Danielle Tate

3 Newlywed Holiday Tips

Looking for newlywed holiday tips? Being newlyweds opens an entirely new life…a life together. Most of the time that is an amazing thing to explore. Occasionally newlywed life can be a little scary as you navigate two families and holiday expectations. The worst thing you can do is “go with the flow” and make everyone but yourselves happy. Your first holidays together and how you handle them with your family will set a precedent for the rest of your married lives. Read on for a few tips to make the holidays more comfortable as newlyweds.

Holiday Tip 1: Know what you want for “your” holiday
If you and your spouse never discuss what would make you individually and collectively happy over the holidays, you’re setting yourselves up for unhappiness. Understanding the key thing for each person that makes a holiday special and making sure you prioritize those two things is tangible goal you can set and work to achieve together. If you have made a holiday plan together, it will be easier to communicate with your families. Instead of stammering and somehow agreeing to a dinner you know your spouse will hate. You can say “We made a plan to spend Christmas Eve in front of the fire together as newlyweds.”

Holiday Tip 2: Set gift expectations
Even if you have been dating for years, marriage can change a person’s expectations around the holidays. Talk about setting a gift budget for each other and your families. You won’t lose the element of surprise, but you will mitigate the disaster of supremely mis-matched gifts and hurt feelings. Unsure what to get each other? Consider booking a trip or purchasing a gym membership together. Memories and good habits early on will influence your marriage for years to come!

Holiday Tip 3: You can’t do it all
As you are building your married relationship, you can be tempted to do everything possible to make your spouse, family, their family, and friends happy. Don’t, it’s a recipe for burnout. Take this holiday season as a time to reflect on who is important to you and spend time with them. Not everyone needs a gift. Sometimes a coffee, cocktail, or email is all you need to spread cheer and good will.

As you enter into the holiday season with your husband or wife…remember how blessed you are to be spending it with the person you love. Don’t forget to tell them, take pictures, make memories, and have fun! Happy holidays newlyweds!

Brackish Bow Tie: The Perfect Bow Tie

A bow tie is a bow tie right? Usually…unless it’s a Brackish bow tie. Then it’s a work of art, a piece of natural beauty, and part of an entrepreneurial story that began with a wedding.

As my own entrepreneurial journey was sparked by my wedding (well the name-change nightmare right afterwards) I had to share this amazing company with you, right in time for the holiday giving season.

Ben Ross was the groom who wouldn’t settle for a traditional groomsmen gift. He wanted something special and couldn’t find just the right gifts, so he made them. Literally…he handmade turkey feather bow ties for the guys who stood up with him at his wedding. They were gorgeous and unique.

Five years later, Ben and one of those groomsmen started Brackish and now make a line of hand-crafted feather bow ties. The operation has expanded to 50 artisans in South Carolina and the collection is stunning. So, if the man in your life wears bow ties (or you think he needs a statement piece for your wedding or work), I highly recommend a bow tie from Brackish.

Happy shopping nearlyweds and newlyweds!

Name Change After Marriage in Alabama

Newlywed in the Heart of Dixie? If you are considering name change after marriage in Alabama, there are a few key things to keep in mind as you make the switch to your new name.

Alabama Name Change Options

Alabama’s policies make it a great state to change your name in. All of the name-change options are allowed under state law. So, you can take your spouse’s last name, hyphenate your last names, take two last names sans hyphen, take your maiden name as a middle name or replace your middle name with your maiden name. If you’re on the fence about the new name that is right for you, play the Married Name Game. Its algorithm determine your ideal married last name based on key life factors and your personal style.

Alabama Name Change Forms

Any newlywed in Alabama changing their name needs to file the SS-5 form to update their social security card. Then the IRS 8822 to update their name associated with taxes. Followed by, one of three passport forms to update their married name with the State Department and the USPS form to change their name with the postal service.

The Alabama DMV does not have an official form for newlyweds changing their names on their driver’s licenses. But, you will need to bring your current license, your certified marriage certificate, and proof of residence if your address has changed.

Alabama Name Change Fees

It is free to file all federal name change forms except for the passport form(s). If you have had your U.S. passport for less than twelve months you can update your married name on your book for free. If you have had your current passport for more than twelve months you will need to pay $110 to have your married moniker on your passport.

The fee for your duplicate driver’s license is $18.50. So, if you’re changing your name after marriage in Alabama you’re going to spend approximately $118.50. This does not include certified marriage certificate fees. Not too bad to become a newly named newlywed!

Save Time On Your Name Change

You can manually fill out all of the forms mentioned along with notification letters for all of your banks, credit cards, insurances, employers, mortgages, etc. OR, you can use the MissNowMrs easy online name change service. It’s like TuboTax for married name change. Answer a few questions and all of your forms will be prepared for you. You can print, sign, and file. Or opt for our premium package and have them mailed to you with pre-addressed envelopes and postage. For only $29.95 it’s a no-brainer for busy newlyweds!

Help Me Change My Name

Bridechilla | Should You Treat Wedding Planning Like a Business

BrideChilla asks the best questions! One of the largest allocations of money in your young life may be your wedding. So…if you’re investing in your Big Day should you treat it like investing in a business?

This was the topic of our founder’s recent interview on the BrideChilla Podcast. Of course Danielle talked about name-change after marriage, but she also shared entrepreneur tips and tricks that can help engaged couples create the wedding of their dreams without breaking the bank.

She built MissNowMrs into a huge company on a shoestring budget, so her advice is incredibly pertinent and relatable. Get the full scoop by tuning into the Bridechilla podcast episode!

Married Name Change: Why Now Is Better Than Later

Most newlyweds wait a few months to change their names after marriage, so after the Spring/Summer wedding boom comes a flurry of name changes in the Fall. While not every woman should change her name, it is advisable for newlyweds intending to make the legal switch to Mrs. to do so as soon as they can.

Why? It’s pretty simple: the more things with your maiden name on them, the longer it will take you to change all of them to your new married name! The longer you wait to change your name, the more “stuff” you accumulate with your maiden name on it.

This “stuff” includes big things like mortgages, leases, vehicle titles, insurance policies and smaller things like airline miles and gym memberships. Outside of the entities mentioned, as the holidays approach “other stuff” lurks….stuff like holiday cards, mis-engraved gifts from family members (seriously), and company awards (I have a massive plaque showing a hyphenated last name I never took).

So, if you’re married and pondering name change, now is the time to pull the trigger. You can DIY and figure out the SS-5, IRS 8822, Passport 5504 and other government form gems using our free married name change checklist or save 13 hours of name-change form research, completion, and filing by using the MissNowMrs online name change service. We condense the 13 hour process of becoming a Mrs. into 30 minutes for $30…..which seems like a very nice pre-holiday gift for you from you!