Lightening The Load: Making Post-Wedding Responsibilities Easier

It's the day after your wedding at The Center. You and your new spouse could not be happier! You're heading somewhere new together and you've just finished celebrating the upcoming journey with friends and family and...gifts and...drinks...and decor...and your dress...and now you're wondering how you're going to enjoy this blissful time when there is so much left to do!

Fear not! Here are some tips that will minimize your post-wedding tasks and maximize your relax-and-enjoy-each-other time!

1. Gifts - There are two routes you can take here that will save you time later. First, instead of creating a registry, you and your fiance could create a "Help Us With Our Honeymoon" fund via paypal or any other service where your friends and family could contribute to the cost of flights, hotels, meals, etc. No boxes, returns, or replacements here! Second, "hire" on a willing friend/family member as your official Thank You Note & Gift organizer. She/he will be in charge of who gave what and whether they have been shown proper thanks! That way, you're not spending the days after your wedding filling your basement with boxes, or trying to remember whether Aunt Sally or Uncle Bill gave you that toaster.
   
2. Vendors - Hiring vendors for your decor needs ensures that your set-up and tear-down is painless. They visit The Center long before the start of your wedding, set everything up to your liking and leave long after your wedding guests have gone home for the night. Electing to choose vendors instead of DIYing does not mean that you are unable to personalize your wedding; there are thousands of wonderful vendors in Cincinnati who will work with you to get exactly what you want for your wedding day.
   
3. Honeymoon - There are many ways to make your time away with your new spouse worry-free. Plan ahead. If you choose to go abroad, make sure all of your responsibilities at home are taken care of. Let people know that you will be unavailable and designate friends and family as your go-to contacts while you're away. Give your go-to guys and gals specific instructions for situations that might arise. It may seem tedious, but when you're enjoying a peaceful, electronic-free time as a newly married couple, it will be worth all the planning!

Photograph by Darren Wong