Bride’s Guide: 7 Tips for Moving Into a Bigger Home

If your spouse-to-be owns the marital home or the two of you bought one together, you might marvel at all the space you have. What are you going to do with it all?

Here are seven tips for moving into a bigger home once you say, “I do.”

If you’re going large, you might think you do not need to sort your belongings and get rid of things. However, scientific research shows that excess clutter spurs coping and avoidance behaviors — like compulsive overeating.

Who wants to start married life with unnecessary stress? Sell or donate what you don’t need.

Your principal objective is to get as much cash for your old home as possible. For example, if you owned a waterfront property, installing a floating dock could significantly increase your property value.

While you may pay upfront for such improvements, you reap the rewards when the buyer signs the dotted line.

If you were an artist, you’d want to start your masterpiece with a blank slate. Try to do the same with your new bigger home whenever possible — try to view it unfurnished. Then you can decide if you want to go casual or formal, contemporary or traditional with your design choices.

A minimalist mindset doesn’t mean that you have to sell all your earthly possessions and spend your days meditating on a mountaintop in Tibet. It does mean cutting through junk to find treasures and avoiding spending time and money on things that don’t bring your joy. Before moving anything into your new home, ask yourself if you’d be willing to give up another item to have it. If not, think twice before purchase.

You do need to furnish your bigger home — do so with an eye for quality. The principle extends beyond ridding yourself of your dorm room futon that still vaguely smells of stale beer. Prioritize those items you use daily, like your couch and bed, so that you can enjoy your life free from repetitive stress injuries.

Even the most loving couples need to have their space. Define separate zones that you can retreat to when you need to cool down in the heat of an argument. If you each have a home office, they can serve the purpose — otherwise, consider the man-cave or she-shed setup.

Finally, if you don’t need that spare bedroom for a nursery just yet, why not consider renting it out on Airbnb or VRBO? You don’t have to put up with an annoying roommate when you don’t want them there, but you generate sweet extra honeymoon cash.

If you’re a bride moving into a bigger house, heed the seven tips above. You can enjoy a happier home life surrounded only by those things you love.