You’re ready to start a new chapter and say “I do” to a lifetime of love and happiness, and a new home. Moving in together after marriage requires the blending of two homes into one shared space. Whether you’re moving into a new home or your partner’s existing home, blending two homes requires careful financial planning and collaborative decision-making.
Although moving is not simple under any circumstances, moving in together after marriage has its own set of unique challenges. Planning a wedding and a move at the same time also means a lot of important decision making and expenses happening at once. It might feel like your task checklists are never ending. However, with your loving partner by your side, planning a move after a marriage can really be a shared adventure. Here are 7 tips that will help you successfully navigate the move after marriage.
Navigating Moving in Together After Marriage with These 7 Key Pointers:
1. Talk About Everything before Moving in Together After Marriage
Sit down with your partner and discuss the various aspects of your move and your wedding. Communication is key for a smooth transition and to avoid any misunderstandings and disappointments. Share your expectations, preferences, and concerns about the move with each other. Most importantly, do not shy away from financial discussions. Whether you’re renting your dream venue or hiring movers, you’ll need to discuss the associated costs and clarify how you are going to share the expenses. Create a moving budget and financial plan together.
2. Deliberate on the Timing of the Move
Moving in together after marriage is not a simple relocation. Both of you will have to pack up your belongings from your current homes and organize them in your new home. This process requires time, energy, effort, and money. Moving in too close to the wedding can get stressful. Try to avoid scheduling the move in the days just before or after the wedding. Give yourself sufficient time to prepare for the wedding, and some time to relax after it.
3. Provide Emotional Support
In addition to supporting each other in decisions and managing expenses, it’s important to offer emotional support throughout the moving process. After the move, you have to strike a balance between individual space and being present for your partner. You’re both going to have to adapt to new circumstances and doing so as a team will make the process easier.
4. Create a Home Together
The volume of tasks you have to complete does not constitute the most difficult part of the move. Rather, it’s the unfamiliarity of the new place that you will have to process once you move in. It’s a house that you need to transform into a home. Work together on home decor decisions and create a blended space that’s a reflection of your relationship as well as both of your unique styles and preferences. Measure your space and furniture and draw out a simple floor plan on paper to determine where everything will go.
5. Plan the Logistics of Moving in Together after Marriage
You can’t skip the physical moving tasks or the paperwork and legalities. However, you can make these tasks easier with planning and organization. Create a detailed timeline outlining the tasks and the deadlines leading up to the move. Make the transition easy by gradually sorting through and packing up your belongings much before the move. You can do a final round of organization of the house some days after the wedding. Hiring a reputable full service moving company to help you pack and unpack can also reduce your moving stress.
6. Divide the Responsibilities
Since there is much to do, plan and divide the responsibilities. This will ensure that there’s no duplication of work and that both are not wasting time on the same tasks. Since the timelines of the move and the wedding will run parallel to each other, divide the tasks and responsibilities of both. For instance, if your partner has been given the task of scouting for a venue in Los Angeles, you can take over the research for moving companies. Additionally, both of you should delegate tasks to trusted people rather than trying to shoulder the entire burden by yourselves.
7. Spend Quality Time Together
Don’t allow all the planning and tasks related to the wedding and the move to overwhelm you and affect your relationship. Schedule date nights and some quality bonding time, to remind you of why you’re doing all of this. Stick to your date plans no matter how busy you get. Daydream together of the blissful days you’re going to spend in your new abode.
Wrapping Up
Moving with your spouse into a new home after marriage is akin to a collaborative adventure. Think of it as a commitment to navigate life’s transitions side by side. Communicating, coordinating, and sharing the responsibilities and joys are the keys not only to a successful move but also to a lasting relationship.
* * * * *
Kevin Fagan, Guest Contributor
Kevin Fagan is a food & travel writer, based in New-England with experience in the catering industry. He is always on the lookout for the trendiest food spots and bars on his travels, and also likes to keep his finger on the pulse of the latest news in the world of catering & restaurants.