AFTER YOUR WEDDING IS OVER

As another busy Summer-Fall wedding season comes to a close, we know that many of you are now busy checking off your post-wedding planning list: writing thank you cards, sending final payments to vendors, moving into new houses, transitioning back to work or school … if you’re not careful, these weeks and months after your wedding can start to feel a bit like the January-Blues after Christmas (bills, sugar-crashes, and a bit sad). So we’ve come up with a list to turn your post-wedding blues into post-wedding joy! From finding new things to celebrate, to taking good care of yourself, we’re supplying a post-wedding idea list that will fill you up with love and energy (not ask you to do a million more things). 

Are You Experiencing Post-Wedding Blues?

Here’s How to Tell:

For so many of us, the time after our wedding can feel disorienting. You’ve had this one major event at the center of your attention for months, if not years, and now – you’re married! Congratulations! There’s relief, a sense of accomplishment, intense gratitude as you walk into your new home to a pile of wedding gifts … but where is this nagging sense of emptiness coming from? This is the moment you’ve been dreaming of for so long. You’ve finally made it, so why does it feel like something is missing?

It’s called the post-wedding blues, and it’s a real thing. 

Here’s our definition of Post-Wedding Blues: Feelings of sadness, disorientation and/or overwhelm that accompany the first weeks and months after your wedding. A nagging sense of “so what’s next?” 

Post-Wedding Blues Can look like: Feeling jealous of other people who just got engaged, procrastinating tasks like writing thank-you cards, home-sickness, or having a melt-down over whether to sell your dress, preserve it, or do a trash-the-dress photoshoot. 

Don’t Worry, You Aren’t Being Selfish If You’re Feeling This:

Your center of gravity has changed. Because of this, it is totally normal to feel a sense of “loss” after the big day is done. 

(So yes, you can officially stop beating yourself up for being “ungrateful” and secretly wishing colleagues from work would still run up to you every morning to ask if you had any wedding updates, or photos of your dress, or what flowers you decided on). 

But before you try and fill the void by volunteering yourself to plan seven of your other friends’ weddings, we have a list of ways you can get aligned with this new season in your life so you can embrace it, reconnect with those around you, and enjoy the beautiful chapter you get to write next. 

Note: This doesn’t need to require a big budget, decorations, or spreadsheets. What you need is a change of mindset – and lots of good fun!

Give Yourself Something to Look Forward To:

“How’s married life treating you?” 

Have you gotten that question yet? Does it feel like there’s pressure to tell them, “Ohh, it’s such a dream, we’re so happy all the time, and still living on the high of our perfect wedding day.” 

It’s okay. We know that the first year of marriage doesn’t always feel like one long honeymoon. 

But the truth is, a wedding is just the first thing to look forward to in married life; it isn’t the last thing worth celebrating. 

At Morning Light, we believe celebration is a mindset. It’s a way of living. Yes, it’s beautiful wedding days, but it’s also small daily moments, like morning light shining through the curtains as you eat breakfast together, slow dances in the kitchen at dusk, and double dates with friends. There are so many moments that can make your life feel full. 

It’s about learning to look for, and look forward to these things every day. 

6 Ways to Beat the Post-Wedding Blues After You Get Married   

We care so much about our couples having an amazing time on their wedding days, and that care doesn’t end after your sparkler send-off. So, we want to leave you with some words of wisdom and advice to help make the transition from wedding-planning to married life feel like the exciting new adventure it is. 

1. Take A Few Days to Rest and Reset Before Returning to Regular Life: 

We (Victoria and Kevin) actually did this too! We took a few days off after our honeymoon before we returned to work. We didn’t make any plans, we didn’t set any expectations – we just enjoyed being together. We unwrapped gifts, set up our kitchen and went on walks together in the evening. This actually set us up for a really nice transition into the kind of ordinary, daily life we wanted to share together. What kind of things do you want to be part of your daily life as a married couple? Eating breakfast together? Pizza Fridays? Joining a soccer league together? Reading before bed? 

And hey, no one would judge you if you wanted to book a luxurious couple’s spa day at some point too!

