Valentine’s Day is this week! Can you believe it? Whether you go all out for the holiday or do something simple as a newlywed couple, it’s important to do something to celebrate your love. Stumped on what to get your significant other this year? If you haven’t made the switch to Mrs. yet…there is nothing like surprising your spouse with a new last name!
In honor of the holiday, MissNowMrs.com is having a special 3 day sale. Use promo code: VDAY to save $10 on our online name change service!Our simple 3 step service will guide you through the completion and filing of all of your state and U.S. government name change forms.
As most state driver’s license offices issue your new ID in your married name the same day you file your form, you still have time to add your new license to your hubby’s Valentine’s Day card and watch his face as he reads your new name for the first time!
Not planning to change your name…no problem. We have a list of 5 Unique Valentine’s Day Ideas to make certain that your man knows that you heart him.
However you choose to spend Valentine’s Day this year, remember that it’s great to be in love and a newlywed!
Your girlfriends are all happy that you’ve met the love of your life and tied the knot. Most, if not all of them, were there for your big day AND all of the days you spent planning it. Marriage changes a person, and your friends are adjusting to the new newlywed you. No need to make it harder for them.
Remember your single buds and to try not be “the nouveau newlywed.” You know, the girl who coordinates all of her outfits with her spouse, spends all of her time with him and can’t possibly have a conversation without overusing “we”. Examples: “We love that restaurant”, “We plan to move in the next few years”, “We think that you should date so and so.”
Make a point to go to brunch with the girls and listen to what is going on in their lives. Ask about their relationships and jobs. Seems simple, but in the midst of your newlywed bliss it is all too easy to skip out on all-girl outings or blabber entirely too much about how great love and marriage is (trust me they’re happy for you, but enough is enough).
Time spent and conversations had with your girlfriends are priceless. Allotting time and attention to them from the very start of your marriage will ensure that you don’t look around in two years and realize that you lost touch with the people that knew you best before “I do”. You’ll also get to smile and pass on this advice when those friends get married and can’t help the “we” speak!
Have you been caught up in “We-dom” or been guilty of it yourself? We’d love to hear all about it in a comment.
I know this is a newlywed blog…but I recently came across the most amazing wedding photo shoot in Turks and Caicos and had to share it! Typically, I really don’t get into trash the dress montages. A wedding gown represents a dream come true and feeling like a princess. Destroying it seems wasteful and a bit crass in my opinion (especially since you could donate your dress to a good cause). All that being said, this trash the dress shoot is classy and beautiful. It is almost like this couple is part of an ocean fairy tale.
Check out the entire photo gallery by Brilliant Photography(one of the top 5 photography studios in the Carribean). I love how her dress slowly dips into the ocean in the fist photo and in the final shots both the bride and groom are underwater. Props to that newlywed for holding her breath for breathtaking photos! She made the most of her destination wedding and truly caught the beauty of the turquoise water in Turks & Caicos!
Did you have a destination wedding that resulting in amazing photos? We’d love to see them in a comment!
As artic temperatures sweep the U.S., I think we can all utter a collective “BRRRRRRRR!” No need to let the cold spoil your newlywed time. If you’re stuck inside on evenings and weekends, use that time to your advantage.
Organize –The beginning of Spring is the last time I feel like cleaning. I want to be outside soaking up the sunshine! Use your freezing winter weekends to organize your closets, kitchen cabinets or any other parts of your house that are causing chaos and possibly a few squabbles. This way when Spring does arrive you’ll have your house in order and your weekend calendar free for fun things!
Play Games –Too cold to possibly go out for a date (seriously, no one wants to put on a dress and then multiple scarves, a parka, hat and boots…it does not feel sexy)? Break out some board games with your spouse. You can play by the conventional rules or mix things up with drinking versions of twister and scrabble or play naughty Jenga. Laughing together will make you both feel warmer and closer to each other at the end of the night.
Dream – I love to dream about what my husband and I will do when the weather is warm. Take picnics, visit the national zoo, go boating, plan a beach weekend with friends…the list is endless. If you can get your husband to help you “dream up” some warm weather activities with you, the happy result is a list of fun to-dos that will actually get done this year. Tape your list to the fridge to remind you that Spring is coming and to help you make time for your planned activities on the calendar.
Work Out – Nothing warms you up like a serious work out! Browse Amazon for a new DVD (I’m loving Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown), and when it arrives prepare to break a sweat. Come spring break time and swimsuit season, you’ll be really glad that you did your Winter workouts instead of sitting on the couch with cocoa.
How are you handling the cold as a newlywed couple?
I came across this pillow today and couldn’t help but pin it to my Newlywed Pinterest Board. As a newlywed, you usually have a new space (be it apartment, townhome or house) to decorate and sprinkling in a few romantic things helps keep the newlywed aura going. You’re in love and newly married…feel free to buy a few things that advertise that fact and make you smile when you see them.
Please note that I said a few things. A house that looks like a shrine to your wedding day is not a look many people (including your single friends) can appreciate. Choose a few of your best wedding photos to display in frames or as canvas art, add a pillow or another item that reminds you of how in love you are and voila…newlywed chic!
The glamour, glitz and excitement of New Years have worn off, and now it’s just dreary mid-January. Much like the post-wedding blues, many newlyweds also experience a post-holiday slump. The solution? Planning a fun but low key party with friends! My favorite parties have a theme that gets guests excited and keeps me from worrying about party entertainment. Below are a few ideas (admittedly 2 were “borrowed” from my friend and amazing hostess Jill):
Favorite Things: Just like Oprah…only with a $5 to $10 limit. Figure out how many friends are attending and then have each guest bring one less than that number of their favorite things. You’ll have tons of fun unwrapping, explaining and using everyone’s favorite things. The party I attended resulting in cool nail polish, a miracle hangover cure, holiday socks, satin pillow cases and much more!
