How can you avoid the Post Wedding Blues
Well that was an epic party, but now…
As a wedding photographer, I am involved with the process of planning more than some vendors are, so I have the great fortune of getting to know my clients before their day. During the time we get to know each other going over the details and timelines, we form a bit of a bond. And some of my couples have admitted to me after the wedding that they got a little down, some became very emotional the day after, and some found it happened weeks later. Often this is referred to as “post-wedding blues.”
One of my clients Lara had such kind words for me after their wedding:
“The whole thing about bonding with couples is so true, you literally remember details about every wedding which really touched us”.
I think it’s important to point out a few things here; first, I’m not a psychologist, and you can find loads of advice all over the internet about ways to handle post-wedding emotions. I don’t think there is a one size fits all solution to get through them, but I think it’s important to know that it is a normal occurrence for many wedding couples.
Here’s another article on handling these post-wedding emotions
Wedding planning is not only time-consuming; it’s mentally time-consuming. Your brain has been wired for months and months to consider every aspect of the day. Also, you might not only have your wedding to plan, but you may also have been going to lots of friend’s weddings and this can give you more ideas of things you could do or maybe want to avoid.
After all these months of everything in your social media feed, your Pinterest boards, through to your real-life encounters being so wedding-centric, strangely it can be a real letdown to realise that it’s all over. But marriage is a life-changing event, and when the wedding ends, you’re starting a new journey. Be sure to give yourself a little grace, you deserve it.
A top tip to help avoid the post-wedding blues would be to give yourselves time on your wedding day, I mention this in my planning tips. Basically giving yourself a buffer, even if it’s five minutes here and there, just to be present in the moment and absorb what’s going on around you, it will help in the coming weeks when you think back to your amazing day.
Wedding days themselves are charged with energy, and adrenaline is high all day, so it’s really no wonder that afterward, you feel a bit drained. I say this with full confidence as there are certainly days after I photograph a wedding that I can barely get out of bed the next day! Usually, because the couple and their guests partied hard and gave me plenty to photograph.
One of my favourite things about editing a wedding is seeing that fantastic day unfold all over again. Once I finish fine-tuning the gallery and deliver it to a couple, I know they get to re-live that day over and over for years to come. I feel very honoured to have been entrusted with capturing these memories for my clients; I become an unofficial “family historian” for the day.
The first time you go through your wedding photos, it can be a transformative experience. As the wedding couple, you are so busy on your day and you can’t be in two places at once. There’s nothing I love better than presenting couples with “found moments”; when they tell me that I captured something they didn’t even know happened! That’s the magic of documentary wedding photography to me, that a photo that can tell an entire story in a glance.
The “story at a glance,” feeling is also why I encourage my couples to invest in a wedding album. Having a tangible, beautiful keepsake to hold in your hands that has all your favourite photos is a remarkable heirloom to pass down. Being able to pull your wedding album out and re-live the day and see everyone you love is a great balm to heal those post-wedding blues!
Check out Lara & Geraint’s Oldwalls Gower wedding for examples of natural candid moments.
Lara notes:
“Investing in the album is so worth it. I was one of those brides who wanted to skimp as much as possible with certain things and I’m SO glad I didn’t.. it’s so worth it. People have passed away since and that you’ve captured them doing things is beautiful!!”
Weddings are full of emotion, love, and laughter, and they are a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which is what makes them so remarkable. I’m very proud to be able to capture these stories for couples so they can be transported back to that feeling of their wedding day.
If you are seeking a wedding photographer in the Swansea and South Wales area who loves to capture found moments and create timeless, emotional photos, get in touch. I’d love to hear more about your plans.
