Relationships Archives

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!

Newlywed Needs: What To Do After “I do”

Do you know what to do after “I do?” Newlywed life is pretty great. You just married the love of your life, most likely honeymooned somewhere amazing and now can look forward to spending the rest of your lives together. At some point, most newlyweds hit the “so now what” point. No need to feel lost…here’s a list of newlywed to-do’s to keep you moving forward in marital bliss.

Newlywed To Do #1: Make a Name Change Decision
Now that you’re a newlywed, one or both of you have the option to change your name. Discuss your thoughts on the topic and then make a decision together. The longer you wait to change your name (if that is your plan) the more places you will need to change it. As a newlywed you’re going to end up merging a few accounts and creating new ones. Having the name you intend to have for life prior to making those changes will save you the time and stress of having to change your name on both old and new accounts. If you’re overwhelmed with all the places you need to change your name, use the MissNowMrs online name change service to go from Miss to Mrs. in minutes!

Newlywed To Do #2: Merge Bank/Insurance Accounts
Now that’ you’re an official “household” you can use your newlywed status to score discounted rates on home, health and auto insurance! Do a little research to see what company offers the best deal and then delegate who changes what and who pays what. I suggest separate bank accounts and a joint savings account as a key way to keeping a happy marriage, but if one of you is a financial wiz, you may elect to merge all of your bank accounts.

Newlywed To Do #3: Handle the Holidays
Holidays (much like weddings) bring out the best and worst in families. Putting together a plan of where you will be for each holiday, and ideally which holiday you’ll host in your home, will help you navigate the holidays as newlyweds and set the tone for future family celebrations. Just “going with the flow” is a great way to enter holiday hell, upset family members on both sides and miss the true reason for whatever season you’re in.

Newlywed To Do #4: Create a 5 Year Plan
You’re newlyweds and the world is your oyster. Now is the time to decide what is important to you both and where you want to be in five years. Do you want to own your own home, get a secondary degree, purchase a pet, have children or travel the world in the next five years? The answers to these questions will help you map out your finances and goals. It’s such an exciting time…make the most of it and make sure you end up where you want to. You’re in charge of your happily ever after!

Once you’ve followed our tips for what to do after “I do.” don’t miss a list of our best fun ideas for things to do after the wedding.

5 Fun Fall Newlywed Activities

here are 5 fun newlywed activities that will help you enjoy fall and each other! As newlyweds, it’s easy to be so wrapped up in married life and the juggle of your schedules that you forget to take time to savor the seasons. Hence us making you a list!

Go Apple Picking – Wait for a crisp fall morning and head to a local orchard. You can spend the day picking apples together (hello photo op) and then come home and either eat them fresh or use them for pies or applesauce. Unsure where to go? Use this resource to locate an orchard in your state.

Attend a Football Game – Whether you opt for your local college/high school team or a professional team, get geared up and go to a football game. There’s nothing like cheering together and then snuggling under a quilt in the stands for building Fall memories together. Eat fun treats, enjoy the halftime show and head home knowing you didn’t miss out on a timeless Fall tradition.

Carve a Pumpkin – Remember making jack-o-lanterns as kids? Guest what? It’s still fun as an adult (especially if you add cocktails)! Stop by a local pumpkin stand or simply go to the grocery store to select your perfect gourd. You can have a competition to see who carves the best face or work as a team on a more elaborate design to grace your table. Either way, you’re guaranteed to have a good time.

Enjoy The Leaves – Take a walk through a park or plan a drive through gorgeous section of fall foliage. Admiring the beauty of the season is good for you souls. An alternate way to make the most of fall is to rake leaf piles in your yard and jump in them or use them to fuel a bonfire.

Plan Your Halloween Costumes Early – No one enjoys scrambling for a last minute costume. All the normal sizes and good ideas are always sold out leaving you to be over-sized Mickey and Mini or even worse Barney. If you start planning early enough, you can even make your costumes! Check out this site for 25 DIY couple costume ideas.

Whether you use our 5 Fun Fall Newlywed Activities or not. The important thing is to enjoy the season and each other. Taking time to make memories is never a bad idea and is always great for your relationship!

Did you get married this fall? If so, don’t miss our list of tips ideas, solutions, and tips for newlyweds!

Weddings: A Sparkler Moment In Life

Do you know what a sparkler moment is? As our country celebrates its independence, thousands of couples will be tying the knot over the holiday weekend. This photo made me think of how a wedding is similar to a “sparkler” in life.

It’s one of those exciting, life-changing events that will always make you smile when you think about it. Think of the fun you had as a child running with sparklers in the lawn. You felt that same thrill as you walked down the aisle and said “I do” to the love of your life.

Cherish the “sparkler moments’ in your relationship…they’re the best parts of newlywed and married life! This Fourth of July I suggest purchasing a box of sparklers with your spouse and saying one of your best relationship moments out loud as you light each sparkler. Then dance and run around like two little kids with fireworks in hand!

Summer As Newlyweds: 5 Things To Do

Spending the summer as newlyweds? The season is full of so many golden opportunities to make memories as a couple and with friends/family. It also has the tendency to be the season that flies by so quickly we all look up and it’s already fall. Take my advice and make a list of summer to-do’s together…right now! This allows you to understand each other’s ideal summer activities and the list can be referenced any time you have a free evening. Below are five newlywed summer ideas to get you started.

1. Pack a Picnic – Pick an afternoon to picnic and be serious about it. Whether you go the fancy route with wine, cheese and crackers or something as simple as fried chicken and lemonade it it the idea of eating together somewhere out of the ordinary that makes this a moment to remember…not just a meal. Leave your phones at home and take time to enjoy each other’s company and the outdoors. You’ll be glad you did!

2. Go to a Theme Park – Revel in being big kids who don’t have kids (yet). Screaming as you ride roller coasters and laughing as you get drenched on a log luge will do wonders for your relationship. Spending a carefree adrenaline filled day together is one of the best ways to celebrate summer as a newlywed. Don’t forget to take a commemorative photo or two.

3. Host a BBQ – Time to break out all of the fun entertaining items that you received as wedding gifts. Make a big pitcher of sangria, put together a salad, throw a few things on the grill and invite your friends over. Good times are guaranteed. You can up the fun factor by lighting sparklers as the light fades.

4. Plan Pool/Ocean Time – Make plans to plunge into a pool or the ocean (or both) this summer.. You can hit the community pool with a bag full of sunscreen and pool toys or get away for a weekend at the beach. There’s nothing better than cooling off in a big body of water with your spouse. Should you be flying to the beach. Don’t miss our travel tips for newlyweds!

5. Attend a Local Concert or Festival – Look for a concert or festival in your area. Groupon and Living Social tend to have discounted tickets to a variety of events from music to wine in the woods. You don’t have to go alone either, coordinate a whole group of friends to come enjoy the festivities. You’ll laugh, dance and enjoy each others company.

What are your summer plans? Did making a list work for you and your spouse? Let us know in a comment!