5 Logistical Tips for Cleaning Up after a Wedding

When “the happiest day of your life” draws to a close, a big problem suddenly comes into focus: how to clean-up the venue where you just made so many memories. It’s a critically important consideration, since you absolutely don’t want to be stuck hauling away, well, anything on your wedding night, and you also want to be sure that anyone you delegate all that work to will still be speaking to you when you return from your honeymoon. So, whether it’s your own big day, or you’ve been tasked with the clean-up for someone else’s, consider these easy tips to ensure everything goes quickly and smoothly.

Plan, Then Plan Some More

You plan for months, or even longer, to put together the perfect wedding ceremony and reception, and all that planning certainly pays off. Don’t stop short, then, and also plan what happens after you leave the venue, to ensure everything continues to go smoothly, even after you’re gone. Who will haul away the different items? When will rented items be picked up? Is there something you own that will need a larger vehicle to move? Then make sure someone you know who has a larger vehicle drives that larger vehicle to the venue. It’s certainly not as fun as planning the wedding itself, but a bad ending will sour the memories from the entire day.

Clean as You Go

This tip applies more if you are someone tasked with the clean-up, but either way, if you can clean-up while the reception is still taking place, you will save a lot of time and stress afterward. This doesn’t mean you have to start pulling lights from the ceiling or taking up the dance floor, but it does mean that dishes can be cleared, food can be put away, and centerpieces can be assembled in a central area (that is, if you want the guests to be able to take a centerpiece home). There are natural breaks as the evening goes on, and taking advantage of these breaks to get ahead of the clean-up game will pay big dividends.

Delegate Effectively

Typically, there will be quite a few people who are willing to hang out for a while and help with clean-up. Even if you’ve only planned the clean-up with a few select individuals, if someone else steps in and asks if they can help, answer with a resounding “YES!” by planning in advance, you will know exactly what tasks still need to be completed, and can immediately give your new-found help plenty to do.

Know Who Is Responsible for What

Along with being able to delegate tasks that are your responsibility, it’s also important to know what tasks you don’t have to worry about. So, can you leave the rented chairs in place, or do they need to be stacked in a central location? Is the venue responsible for sweeping and mopping, or does that job fall on you? Do you need to haul all the trash away, or is there a rented roll-off dumpster that will be hauled away by a garbage collection company like Advance Waste Disposal? By knowing the point at which your job ends and the pros’ job begins, you release yourself from a lot of unnecessary work.

Have Fun

Cleaning up someone else’s mess might not seem like the most fun way to spend an evening (or late night), but once the bride and groom leave, all the pressure’s off, and you and everyone else can enjoy themselves while working together to get the clean-up finished quickly. Have the DJ play some upbeat music with the volume turned down, so everyone can hear instructions, but still be motivated to work quickly. With the right people doing the right things, the job will soon be done, and you’ll be able to depart with your own amazing memories of all the events of the day.

A One-Time Thing

While you’re planning a wedding, try to plan it so that the clean-up is as easy as possible. It’s okay to have beautiful decorations, but consider the amount and the size of those decorations to assist in their eventual clean-up. After all, as important as this day is, the people ultimately aren’t there to look at the decorations, or the lights, or to eat the food. They are there to celebrate you, and help you begin your happily-ever-after.