4 things you’ll wish you’d thought of before your wedding day

Planning a wedding is exciting, but let’s be honest—it can also feel overwhelming. Even with endless checklists and Pinterest boards, there are always a few small but meaningful details that slip through the cracks. As a recent bride, I learned firsthand that some of the most valuable wedding tips aren’t the ones you find in magazines or planning guides—they’re the little pieces of advice that only come from lived experience. Here my quick list of things that aren’t on your typical pre-wedding to do list, but that you’ll be glad you thought of ahead of time:

1. Schedule 1-on-1 time with your new spouse on your wedding day

During our (long) engagement period, people were eager to ask us about wedding planning and share their advice. Everyone in our lives had different opinions about this or that detail, but the best piece of advice we got was somewhat surprising: scheduling some alone time during the festivities.

Your actual wedding day is going to feel chaotic: everything you’ve been planning for months is coming to fruition, and you’ve just declared your love for one another for the world to hear – but amidst the whirlwind of people and festivities, it’s hard to realize any of it. My friend told me the best thing that happened during her wedding day was the five minutes she spent in a closet with her new husband after the ceremony, waiting for people to settle down for dinner so they could make their grand entrance. Why? Because they got to take it all in together and actually have a romantic moment alone on their wedding day.

After hearing her advice, we devised our own plan to sneak away for a few minutes while guests enjoyed champagne: we asked our photographer to take us aside for some couples photos, after which he went back to the guests and we got to spend a few minutes alone. We ate some candy and gushed about our respective vows, the surprises our guests had planned for us, and our outfits, and it was a lovely little break.

2. Plan to preserve your wedding bouquet

I’m a little biased with this one, because I press and frame wedding bouquets so brides can keep their flowers as a beautiful memento of their big day. The main reason I bring this up is because about half of my clients are brides who find themselves at a loss of what to do with their flowers the day after their wedding: it’s too precious to throw away, but it’s not something we typically think of in advance. There are several ways to preserve your wedding bouquet, but of course my favorite is to press the flowers: A pressed flower frame can be a subtle, personal nod to your wedding day, and you can incorporate wedding photos, vows, or any personal touch. Check out my gallery of wedding bouquet frames for examples.

Here’s how it works: you reach out (ideally before the wedding, but I happily take last-minute requests if I can!), we discuss your preferences for the final frame and composition, then the day after your wedding, you mail your bouquet to me (or, if you’re in Paris, we can schedule an in-person exchange). That’s it! It take me about a month to press your bouquet, let everything fully dry, then create a composition from your flowers and frame it. Once it’s ready, I mail your precious keepsake back to you, so it can both brighten your home and remind you of your special day.

3. Take a few days to wind down right after the wedding

When I asked friends and family if they had any regrets about their weddings, one particular regret kept coming up: not taking time off right after the wedding. Even a couple married over 40 years were still frustrated when they told us they just went right back to work the Monday after their wedding. Their advice: you don’t have to go off on a honeymoon right away, but plan a few days to wind down before you move on.

On the practical side of things this is a must: there are decorations to sort, vendors to pay and return materials to, lost items with owners to pinpoint, and guests still in town. Plus, resting is nice. The main reason people brought this up, though, is because going straight back to “real life” forced them to move on too quickly, and made such an important event feel… less important. So whether the next step is going back to your routine or heading off on a honeymoon trip, give yourself a little breather first to take it all.

4. Keep materials for the thank you notes

I’m putting this one last because it is more commonly brought up, but since this comes after the wedding, people tend to brush it off to the side. If you, like me, are making your own wedding stationery make sure you think ahead about sending thank you notes. A lot of people traveled long distances, arranged for babysitters, and prepared speeches and surprises for months ahead of the wedding. Sending a physical, personalized thank you note is a meaningful way to recognize all the efforts your guests have put into joining you on your special day, as well as thank them for any gifts.

I’d put so much attention and effort into the invitations, and I wanted the thank you notes to match. This means the same envelopes, same wax seals, same calligraphy, same pressed flowers and all the same materials. This would also be a nice way for guests to instantly recognize what they receive as related to our wedding. But of course, when the time came to make the invitations, I didn’t have enough envelopes left, had run out of wax seals, and needed to find the right paper because I hadn’t planned (or budgeted) for materials beyond the big day. So my one regret despite all the tips I’d accumulated: setting aside enough materials to make preparing thank you notes easier. Another helpful tip is to keep your guests’ addresses from the invitations all in one place so you can easily find them after the wedding, and keep a list of wedding presents so you won’t forget to thank anyone!

Your wedding day is about more than picture-perfect flowers and a flawless timeline—it’s about creating memories you’ll cherish for years to come. While it’s easy to get caught up in the big decisions, sometimes it’s the smaller, overlooked details that make all the difference: Carving out private time with your new spouse, preserving your bouquet, winding down after the big day, and preparing for thank you notes ahead of time are little steps that will help you savor your wedding far beyond the day of.