There is so much planning and energy that is put into the ceremony and reception. Trust me, we get it, they are the main events of the day and they deserve a lot of attention. But one part of the day that is often overlooked, and isn’t always thought of, is what happens once the party ends. The guests are gone, the bride and groom have been sent off, but there’s all this stuff! Flowers and DIY décor that are so beautiful that you don’t want to throw them away, but how do you get them home? Robes, make up and hangers in the bridal suite. Left over cupcakes and food that could feed you left overs for weeks! The GIFTS! There’s all this stuff, but there’s no plan on how to get it home.
As day of coordinators we help organize what’s important and what’s not, and we help load everything that’s supposed to get sent home. This way clutter doesn’t fog decision making and exhaustion doesn’t make you throw it all away. But here’s a few simple steps you can take beforehand to make sure that all that stuff is taken care of and brought home in an efficient way.
- Designate a reliable family member or family friend to take all your presents in one car. Load them up once the dancing begins, or once the night ends! But that way, you know where your gifts are going.
- Designate a few cars and drivers who can take all that “stuff” home. Flowers, coats, robes, pictures, signs, food, treats etc. Don’t leave this all to your mom to fit in her car. Ask someone to stay behind to be with her, help her pack everything up, and take everything home. She will be having what we call “let down” so having a family friend someone there to support her and bring the night to a close will encourage her. And it will give you as the bride, relief that it’s all in good (and multiple) hands.
- Before the ceremony, have your bridal party gather their things into one designated area in their “prep” rooms. For the girls, it’s helpful to have small totes that has everything they came with, in them. So, at the end of the night, you don’t have to search for everything and gather it all, it’s there and ready to go when you are. Yes, it’s early, but it’s so much easier to pack when you feel fresh, and not when you’re exhausted and maybe have had one too many drinks 😉
- Bring Tupperware’s, and packing boxes to pack food, cake and décor. It makes it go MUCH faster when you can haul everything out in big loads!
These few simple tricks are ways to make the aftermath much more bearable and easy to tackle. And it allows everyone to head home at a reasonable time after such an eventful day – cheers!