Danielle Tate

Last Chance to Win Our Custom Thank You Note Giveaway!

As we mentioned in our earlier thank you note post, there are many ways to show your appreciation to your guests and thank them for their generosity on your special day. By now you’re probably sick of hearing about proper etiquette and rules on how to: (go ahead fill-in the blank) be the best bride, to act, to address your envelopes, etc. That being said, we’ve decided to compile a short list on what we’ve found to be the best practices in composing Thank You Notes (not to tell you what to do, but rather to provide you with some guidance)!

Best Practices:
Address envelopes and write out Thank You notes to people as soon as they send you a gift. Some guests send gifts prior to the wedding; which allows you to get a head start on this seemingly endless task.
Have a realistic plan of attack (i.e. complete 25 notes per day until they are finished) rather than attempting to write them all in one sitting. This way you will be sure to write from the heart, in your neatest handwriting; which your guests will surely appreciate. After all, what good is a Thank You note if they can’t read what you wrote?
Try your best to adhere to the “rule” of getting Thank You notes out in a timely manner:

within 2 weeks of receiving a gift (if received prior to the wedding)
within a month after you return from your honeymoon (for gifts received at the wedding)

Be as specific as possible when thanking your guest for gifts (with the exception of monetary gifts—there’s no need to say thank you for the $250).
Are you clueless as to what to write? Try using our samples as a guide to get you started or at least point you in the right direction!

Thank You Samples:
For a Monetary Gift: Thank you so much for your generous monetary gift! We are planning to use it when we buy our new house. Again, we thank you for your thoughtful gift and for sharing our special day with us. Love, Jane and Bill
For a Gift (whether from your registry or not): Thank you so much for the martini glasses, we now have everything we need for our next cocktail party! We hope to enjoy them with you when you visit us. Again, we thank you for thinking of us and for being a part of our most special time. Love, Jane and Bill

Anxious to win 100 of the custom photo thank you notes shown in this post’s picture? Click here for the contest details and leave a comment on this, or any of our thank you note posts on Mondays this month and you’ll be automatically entered to win. The randomly selected contest winner will be announced on August 31^st!! If we don’t hear back from the winner within 2 weeks, we will randomly select a new winner to make sure someone ends up with this great goodie!

Win over $350 Worth of Custom Photo Thank You Notes

The ring, the engagement, the dress, the wedding, the reception…everything has been about you (and hopefully your man too) for so long that you may forget when the honeymoon is over it’s time to snap back to reality! That’s right, the two of you ripping through your wrapped presents like kids on Christmas Day is over and now comes the somewhat tedious, however very necessary task of writing out Thank You Notes. One of the first things you should be thinking about upon returning from your fabulous honeymoon is Thank You Notes. I cannot tell you how important it is to make sure your guests (family and friends alike) know how truly thankful you both are that they attended your wedding and gave you a gift to celebrate your marriage.

There are so many ways to say Thank You to your friends and family: a hand-written card, a wedding photo of yourselves or a printed Thank You note/card ordered from your favorite printing company. Some people are lucky enough to have Thank You notes included in their photography packages, but either way it is a must do sooner rather than later!

What you’ll need:
A list of your guests’ addresses and the gift they gave you. You’ll need it for obvious reasons (to write out the thank you note, but don’t forget to check the name off once you’ve completed it to avoid writing duplicates or worse forgetting someone).

Wedding Stationery: monogrammed cards (what a cute way to show off your married name) or photo cards (to be proudly displayed on refrigerators across the country). You can rest assure that your guests will have nice things to say about your Thank You notes as long as you have invested in a quality stationery set.

A good pen that won’t leave blotchy ink marks ruining your stationery.
A place away from food and drink (well, be careful with that glass of wine!) to write out your cards. I remember sitting at a table listening to music (and singing along) while writing out my Thank You notes—good times!

You could write them on the plane to and from your honeymoon if you wish and come home to drop them in the mail and be done with them or you could write them while watching your favorite movie or TV show in the background. It really doesn’t matter where you write them as long as you get them done in a timely manner!

Newlyweds Save Now, Retire Early

What would it be like to save now, retire early? I know what you’re thinking to yourself right now, I’m too young to be thinking about retirement, but the truth is…you’re not! As a matter of fact, it’s never too early to be thinking about retirement. After all, doesn’t everyone think of the Golden Years of living life however we choose to, enjoying our grandchildren, not having to answer to anyone or set an alarm clock to get up in the morning?!

I recently came across this article “Secrets of Extreme Savers” and thought wow, I wish I could be so disciplined to save my money and retire early. However, I enjoy shopping (a bit too much according to my spouse, but that’s a whole other topic)! We could all make at least one change to our expenses that would greatly help us in years to come.

Consider these few things and your Golden Years don’t have to be age 60+:
Lower your daily expenses: Hand-me-downs are one of the best ways to save money as a parent. As a newlywed, you may not have children yet so let me talk in a language that you may better understand. Avoid top-of-the-line designer boutiques and fancy restaurants that are often way overpriced and offer much of the same things that you can get at a lower cost restaurant. Try shopping at Loehmann’s, Filene’s Basement or T.J. Maxx the next time you need a new pair of shoes or slacks. Instead of bar-hopping or going out to your favorite club every weekend, try hosting a “happy hour” with friends at your house, asking everyone to bring their favorite bottle or drink…saving all of you from having to pay the costly bar tab and tip the bartender!

Pay in cash to avoid debt: If you want something, save your money until you have enough to pay in cash or by personal check for that item. Believe it or not people have done it (even to buy cars and houses!) ultimately, avoiding high interest rates on bank loans and credit cards.

