After the Party...The Clean Up

So many hours of thought and months of preparation go into every aspect of a wedding day. From the bride waking up and getting her hair and makeup done to which songs the couple will dance to and every tiny detail in between. Unfortunately, not many tend to think past the last dance and the lights coming back on. I have run into this situation many times before and try to have a plan in place ahead of time to ensure even the clean up runs smoothly.

The biggest thing people forget is that there will need to be space in vehicles to take home things like gifts, decorations, flowers and left over cake. Sometimes things are brought to the venues in multiple trips or by the vendors so you do not realize how much there will be all at one time. If you do not have enough room in one car and you are having a gift opening the next day, send gifts in the cars of those who will be attending. Make sure to keep all of the cards together so that none get separated and lost.

The clean up process for your event will depend on your venue and the extent of your decor. Some facility rentals only include the rental of the building and it is your responsibility to put everything away and, in some cases, even vacuum and clean bathrooms! There usually is an extra charge if you want to pay to have them take care of this for you, although it may seems like a lot of money up front, trust me, it will be worth it in the end to not do this yourself. Even if you, as the bride and groom, do not plan on staying the entire night remember that whoever is staying to help has also had a very long day and will not be wanting to stay late to pick up.

Do not assume that anyone is staying to clean up until you ask them. I have had this happen, more than once, that I bride said someone was planning to stay but they did not know this and left earlier in the evening. This also includes your vendors, venue and wedding planner, check over your contracts to see what all is included and if it is not specified in the contract, ask. Most often, venues require you to remove all of your property from the site that evening, occasionally they will allow you to leave a few things and pick them up the next day, ask them ahead of time so that you can make arrangements for pick up.

Many florists will offer the service of returning after the party to pick up their arrangements and decorations. Although there is an extra fee this may also be a good option for you if there are a lot of decorations and if you do not have space to transport it all. Keep in mind that most florists require their containers and vases to be returned on the following Monday. If you decide not to pay this fee and will be returning all of your rentals yourself, make a detailed list of all the items needing to be returned and give it to someone that will be staying to tear down.

All of the flowers that are at your reception are yours to keep (but not necessarily the containers they are in). There are multiple things you can do with the flowers:

• If they are loose flowers, give them to people as they leave in miniature bouquets (here is a great way to do this)
• Make arrangements ahead of time to drop extra flowers off at a local nursery home, retirement community or hospital.
• Make a game out of it by placing a tag or sticker under one plate at each table so that the winner can take the centerpiece home (best when vase or container is also yours to give away). 
• Bring the arrangements to the location of your day after brunch or gift opening, if doing either. It is a great way to reuse the flowers and to show off your beautiful decor one more time. 

The best way to ensure that every thing runs smoothly at the end of the night is to have a plan in place. Working with a wedding planner can help alleviate a lot of stress from your wedding day. If hiring someone is not feasible for your budget ask responsible family members or friends to have a role in your wedding and assign them specific tasks for the big day.