Spa/Slumber Party: Send out an evite to have all your girlfriends come over for a little pampering and a chic flick. Mud masks, nail painting, pizza and the latest girly movie will make this an event everyone can look forward too. Party favor idea: attach mini rhinestones to disposable toe separators…cute!
Swap Party: Plan a get together where you and your friends bring accessories to swap. It’s easiest to trade one size fit all items like scarves, jewelry and clutches. If you’re all similar sized, you can open it up to belts, jeans, etc. Everyone will leave with something “new to them” and a little more room in their closets!
Whatever kind of party you choose to plan, just having something to plan and knowing that you’ll be seeing a group of your friends will give you a much needed boost this January.
Please let me know your favorite party themes in a comment!
It’s 2013…a new year to be a newlywed! While there’s great debate about whether anyone keeps the resolutions that they make,just the creation of a resolution can be helpful to a new marriage. If you haven’t made any resolutions with your spouse, here are a few resolutions that may be worth talking about:
1. Use Your Words - This is a cornerstone of my marriage. We promise to use our words to tell each other how we’re feeling and what we need. It keeps little things and annoyances from brewing into big things and arguments. If you and your spouse could use a little more communication, consider resolving to “use your words” in 2013.
2. Make Time - Every newlywed couple I know is juggling careers, families, friends, hobbies and figuring out how married life works. Making time once a week or twice a month to spend an entire day together without family, friends and cell phones will do wonders for your relationship. By scheduling “couple time” your making sure that your marriage remains a priority amongst the million other things clamouring for your attention!
3. Do Something Positive - Whether you join an indoor soccer league or soup kitchen, doing something positive and new in 2013 is only going to benefit your marriage. You’ll have new experiences to talk about during dinner (instead of re-hashing work drama) and a new network of friends to explore. There’s also the great feeling of helping others or being part of a team to boost your mood. If you’re unsure what new thing might work for you, check out www.charitynavigator.org, which helps people find the best charities in their cities.
Resolutions or not, 2013 is going to be a great year for you as a newlywed! Do you have any resolutions that you made with your spouse? I’d love for you to share them in a comment!
While there is so much anticipation to spend the holidays as a newlywed, there is also the feeling that you need to create the perfect moment/buy the perfect gift to treasure always (thanks Hallmark). Looking back at my first Christmas, there was definitely a good bit of (self inflicted) pressure to find just the right gift for my husband. I trolled the mall, braved Best Buy and even flipped through the seemingly thousands of catalogs that kept coming in the mail.
Are you feeling freaked out about what to get your spouse this holiday season? As the woman married to the man who has everything, I feel capable of giving you some ideas.
1. Hobby Subtlety: Does your spouse have a hobby? If so, don’t buy him the obvious (fishing flies for the fly fisherman)…go for something special like a monogrammed case to hold his fly collection or a special gear bag designed for his specific sport.
2. Photos: If you’re newlyweds, this is the one time you can give him an amazing photo of you two without being lame. This acrylic photo blockis really cool and would look nice on any desk in any office.
3. Adventure: If you’re totally stumped on what to give him, consider some sort of adventure activity. Often Groupon or LivingSocial have local deals for skydiving, kayaking and race car driving. Can’t you hear him telling the guys at the office..”Oh yeah, I didn’t get a golf club this year. My wife got me passes to race Ferraris!”
So what did I get my husband for our first newlywed Christmas? This is terrible…I can’t remember! What I do remember was deciding to open our gifts for one another on Christmas Eve instead of during the big family hubub of Christmas Day. It has become a tradition to light a fire, pop a bottle of champagne and open our gifts privately.
Moral Of The Story: No matter what you end up buying your spouse, the time you spend together will end up being what you remember. Try not to over emphasize the gift…emphasize the love!
Thanksgiving is over and whammo…it’s Cyber Monday. Married name change can easily get back burnered over the holidays, but as you begin to receive and send holiday cards it may feel like the right time to make the switch. I remember my first Christmas signing cards as “The Tates”…it was a silly little thing that made me feel very happily married and grown up!
If you are considering changing your name, you can painlessly make the transition from Miss to Mrs. with MissNowMrs.Here’s our Cyber Monday Deal: use MRSNOW to save $5 off our easy online name change service! You could even surprise your spouse with your name change by keeping it a secret and putting your new driver’s license in an envelope in his/her stocking this Christmas.
Whatever your holiday and name change plans, be sure to savor this time as newlyweds. It’s your first Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa together, so be sure to take time for yourselves during the mad rush.
Fox News interviewed me on Election Day and wanted to know about how MissNowMrs.com came to be and my thoughts on the best ways to turn a good idea into a start-up. Of course I spoke about my own name change hassles that sparked the idea for an online name change service to help women navigate the process with ease. The new part was talking about starting a business. My main points were to find a problem, research the solutions and then plug into the amazing entrepreneurial community that now exists. There are so many awesome groups, sites and incubators ready to help you take you from the idea stage to an actual business! Check out the clip below:
Fun Behind the Scenes Story: As I was having my makeup done before the show, the makeup artist looked at me and said “You’re that name-change girl, aren’t you?!” It turns out that she had been married for 2 years and had just used MissNowMrs.com to change her name.
Valentine’s Day is this week! Can you believe it? Whether you go all out for the holiday or do something simple as a newlywed couple, it’s important to do something to celebrate your love. Stumped on what to get your significant other this year? If you haven’t made the switch to Mrs. yet…there is nothing like surprising your spouse with a new last name!
