The big day has come and gone and now you find yourself a bit shell-shocked. For months everything has been planned, arranged, and talked about with one day in mind. Now that the day has passed, it can be a bit overwhelming. Here are a few tips to help you get your post wedding “to-do” list done.

Thank you notes
This is the most dreaded of all chores, but it is absolutely necessary. Your guests traveled far and wide to participate in your life-changing event. The least you can do is send them a proper thank you. Do this first, and get it out of the way. You will be glad you did!

Honeymoon registry
If you are sure all the people who wish to contribute have, you should contact your honeymoon registry about removing your account. Remember, these sites are linked to the internet, so your site will continue to come up when your name is searched. If your account is through a premier site like Honeyfund or if you have a crowdfunding site for charity or a good cause through Plumfund you may opt to keep the site up for a few weeks after the wedding, to collect additional funds or for guests that were unable to attend.

Returns and purchases
If you did not get all the pieces you needed for a set, such as dishes or linen, make the additional purchases now while the product is available.  If you have items to return, take care of those as well to offset the expense.

The gown
If you are going to keep your wedding gown, have it cleaned and packaged for storing. Do not chance ruining the gown by packing it away with stains and soils on the fabric. You may have a future use for the gown. Whether a future daughter or granddaughter wear the gown in the future or if you one day have the gown remade into a christening gown for an infant, you want a fresh and beautiful gown when it is unpacked.

Clean-up
Leftover decorations, flowers, favors, and shower supplies have a way of accumulating during your wedding. Clean-up. Sell or give away any leftovers you no longer need. Craigslist and Facebook are great resources to contact future brides.  Have a yard sale. Give yourself a month to discard all of the leftovers.  At the end of the month, donate the items to the Salvation Army or a local charity.

Fight the post-bride blues
While it is normal for the bride to go through the “let-down” side of getting married. Suddenly the excitement is over and the plans are finished and something that has taken a significant number of your time is no more. Take care of yourself. Eat well and limit sugars and caffeine. Get plenty of sleep and exercise. Expose yourself to at least 15 minutes of the sunshine per day. Take advantage of the downtime with positive actions and you will fare very well. Include your new spouse in this plan of action.

You are well on your way to normalcy. Just keep pushing and do not let the details get in your way.