Based on all those pictures of a bride and groom staging their great wedding escape through a throng of sparkler-waving guests, you might think all the newlyweds have to do post-wedding is light a match and make a run for for it. But here are four end-of-the-wedding tasks you’ll need to take care of—or assign to a trustworthy guest ahead of time.
1. Get your gifts out of there. Your venue might set your gifts aside in a locked room overnight, but don’t count on it. If you have a pile of gifts after the party’s over, you’re going to need to figure out how to get them back to your home or hotel room.
2. Round up your flowers, decor, guest book, etc. If there’s an event at your venue the next day, anything you leave behind might get tossed in the trash. If you want to send your guests off with centerpieces, ask your band leader or DJ to make an announcement. And if there are things you brought in (like framed family pictures) that you need to get out, make sure you make arrangements ahead of time. (Or have a big box on hand if you’re carrying ’em out yourself.)
3. Track down the top layer of your wedding cake. If you asked your caterer to save the top layer of your wedding cake, make sure you know where she plans to stow it—before the cake’s whisked away to be cut. And take it with you that night, so it’s not lost in the post-wedding caterer cleanup.
4. Round up lost-and-found items. If you won’t be able to get back to your venue the next morning, ask your caterer to do a quick sweep for forgotten phones or dropped earrings. Your guests will thank you in the A.M.
Did I forget anything?
We totally forgot about gift transport after our wedding! I had to have a friend who drove haul everything back to the hotel. Oops.