Wedding Services 4U - After Your Wedding

After Your Wedding - Things to Do!
© www.michaelwhiston.co.uk

And just when you thought it was all over!! There's still plenty of things that need to be done after the wedding so here's a helping hand to get you through your first few months of married bliss blissfully!

Deciding whether or not to change your name after your wedding is a completely personal decision. Some people do, some people don't and while you are legally entitled to change your name upon marriage, you are not legally obligated to do so. Whatever you decide must be right for you and whatever you do will not make you more or less married. There are several option open to brides -

Taking your husbands surname - This is the most traditional, and still the most popular choice. It's very easy to do, you just need to tell everyone that you've done the deed and now wish to be known by your husband's name. Because a marriage certificate acts as legal entitlement to do this, you don't need to fill in any further forms but most companies will want to see your marriage certificate before they change their records to check that you are entitled to take this name.

Double Barreling - This is where one or both parties make a new surname comprising of the woman's maiden name and the man's surname. This does require some legal leg work however as the marriage certificate does not give either of you legal entitlement to do this. You'll both need to either change your names by deed poll or by statutory declaration. You really need to see a solicitor to do this correctly and to obtain the necessary paperwork.

Maiden Name for work and Husband's name elsewhere - If you have a particular reputation at work or just want to keep your maiden name to avoid confusion with contacts, you may decide to do this. You'll probably need to write to your work, explaining what you'll be doing and also to let them know which name your bank account/NI/tax records should be held in.

Another alternative is for your husband to take your name. This again entails some legal work as men do not have legal rights to change their name upon marriage. As with double barreling, you would need to make a statutory declaration or change the name by deed poll.

If you have children from a previous relationship or marriage, the name change debate is doubly difficult. They too can change their names by deed poll to match a new married name but for more permanent changes (such as adoption or giving legal rights to your new husband) you must speak to a lawyer.

If you've changed you name following your wedding, you'll need to let people know. Here's a list of who you need to contact -

Employer
Inland Revenue (obtain your reference and address from your employer)
Department of Health & Social Security (write to the Contributions Agency at your local Social Security Office)
Local Authority (to change council tax and voting records)
Doctor
Dentist
DVLC (for your driving licence and any car registration documents)
Passport Office
Bank
Building Society (mortgage and/or savings accounts)
Credit Card and Store Charge-Card Companies
Finance/Loan Companies (cars, household goods etc.)
Premium Bond Office
Investment Companies
Companies that you have shares in (the name of the registrars should be on your certificates or paperwork)
Utilities (gas, electricity, telephone)
Mobile Phone company
Pension provider
Insurance Companies (motor, medical, life, buildings & contents, pets etc.).
Mail-Order catalogue companies.
Motoring Organisations (breakdown organisations)
Professional Institutes and Bodies
Clubs, Societies and Associations
Solicitors, financial advisers etc.
Internet Service Provider (if your e-mail address incorporates your old name, you may wish to change your e-mail address)
Magazine subscriptions

Most companies will be satisfied with a letter and a copy of your marriage certificate or even a phone call. However, some organisations (especially banks) like to see the original certificate and make a copy for their records then. It might be best to find some time to go into the bank rather than posting your original certificate to them.

Thank You! - Sending 'thank you' cards to guests punctually is important. People have taken time out to spend the day with you and have more than likely spent money on gifts for you too so it's only polite to let them know you appreciate it. Despite the temptation to type one letter and just print numerous copies, it's much more personal to handwrite a note, however short. If you can, try and personalise the card - perhaps mention something that happened on the day or mention a gift by name. Even if gifts arrive before the day, don't feel you need to send cards until after the date. It is a good idea to purchase your cards before the wedding though so you've got no excuse to postpone writing them when you return!

The Dress - If you're planning on keeping your dress, it's a good idea to have it professionally cleaned and boxed to store it. This will prevent the fabric for deteriorating or discolouring over time. Cleaning a wedding dress is not cheap so it might be wise to get a few quotes before you decide where to go. Lots of dry cleaners can organise this for you (although they'll probably send your dress away) or you might want to find a specialist cleaner or even ask your wedding dress shop if they have any recommendations. Cleaning and boxing is currently around the £100 mark. If you don't want to pay that, you could box the dress yourself. You'll need a suitably large box or one designed especially for wedding dresses to avoid creasing it too heavily. The dress should be wrapped in lots of acid free tissue paper which will help to stop it yellowing.

If you want to sell your dress, there are a few options - through an advertisement in a local newspaper or shop, via an Internet site or on-line auction such as E-bay or through a shop specialising in second hand wedding dresses. However, if you've had the dress altered from a standard size, selling it could prove tough as it's unlikely to fit anyone else (unless they have it altered again too!) If you are selling, you still might want to have the dress cleaned (and point this out in your advertisement) as dresses get a little mucky at weddings, especially around the hem.

The Flowers - If you want to have your bouquet dried, pressed or framed, this should be done as soon as possible after the wedding day so that the flowers are in good condition. It's best to make arrangements in advance for the bouquet to be collected the day after the wedding.

Photos - When you return from honeymoon, you should make an appointment to visit your photographer to collect your preview album or 'proofs'. Relatives and friends will use this to order any re-prints that they'd like and you'll use them to decide which shots you'd like in your album. You should be allowed to take them away for a certain period of time to allow people to have a good look at them! Most proofs are often stamped across the photo to make sure people don't make their own sneaky copies rather than paying the photographer the re-print cost. Unless you've got the negatives as part of your package, making photocopies of your photos is strictly illegal and a breach of copyright. Once you've returned your photos, album and reprints usually take a couple of weeks but maybe more in high season.

Getting any refundable deposits back - If your venue made you pay a damage waiver, this should be returned to you after the wedding (obviously providing nothing was damaged!)