6 Things That Were Absolutely True After the Wedding Was Over
When you get engaged, you start hearing a lot of advice. Advice about the wedding. Advice about marriage. Advice about babies. You get the idea.
When it came to wedding day advice, I knew what to expect. You see, I’ve been a bridesmaid once or twice (or ahem…6 times!), so I knew the drill more than most.
Here are 5 things I realized were 100% true after the wedding was over.
1. It goes by fast…really, really fast.
Our ceremony and reception were shorter than most, so I expected the three hours we had allotted to go by fast. And they did.
I will say, however, that preparing myself for this made all the difference in the world. I took in each moment as it came and did my best to savor each and every one.
I can definitely see how it can be a blur, but if you remain intentional about being present, you’ll be just fine!
2. The adrenaline rush is real.
During your wedding day, you’re on Cloud 9. You’re in your happy bubble, you’re glowing, and there’s nothing that can go wrong (even when it does).
I’ve felt adrenaline rushes before (hell, I was a cheerleader!), but I’m not used to one that lasts all day.
My best advice after experiencing it is: 1) like I said above, savor the moments (I can’t say this enough!), and 2) make sure you take a moment when you need it (eat something, go to the bathroom to just take a moment to breathe, and definitely get a good night’s sleep after!).
3. Your vendors are everything.
We were so happy with our vendors and how wonderful they were at executing our vision and putting out fires.
In particular, it’s true what they say: you’ll never go wrong with a great photographer. Paige, from True Era Photography, also did our engagement photos that we were very happy with. We’ve only seen the sneak peek so far, but it’s incredible!
In addition, a wedding coordinator is a must-have. We had a day-of coordinator (who also handled our floral), Julie from Julie Miner Events, and she was amazing. She kept things on track and running smoothly the entire day.
4. You won’t see all the details you planned.
As the bride and groom, you essentially put together a party for all of your friends and family to enjoy. Bittersweet as it may be, the months of planning and money you put into your big day are mostly for them.
Sure, you’ll get to see some things come to fruition, but the reality is: don’t expect to see every little detail you worried about so many days and nights. When the big day comes, you won’t really care any way…you’re getting married!
5. Changing your name is a pain in the butt.
Last, but not least, the dreaded name change.
While it’s an exciting time, it can be a bit confusing when it comes to the good ol’ name change.
There are services out there that handle the laundry list of items for you. Or, for the DIY girl like myself, here is the short list of areas I’ve come up against:
- Social Security (you’ll start at your local SS office for the “official” name change)
- DMV (ask for your old license back – they’ll cut the corner – so that you can use it in case you run into any issues)
- Passport
- Credit cards, debit cards, and bank accounts
- Subscriptions
- Mortgage, utilities
- Social media channels (stay tuned for a post on this!)
My gut is – and my married friends have validated – you’ll likely be finding little things with your maiden name on them for at least a year (if not, more!). But as long as you have these major items checked off the list, you’ll be just fine!
6. It’ll all feel the same.
Especially if you’re like us and you’ve been living together for a while, not much will change with your relationship after the wedding. And why should it?! Maybe you’ll feel more connected financially and legally, but the love, magic, and everything that was there before is still the same.