The post is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.
So, you’re recently married. You likely have a ton of wedding gifts to sift through from family members and a handful of plans to carry out with your new spouse. It’s an exciting time, and it’s the time in many young newlyweds’ lives that planning for the future takes place.
We’ve come up with a list of the five most essential must-haves that you and your spouse should consider during these first years as a married couple.
Household Items
If you’re just moving in with your spouse for the first time after your wedding, you’re going to need to get all of the essential household items ready to go. It’s easy to forget things when you’re still riding the joyful wave of your wedding day.
We’ve come up with an easy list to remind you of the things you should buy or bring from your old home:
- Hygiene products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, etc.)
- Organizers for storage
- Furniture (sofa, TV, stands, table, bed)
- Heater or AC (if the house doesn’t come with it)
- Clothes hangers
- Cleaning products and things to clean with (broom, soap, mop, etc.)
- Towels and washcloths
- A place for your clothes (wardrobe or closet)
- Curtains
- Rug (if you have wood floors)
- A key holder
- Dishes, pots, pans, utensils, and knives (don’t forget a colander!)
- Blankets, sheets, and pillows
- Matches
- Glue, scissors, and thumbtacks
- Decorations
- Pet items (if you have pets or plan to)
- Boxes and tape for storage
Go through each room, one at a time, and create a checklist of all the items you hope to buy. Check off the items you’ve received from guests at your wedding so that you know what’s left for you to buy or bring from home.
Stationary for Thank You Cards
After your wedding, it’s customary to thank your guests. Many newlyweds forget the thank you cards for a few months after getting married, but it’s a good idea to buy the stationery as soon as possible and get them sent out. Remember to thank the guests for the individual presents they chose for you and personalize the cards. You can even get stationary with your new names and initials on it!
A Wedding Keepsake
Your wedding is one of the most special days of your life, and it can be difficult to find a way to commemorate that day after it’s over. It can feel like it went by too quickly. A wedding keepsake is a great way to keep the memory of your wedding alive long after it’s over.
Some wedding keepsake ideas include:
- Adding your wedding flowers to resin
- Framing a canvas with notes of encouragement and love from the wedding guests
- A painting incorporating a piece of your wedding outfit
- A painting of your wedding done by a live wedding painter
- Framed wedding photos
- Photo strips from a photo booth at your wedding
You can get creative and come up with your own ways to commemorate your special day. Creating art out of items and decorations from the wedding is a great way to carry it with you to any home.
Individual Space for Each Partner
During the initial few years of a relationship and during the first months of living together for the first time, relationships are exciting and new. After some time, couples tend to need some personal space to get back to “being an individual” again. Although you may not be thinking about it when you’re in the honeymoon phase, making sure that you both have a personal space in your home to go to before you sign a lease is essential.
Get a two-bedroom apartment with an office. Even if you feel like you won’t need the other room, you never know what might happen. You can set it up as a man cave, library, office, or calming space for one or both of you to go when you need alone time. Or, if you’ve got a 3-bedroom or house with an office, you can each claim a room and do what you want with it. Whenever things get tense, take some breathing space in your own personal space.
If you want to learn more about how marriage impacts your personal space and mental health, check out BetterHelp today.
A New Mattress
Finally, it’s a good idea to ditch those old mattresses that you both used as teenagers or young adults. It’s time to make your first married purchase and get a brand-new mattress. If you’re struggling to decide on a size, going big is always better when it comes to a bed. You can get more space to lay out, and if you add kids or pets to your family, they can fit in the bed too.
Conclusion
These after-wedding must-haves are essential to add to your list when you’re planning your future with your new spouse. Congratulations on the wedding, and we wish you many happy years to come!