Live Below Your Means: Just because you can afford it, doesn’t mean you have to buy it! A vacation to your local beach or a free museum could be just as fun for you (and your children) as a lavish 5 star resort without the cost. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that there is a difference between your dream vacation and a day-trip to your local amusement park, but isn’t the point to enjoy quality time with your family anyway?

Avoid instant gratification purchases: Similar to how people lose weight by waiting 15 minutes before indulging in junk food to see if they still need it or want it. Try waiting a few months before purchasing anything over $50-$100 to see if you still want it. You may find that you don’t need it and save yourself the money for something you truly need (or want) later on down the road.

Stretch a Dollar: Many companies offer rebates on their products and you would be surprised by how many people don’t take advantage of getting their money back! Take the time to complete the rebate form and mail it in for your money. Another way to stretch a dollar is to use credit card reward points to purchase airline tickets or book hotel rooms for “free.” Some restaurants will offer you a coupon for your next visit just for taking the time to review their services, so take advantage and you could be dining out on them, rather than on you!

One thing to keep in-mind, the more you save now, the earlier you and your partner will be able to retire. Here’s a great list of 92 Painless Money-Saving Tips for you to check out. Live a financially fit life and you could start reaping the benefits earlier than you think!

What do you and your partner do with the concept of save now, retire early in mind? Share your saving tips with us and other readers, leave a comment below!

Fido Right After “I Do”?

What are the pros and cons of fido right after I do? As you settle into married life and become truly comfortable with your mate, you may start wondering if you should add to your family. Many newlywed couples run right out after the wedding and get a puppy together. For some it’s the best (well second best) decision they ever made, but for others pet ownership brings more responsibility than they bargained for. Eager to hear the pitter patter of little paws? Read on before making a decision that will affect the next 10-15 years of your life.

How Much Do You Travel?

If you and your partner travel for business constantly or end up spending many weekends away from home, you might want to postpone your trip to the breeder or Humane Society. A puppy of any kind requires scheduled walks, house training and hours off exercise to burn off all of their excess energy. It would be unfair to add a dog to your family if you’re not home enough to give him/her the proper attention. If you can’t wait until your schedules settle down to get a pet, consider a kitten. They’re much lower maintenance and still provide a great deal of love and cuddling.

Consider Your Lifestyle

Are you part of the married jet set? Constantly attending out of town parties and going on last minute vacations? Unless you want to hire a dog sitter and dog walker every time you aren’t going to be home or come home to a unhappy puppy and totally wrecked house, you might need to put purchasing a pooch on hold. If you’re dying to get a dog, try to enjoy other people’s pets in the absence of your own. You could even volunteer at a local shelter, but beware of bringing multiple pets home!

Think About Your Housing

Do you live in an apartment or rental house? Your landlord might not appreciate an unannounced addition to your home. Should you need to find a new place to live, having a dog severely limits your rental housing options. If you live in a small condo, you need to decide if your puppy will have enough room. Even home owners have many questions to answer before bringing home a dog. Will it stay indoors, should the yard be fenced or should a doggie door be invested in?

Select the Right Pet For You

So you read the last three sections and know that you are ready for a dog. Congratulations! Take some time to discuss what you and your partner want in this pet. Do you want a cuddle buddy and he wants a guard for your home? Your perfect dog is out there, so try taking this quiz that matches people with pets based on criteria such as yard size, shedding, exercise habits, etc. Once you know the best type(s) of dog for you two, you can begin the fantastic journey of finding a puppy and making it part of your family.

Pets are such a wonderful part of life, but they are a big responsibility. Did you get a fido right after “I do?” Did you fight over the name or breed of dog? Did he “surprise you” with a puppy for Christmas? We’d love to hear the good, bad and ugly….so leave us a comment!

4 Secrets to Wedding Attire Transformations

Are you in desperate need of wedding attire transformations? After attending so many wedding this past year, I sure have stocked up on my fair share of dresses, and with each new invitation that comes in the mail it’s just one more good excuse to go shopping for another one, right? Not necessarily!

When I’m out dress shopping, I always find myself going after the same color schemes (mostly black of course), and I am now bored with it! So now that I’ve discovered my lack of versatility I have recently found new, less expensive ways to spend my money, and a new love for accessories!

Instead of trying to cram another dress in my closet, I am stocking on up on accessories to create a new look out of my ‘old’ dresses. So if you’re like me and have a few upcoming weddings where you may be running into the same groups of friends, here are some ideas for transforming you wedding attire into a completely new look.

So let’s start from the bottom, up! First things first, and that is shoe accenting! If you’re looking to re-create the look of your little black dress, instead of your black pumps, go bold and look for a pattern! Once you have found something to give you a few additional accent color options, choose a color from the shoes and find a belt to match!

If you’re going for a sleeker, more elegant look you will want to go for the skinny belts. If the wedding is more casual or even outdoors you may want to try a wide belt.

Next you will want to find a clutch . If your belt is accented with jewels, studs, or has a bow or flower closure, try finding a purse with the same accent—this belt, clutch combo will also will be a perfect closure and help spice up a pair of jeans and a cami for a dinner date night!

Onto the jewels! If you wore silver last time you rocked that dress, switch to gold, and maybe even add some color! Choose a color from your shoes, or even match the color of you belt, and look for a bracelet and some earrings to bring everything together.

Next… hair up or hair down? This is also going to depend on the date and time of the wedding. If you generally wear your hair down, choose a partial or full up-do this time, if you have some wave to your hair, straighten it. You will be surprised how your entire look can change depending on how you choose to wear your hair. If you went with a smaller pair of earrings, add some accent to your hair with a flower hair pin or headband.

I hope this has given you some inspiration and ideas to see how creative you can be when choosing what to wear to the next wedding you attend. For some amazingly priced accessories, consider checking out: gojane.com.

We’d love to hear about your wedding attire transformations with our ideas or your own. So please leave us a comment!