Maritza Pozzi-Loyola | Seascape Golf Club

A bride wants a flawless wedding day. She plans delivery times, assigns help arranging the favors, and provides a detailed timeline for the DJ—but all too often, no one plans how to clean up after the wedding. If you don’t want to leave your rental items, extra cake, or wedding gifts behind, use this Post-Reception Checklist for Weddings and assign someone to take charge of the clean-up crew.

• Rental items. This is an important. Anything you rented needs to be returned, usually by the Monday following your wedding. Have a detailed checklist of every item you rented (and quantity) so that the person in charge doesn’t leave anything behind. Sometimes a description of the item helps (e.g., “wooden arrow with stake; says, ‘Wedding’”). This checklist can save you fees. Most rental companies will charge up to 4x the item's actual cost to replace it. 

• Top tier of wedding cake. (Don’t forget a box to take it home in). Let the staff know ahead of time if you plan to take home any leftover wedding cake or the top tier. With prior notice, they can pack it neatly for you in a provided box. 

• Wedding gifts. Can’t forget these! Be sure you have at least 2 people solely responsible for gift transportation. This means each has an empty car ready to fit large boxes, and a plan for keeping all the cards together and safe. This might require multiple trips as many gift boxes are large. Be sure these are delivered to your home quickly so you can open them right away!

• Sign in book. It can get moved around by guests throughout the night, so make sure it doesn't get left behind. 

• Cake cutting set & toasting glasses. Make sure to keep these for memories and package them up nicely so they don’t break.

• Vases from flower arrangements. You may be able to save some money if you return your vases to your florist. Make sure no one takes them home and you collect every single one. The person in charge should know how many they need to pack.

• Clothing and other items from changing room(s). If you and your wedding party used a venue's changing room, be sure to clear the room out completely before the end of the night. Most venues will lock up their rooms as soon as the wedding is over. Ask your bridesmaids to clear it out before the end of your reception so that nothing gets left behind. 

• Ceremony decorations and flowers. It is so easy to move straight into the reception after the ceremony and forget to pick up your items from the ceremony itself. Be sure to have someone assigned to gather flower arrangements, candles, sand, programs, etc., and place them in a safe place or in a car. Don't wait until later, especially if your ceremony is outside. It will be dark after the reception, making it difficult to see items, and you don't want to leave anything behind. 

• Reception room decorations. Did you hang lanterns? Place special framed photos around the room? Bring special lights? Provide special table decorations? Remember to take these down (plan a ladder on-hand if needed), package them up, and take them home the night of your event.

• Extra wedding favors. Do you want to keep any leftover favors? Someone will need to gather any that were left behind on guest tables.

• Storage containers. Remember all those boxes you placed items in for transport to the venue? Unless they are cardboard and can be throw out, make sure someone remembers to take them home.

• Garbage and other waste. If you are responsible for all cleaning and disposal at your venue, be sure to have someone prepared to take all your garbage away, including wastewater. Ask ahead of time where waste should be placed, so the process is as painless as possible. It's not anyone's favorite job, but it must get done. 

• Lost and found. Inevitably, things get left behind. Most venues will have the banquet captain do a final sweep of the room to find dropped keys, credit cards left at the bar, misplaced cameras, etc. Make sure one person you trust stays behind with that staff member to help sweep the room and take home anything that may be left behind.

Lastly, make sure you assign people before the wedding to handle these tasks. As the bride or groom, after the reception ends, you will have made your grand exit and be on your way to wedded bliss! Having your post-reception plan in place will spare you from worrying about items left behind, and let you fully enjoy reception and wedding day.