2. Make the “Boring” To-Do List More Fun: 

The post-wedding to-do list is a reality, and there can be a lot of logistics with final payments and thank you cards and returning things you borrowed from people… 

But here’s the good news! Instead of dreading it and procrastinating it, you can change your mindset to try and make it fun. Set aside one or two blocks of time to cross those things off the list and do some simple thing to raise the vibes in your house. Here are a few suggestions: 

• Open up that wedding playlist you made to take you back to walking down the aisle, dancing with your friends, and doing the Cha Cha Slide with your cousins 
• Snacks. All the snacks. Only the best snacks. 
• Set the mood – whatever your cup of tea! Candles? Twinkle lights? Fresh flowers? Essential Oils? 
• Winner Winner Chicken Dinner: You could turn thank-you card writing into a game. Grab that timer out of the Scrabble box and race to write a thank-you card before the clock runs out. Loser has to make the winner their favourite dinner! 
• Do you have a bunch of wedding favours leftover? You could leave some on your neighbour’s porches, or bring some to your niece and nephew or drop them off at random friend’s houses! (Who knows, you could get a dinner invite out of it if you time it right) 
  

3. Book Your Unveil Photo Reveal Session with Us: 

We always advocate having something on the calendar to look forward to. And what better event than to schedule a time to bring your loved ones and “unveil” your wedding photos? At Morning Light, we don’t let the party end at the ceremony. We’ll throw you a lovely Unveil Photo Reveal that helps to keep the celebration going. 

You’ll have a chance to relive all of the good memories over again (and probably even catch a few new ones you didn’t see on your wedding day). Bringing your loved ones to the photo reveil can also help make it feel like a party. Plus, our loved ones have a beautiful way of seeing us that can help us overcome any lingering insecurities we have about being photographed. Let yourself be seen through your father’s eyes, and feel how tenderly you are cherished. Your photo reveal session is also a great time to order prints, plan your gallery wall or consider what album you want for your precious photos.

 

4. Buy a Pretty Wall Calendar and Block Out Time for Date Nights:

Are we the only ones who get excited about office supplies? Not a chance. If you share our love of  organizational materials, then purchasing an aesthetically pleasing wall calendar and blocking out time for date nights can be just the ticket. Plus, it will help you be really intentional about creating the kind of marriage you want (Adventurous? Fun? Romantic? Whatever values are important to you!). 

It can also be the spot where you leave little notes for each other. Life gets busy and there might be times when you feel like passing ships in the night. But knowing that you can look at your calendar and see the next time you’ll have quality time together can make it easier. Looking for date ideas? We have you covered. When you’re intentional about booking time together, you make sure that opportunities to express your love won’t slip away from you. 

5. Decorate your home with your new wedding photos 

Sooner than you think, you’ll be unwrapping your gorgeous new wedding photos. What a joy! Now it’s time to decide how you want to display your photos. Will there be a gallery wall? Do you like eclectic, mis-matched frames or do you prefer clean, straight lines? Will you keep your gallery wall in your bedroom, or will you spread them throughout your house for all to see and enjoy? 

Will you share your photos on social media? What kinds of things do you want to say to the world when you post them? There are so many ways you can use your wedding photography to bring more joy and celebration into your life! 

6. Create a keepsake box

The time leading up to and including your wedding probably represents a very meaningful time in your life. You’ve spent time, money and a lot of energy putting together a wonderful day to celebrate your union. It makes sense that you want to preserve your memories of this time. Wedding photography is an obvious way to do this. But we also recommend creating a keepsake box of your own. Either use a box or a shadow box photo frame and curate your favourite details from the wedding. 

Consider: 

• Pressed or dried flowers from your bouquet 
• The ribbon that held together your mom’s corsage 
• Your headpiece or veil 
• Wedding invitations or program from the ceremony 
• The knife you used to cut the cake 
• A bottle of wine you served at the wedding 
• A wedding favour 
• Something borrowed/ something blue/ something old/ something new (if you decided to follow that particular tradition!) 

Conclusion: 

Weddings are only as exciting and romantic as they are because WE CHOOSE to make them that way. … and the good news is, this means that we can choose to make anything in life feel as wonderful as our wedding day! Use these ideas to keep the celebration going long after you say “I do”!