free from mildew, dust, fading and discolouration but you’ll also be able to store it away safely.
How much will it cost to clean my wedding dress?
As with anything, it’s always best to shop around – but you should expect to pay anything from £140-£200 depending on whether you get your dress boxed as part of the package.
Questions to ask
- How much does it cost to clean?
- Does the cost of cleaning include a storage box? If not, how much extra would this be?
- Can they collect your dress? Is this at any extra cost?
- Do they insure the dress and what is it insured against?
- If your dress is damaged, do they have specialist repair service?
- If they offer a 100% money back guarantee – are there any limitations?
- Will they press your dress prior to storing it in the box?
- Will you be able to inspect the dress prior to it being boxed?
nofreetime tip
- If your dress gets stained on the day - do not rub it in but gently blot it instead.
- Whoever you choose, always read the small print.
Preserving your wedding bouquet
Wedding flowers can be preserved by drying, pressing or being framed
If you want to keep your wedding flowers you can choose to have them preserved – either dried, pressed or frames. You will need to check with the florist whether your flowers are suitable as not all flowers can be preserved. Perhaps they can recommend someone who can do this for you.
Wedding flowers should be preserved as soon as possible after the wedding when they are still fresh - within a day or two of your wedding. It will be too late if you wait until you return from honeymoon.
Thank you cards
Thank you cards should be sent within two weeks of your wedding day - although a month is acceptable if you are on honeymoon. If you receive a gift in advance of your wedding you should send a thank you within two weeks of receipt of the gift.
If you are planning on a personalised card – whether handmade or photo, you would be wise to start preparing for this in advance of your wedding day and at least have the cards ready. If you plan to use a photo of your wedding to make the card – you might still be able to cut the cards to size or write the envelopes.
For more help, see ‘Thank you cards’
Changing your name
If you are taking your husband’s name you will need to notify a number of organisations as to your change of name. All of this can be done on your return from honeymoon including your passport. If you wish to travel on honeymoon under your new name however, you can change your passport in advance. See ‘Changing your name’ for more details.