After the wedding

After the Wedding

The week after is for thank-you notes, backing up photos and deciding what to keep. Do the photos first.

25 products, each chosen by I Do with a note on why.

Prices marked ~ are estimates. Check the retailer for current prices and availability.

Keepsakes and preservation14

  • Dress Storage Box (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Large Wedding Dress Preservation Box

    Acid-free storage for the dress after it has been cleaned.

    ~$45 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Dress Storage Box (opens in a new tab)
  • Bouquet Drying Silica (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: wisedry Silica Gel Flower Drying Crystals, 5 lb

    Professional preservation costs several hundred dollars.

    ~$30 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Bouquet Drying Silica (opens in a new tab)
  • Flower Drying Box (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: wisedry 10 L Silica Flower Drying Box

    The bouquet dries in the crystals, but only in a sealed container.

    ~$35 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Flower Drying Box (opens in a new tab)
  • Wooden Keepsake Box (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: DRASTAR Large Acacia Keepsake Box

    Somewhere for the cards, the vow books, the invitation and the dried boutonniere.

    ~$30 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Wooden Keepsake Box (opens in a new tab)
  • Photo Album (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Vienrose Linen Photo Album, 300 Pockets

    A slip-in linen album for the printed favourites, the ones you actually flip through.

    ~$10 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Photo Album (opens in a new tab)
  • External SSD (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD, 2TB

    Photographer galleries expire after six to twelve months and the couple's only copy is a download link.

    ~$290 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: External SSD (opens in a new tab)
  • Gusseted Gown Bag (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Sleeping Lamb 72 Inch Gusseted Gown Garment Bag

    Boutique bags are thin and short.

    ~$20 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Gusseted Gown Bag (opens in a new tab)
  • Suit Garment Bag (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Simple Houseware Travel Garment Bag, 43 Inch

    Gets the suit from the tailor to the venue and home again without the dry-cleaner plastic that traps moisture.

    ~$15 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Suit Garment Bag (opens in a new tab)
  • Wine Box Ceremony (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Twine Newlyweds' Wine and Letter Keepsake Box

    In a wine box ceremony each partner writes a sealed letter, and during the ceremony the letters.

    ~$30 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Wine Box Ceremony (opens in a new tab)
  • Cotton Garment Bag (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Acid-Free Cotton Garment Bag, 70 Inch

    The suit, the reception dress and a gown that is not boxed need a cotton bag so the fabric can breathe.

    ~$30 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Cotton Garment Bag (opens in a new tab)
  • Keepsake Shadow Box (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Americanflat Shadow Box Frame, 12x16

    Where the dried bouquet, the invitation suite, a cork and the boutonniere end up as one piece on the wall.

    ~$30 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Keepsake Shadow Box (opens in a new tab)
  • Glassware Divider Box (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: LotFancy Stemware Storage Box, 12 Cells

    Thirty bud vases do not survive a car ride loose in a bin.

    ~$20 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Glassware Divider Box (opens in a new tab)
  • Engraved Parent Frame (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Lifetime Creations Engraved 5x7 Wood Frame

    One frame per household, engraved with your names and the date, nothing more.

    With your names and message

    ~$30 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Engraved Parent Frame (opens in a new tab)
  • Ketubah Frame (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Americanflat 20x24 Frame, Matted to 16x20

    Most ketubot are 16x20, and this frame's mat fits one straight away so it can hang the week you are back.

    ~$30 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Ketubah Frame (opens in a new tab)

Some product links may earn I Do a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED 'AS IS' AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.

Don't forget, nothing to buy

  • Get the gown to a cleaner within two weeks, before it goes in the box; a mail-in preservation service is the other path.
  • Order three to five certified copies of the marriage certificate; every name-change step wants one and they take weeks.
  • Name-change kits (NewlyNamed, HitchSwitch) are not Amazon products; the checklist task links to them.
  • Photo thank-you cards come from a print service; the card here is the non-photo option.
  • Thank your vendors with a review; it is the forgotten task they value most.
  • Decor resells at about half price bundled on Marketplace; pack the glassware in the divided boxes and list it the week after.

Thank-yous and admin6

  • Return Address Stamp (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: ExcelMark Custom Self-Inking Stamp, Medium

    Two hundred envelopes twice, invitations and then thank-yous, is where a self-inking stamp earns its place.

    With your names

    ~$15 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Return Address Stamp (opens in a new tab)
  • Thank-You Cards (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Hallmark Thank You Cards, 100-Pack

    Buy more than you think.

    ~$15 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Thank-You Cards (opens in a new tab)
  • Fireproof Document Bag (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Andyer Fireproof Document Bag, 15x11

    The marriage certificate, both passports.

    ~$30 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Fireproof Document Bag (opens in a new tab)
  • Accordion File Organizer (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Amazon Basics Accordion File, 13 Pockets

    For RSVP cards, invoices and invitation samples as they arrive.

    ~$5 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Accordion File Organizer (opens in a new tab)
  • Good Pens (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Pentel RSVP Pens, 5 Pack

    For place cards, envelopes and thank-you notes.

    ~$5 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Good Pens (opens in a new tab)
  • Silicone Wedding Band (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Enso Rings Bevel Classic Silicone Ring

    For the honeymoon, the gym and working with your hands: the band grooms with a new gold ring buy within a…

    ~$25 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Silicone Wedding Band (opens in a new tab)

Your first year5

  • Anniversary Journal (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Duncan & Stone Anniversary Journal

    A page to fill in every anniversary for decades.

    ~$35 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Anniversary Journal (opens in a new tab)
  • Another option

    One Question a Day for Newlyweds (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: One Question a Day for Newlyweds (journal)

    A question a day for the first year, answered by both of you.

    ~$15 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: One Question a Day for Newlyweds (opens in a new tab)
  • First Christmas Married Ornament (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Personalized First Christmas Married Ornament

    The first-year keepsake, with your names and the year.

    With your names and date

    ~$20 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: First Christmas Married Ornament (opens in a new tab)
  • Custom Star Map (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Custom Star Map Print of Your Wedding Night

    The sky over the venue on the night you married, printed with your names and date.

    With your names and date

    ~$15 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Custom Star Map (opens in a new tab)
  • Family Name Sign (opens Amazon in a new tab)

    Our pick: Personalized Metal Family Name Sign with Established Year

    The new last name and the year, for over the door or the mantel.

    With your new surname and date

    ~$15 (approximate)

    View on Amazon: Family Name Sign (opens in a new tab)

Missing something?

Know a product that would help other couples? Let us know and we'll take a look.

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After the Wedding · Wedding Shop · I Do