What's Next After the Wedding and Honeymoon?

It’s been a few weeks after your wedding, and you’ve just arrived from our honeymoon. After unpacking your bags, sending thank-yous to your guests who made it to your wedding or gave you lovely gifts, what are you supposed to do? What’s the next step after your wedding and your honeymoon?

Ideally, if you haven’t done it yet, this is the time for you and your partner to start thinking about your life together as a married couple. Read on to find some essential things you and your partner should discuss together.

Financial Planning and Budgeting

Money is a big deal in any and every relationship. And if you don’t start talking about how you will handle finances in your marriage early on or even before the wedding, you may face some challenges and conflicts.

Some questions you need to ask yourselves are:

• What is our individual financial history? What attitudes do we have towards money?
• What are our short-term and long-term financial goals?
• Who will handle budgeting for expenses, savings, and debt repayment?
• Are we going to merge our finances and have shared accounts? Or will we put all our resources together?
• What steps will we take to protect our assets with insurance?

Communication and Conflict Resolution Strategies

Communication is an important aspect of any relationship. If you haven’t set ground rules for communicating and resolving conflicts with your spouse, maybe now is the time to sit down for a heart-to-heart talk. We can guarantee that it will save many a heartache.

Here are some rules you may want to consider setting.

• We will establish a safe and respectful space for communication.
• We will listen actively and without judgment.
• We will use “I” statements and avoid using blaming language.
• We will be willing to compromise and find win-win solutions.
• We will understand each other’s triggers and stressors.

Dealing with In-Laws

Dealing with in-laws can be tricky for couples, so you and your spouse need to approach the topic with open hearts. Here are some things you could discuss:

• How much time and involvement you want from your in-laws.
• How you can respect each other’s family dynamics and relationship with their in-laws.
• What kind of boundaries and expectations you need to establish with your in-laws.
• Where you are willing to compromise and exercise flexibility.

Family Planning and Career Goals

As a couple, you also need to talk about family planning and career goals, as these decisions will really affect you. Ask yourself:

• Do we want children? If yes, when do we want to start a family?
• What are our individual views on parenting and childcare?
• How will children fit into our existing lifestyle and career goals?
• What are our strategies for balancing work and family life?
• How willing are we to relocate for career opportunities?
• Do we want to pursue joint career goals?

Have That Heart-to-Heart Talk with Your Spouse

Setting clear expectations for what you want in your marriage is a must-do. Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of a conflict or challenge before tackling this important conversation. It will save you a lot of confusion in the future and help guide your marriage as you move forward from your wedding and honeymoon.

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