You have had the big day, you are a MRS and all the stress and jobs and projects leading up to the wedding are finally over, right? Wrong!
Here are a few things that you might want to consider when budgeting your wedding and also things to think about whether or not you want to do after you get carried over the threshold into your blissful wedded life.
Dry-cleaning your dress: We were on the ball with this one, because we had asked around and so we were able to budget in the exorbitant $600!!! it cost to dry-clean and box my dress. I was still hemming and hawing about whether or not to sell my dress, but regardless I had to have it dry-cleaned so I dropped it in as soon as we returned home from our honeymoon and now it is sitting pretty in its beautiful box in our second room (because it is too big to go in a cupboard!).
Thank you cards: Our cards were included in our wedding photography package, so that was handy for us, but we still had to fork out about $60 in postage and 100+ cards wouldn’t come cheap! Also, they take a long time to come from the photographer, we got ours more than three months after our wedding and we only just posted them out because it took us quite a while to write thoughtful thank you’s to everyone. I know Emily Post would not be impressed by us taking more than three months to get our cards out, but it hasn’t taken us that long if we go from the date we received the cards!
Memory Box: We are still working on this one, because I have yet to find the perfect box; but we collected a number of things from our wedding and honeymoon and we are putting them all into a box so we can go back and reminisce on the day! Some of the items we have included are: our program, wedding invite, place cards, menu card, cork from the champagne we drank, Mr. Teaspoon’s button hole (which has been hanging in our laundry drying for four months), the sixpence I wore on the sole of my shoe, Mr. Teaspoon’s speech, all our wedding cards we received and a copy of the ’telegram’ we received (aka e-mail).
Wow, these roses look really brown in this photo, in real life they aren’t quite that dark, the one on the right is the one he actually wore and the one on the left is the spare we had in case it got really crushed in the hugging!
Not to mention how many places you use your name that need to be changed if you choose to do that!
Married Bees—what do you wish you have planned ahead and budgeted for?
Just married last week, this is super useful.
Holy Jumping Up And Down martha cleaning your wedding dress was $600? Was it huge? Oh man I’m getting itchy thinking about it.
I got purple frosting on my dress (Yesss!!) So I have to get cleaned and was planning on taking it in today after work, but if it’s going to cost $600 I might try a hand wash instead…
ooooooh my god $600 to clean/box the dress? noooooooooooo
I got the cleaning and preservation at David’s Bridal for $99….
I need to get my dress cleaned and boxed…just have to find somewhere and I wish I had budgeted for this.
I think another thing that would be good to budget for is printing wedding pictures for your home or for parents etc, if this isn’t included from your photographer.
Wow, totally wasn’t thinking about cleaning/boxing my dress. Thanks for the reminders!
@Lexy: Sure was, Australia (especially Sydney) is ridiculously expensive!
@LongDistancePlanning: Very true! Although that came out of our Christmas budget! Everyone got similar gifts!
@arielle: Oh the bliss of having it so cheap and through a bridal store! Do you have to have bought your dress from there?
wow this was so helpful, thank you. and holy cow $600 to clean a dress … for some people that is more than they even spent to purchase it.
Things to pick up from venue, things to list and sell, gifts to put away or return or exchange, shipping items to sell, cleaning dress, thank you notes that never end, selecting photos, sharing photos on facebook and blog and printing photos, sharong print photos with family, Keepsake box, and now the album…..
And cleaning up DIY station and reviewing vendors! So much post wedding to do’s! 
I thought changing my name was free once you get married… I have to spend $137 to get it changed to my husband’s name.
I will be discussing that with him! Maybe he’ll pay if he really wants me to change it!
@RoxanneV: You have to pay? Wow, that’s annoying! We don’t have to here (apart from a cupcake to bribe my lawyer friend to make 20 certified copies of our marriage license)!
Mrs. Teaspoon, Sydney, Australia Age and Occupation: 27, Medical Scientist Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Banker Engagement Date: June 4, 2010 Wedding Date: September 2011 Venue: St Aloysius' College, Milson's Point About Me: I am a mad scientist who enjoys swimming at the beach in summer and skiing powder in winter. Our favourite times together are spent with the sand between our toes, cooking up a storm, re-watching and re-reading every Harry Potter ever made, and spending time with our dear friends and family! We have travelled the world together in our 6 years of dating, from Paris, to Thailand, to Las Vegas, and we are tackling the many challenges of planning our special day the best way we know how---together!
Latest Gallery Pics