By Paula Clark Ramirez with Historic Mankin Mansion
There are plenty of lists and tips for how to enjoy your wedding day, but what about the morning after? Not to worry — we’ve got some great ways for you to finish out your wedding experience with a bang!
Brunch
One of the first things you and your new spouse are going to want to do when you get up in the morning is talk about everything that happened at your wedding the night before. What better way than to host a big brunch for you, your parents, and your wedding party? It’s a great chance to say thank you one more time and to catch up on all the wedding stories you guys may have missed in the wedding day blur.
Trash the Dress/Morning-After Shoot
One of the more popular trends in the past couple years is to have a Trash the Dress shoot after the wedding where the bride creatively “ruins” her wedding dress either by jumping in a pool, the ocean, or even splattering it with paint! The pictures are super fun, and it’s a great way to release some of that pent up stress from wedding planning. You might also consider a morning-after shoot with your photographer. You’ll have more time for even more gorgeous portraits together without the wedding day jitters!
Flit Photography
Social Media
During the day of your wedding, there probably wasn’t a lot of time to look at all of your social media accounts (with good reason – you were getting married!). However, the morning is a perfect time for you and your spouse to sit down and go through the many messages, pictures, statuses, and comments you were tagged in throughout the day. It is such a fun way to look back and remember all of the amazing moments from your wedding. It’s also a great way to see moments you may have missed because you were so busy talking to all of your guests!
Unplug and Do Nothing!
Your wedding is the happiest day of your life but also one of the most physically and emotionally exhausting. After you’ve made your way through the posts from the night before, take a step back and turn off your phones, put away your iPad, and simply relax and relish in the fact that you just got married to the love of your life. Sleep in, order room service, watch movies in bed — the day is yours. For couples that prefer to get out and be active, do an activity that you both enjoy, like taking a hike, sightseeing, or touring a museum. Whatever it is, you’ll be doing it together, and it will just be the two of you with no outside interruptions from family, friends, or wedding vendors.
However you decide to spend the morning after your wedding, just remember to enjoy the newlywed high. You made it to the other side of wedding planning, and all the stress is gone!
Paula Clark Ramirez is the Proprietor of Historic Mankin Mansion Private Wedding & Event Estate in Richmond, VA. Paula and her husband Martin have lovingly restored this National Landmark to its original grandeur and are honored to share this treasured landmark with couples and their families. The property features stunning architectural views and is the past recipient of countless awards and features in Forbes, Orbitz, The Travel Channel, Martha Stewart Weddings, The Huffington Post and Oprah Magazine