Name Change Advice

Looking for name change advice or some tips for newlywed life? The MissNowMrs experts have created state-specific name change articles and checklists for you. We’ve chronicled our recommendations for how to travel while changing your name AND how to handle voting during the transition.

We’ve also compiled our best guidance for how to handle difficult sister in laws, holidays as newlyweds, the ever-annoying baby questions, and much more. Why? Because, while we are name change experts, we’re also newlywed wives, moms, and sisters.

We hope our name change advice articles help smooth your transition to your new name, and a whole new phase of life. Congratulations and best wishes from the entire MissNowMrs team!

Tampa GBE Show: Your End All Be All For Wedding Planning!

Have you heard about the Tampa GBE Show? If you’re recently engaged (or have a friend who is), now is the perfect time to attend a bridal show. Bridal shows are an amazing way to begin your wedding planning process. You’ll see potential venues, caterers, florists, invitation shops, bakeries, honeymoon locations, favors, entertainment and things you’d never even think of on your own!

Live in the Tampa area? Great news…The Great Bridal Expo is in town on Saturday! What makes this show so spectacular?

It’s huge, so attendees get to meet the most bridal vendors, try the most samples & walk away with the most ideas
They have the BEST bridal fashion show in the business…complete with collections right off of the runways in New York
Prizes galore! Enter to win complete dining sets, gowns and honeymoons

We would love to give our newlywed blog readers free tickets to the Great Bridal Expo show this Saturday in Tampa! Simply go to GreatBridalExpo.com – enter MNMBEX in the space provided, and you will be able to print your FREE tickets for 2!

Are you and/or a friend planning to go to the Tampa show? We’d love to hear what you’re hoping to see or find when you’re there…so leave a comment!

4 Fast Ways To Fallify Your Home

Looking for ways to fallify your home? One of the best things about a new season is refreshing the seasonal decorations around your house or apartment. As a newlywed, I feel like I can spend a bit more on décor as I’ll be using it year after year as we celebrate the seasons! Here are a few quick ways to embrace Fall…

Mums – Inexpensive and incredibly festive, mums come a huge variety of colors and sizes. Pick colors that blend with your household or choose ones that contrast for a pop of color on your porch, tables or walkway. Need a quick hostess gift? Wrap some ribbon around the middle of a potted mum…instant seasonal goodie!

Acorns – I’m serious. Talk a walk with your honey and collect a bag of acorns as you stroll. Then use them to fill glass containers to decorate tables and counters. You can also scatter them around a Fall table centerpiece for added flair.

Wreaths – What better way to welcome guest to your home than with a fabulous fall wreath. You can go with a traditional leaf style wreath or mix things up with one with berries or mini pumpkins! Feeling crafty? Try this 4-step DIY wreath!

Pumpkins – They’re not just orange anymore. Take a trip to your local farmers market to find amazing pumpkins in cream, burgundy and even light blue. Purchase enough to have a few couples over and engage in a jack-o-lantern carving party! Everyone will have a great time and leave with a decoration for their own home.

What seasonal decorations are your favorites? Do you have heirlooms to use or are you making your own this year as a couple? We’d love to hear from you in a comment.

Happy Wife…Happy Life Interpreted

Did you know that “Happy wife, Happy life” is an actual guy concept? Being a newlywed suddenly gives you a deeper insight into the male mind (sometimes good and sometimes scary). I took this concept to mean that my husband should do everything in his power to make me happy. Then I realized that my interpretation might be a bit selfish.

While your spouse should strive to make you happy, you are also responsible for your own happiness and your relationship’s healthiness. Setting reasonable expectations, communicating your needs and making an effort to invest in your own state of mind are the keys to staying happily married.

Here are a few ways to make the “happily ever after” even easier:

Tell Him What You Want – In the kitchen, yard and of course the bedroom. You may have married your soul mate, but that doesn’t make him a mind reader. You set your spouse up for failure by not letting him know that you really want him to take out the trash or bring you flowers on your birthday. Try to subtly let him know your needs and if that doesn’t work have a heart to heart discussion. Your husband wants to make you happy…so let him know how!

Be Realistic – We’d all love to have a mate that cooks, cleans, makes tons of money & writes amazing love letters, but most guys can’t do everything we wish for. Decide what is important to you and then figure out if you can supply part of your own expectations. For example, if you want every Friday to be a date night and your spouse has trouble remembering…do the research and make reservations or plan activities in advance. You’ll both win in this scenario.

Understand What He Wants – It sounds simple, but “happy wife happy life” also means that the wife’s happiness affects her husband’s. Do your best to be a happy person and meet your own needs. Then try to do things that will make your mate’s live happier. A surprise breakfast in bed or tickets to a hockey game on date night can go a long way in boosting the happiness quotient.

What do you need to be a happy wife? Has your spouse figured it out or have you both needed to talk about your expectations to maintain your newlywed bliss? Please leave a comment…we’d love to hear from you!

Best Bridal Show in Texas: Get Your Free Tickets!

Looking for a bridal show in Texas? If you’re recently engaged in the great state of Texas (or have a friend who is), now is the perfect time to attend the Great Bridal Expo! Bridal shows are an amazing way to jump start your planning process. You’ll see potential venues, caterers, florists, invitation shops, bakeries, honeymoon locations, favors, spas, entertainment and wedding novelties that will amaze you and your guests!

Walking down the aisle in style in Texas? Great news…The Great Bridal Expo is in Dallas this weekend! Why do we adore this show?

It’s huge, so attendees get to meet the most bridal vendors, try the most samples & walk away with the most ideas
They have the BEST bridal fashion show in the business…complete with collections right off of the runways in New York
Prizes galore! Enter to win complete dining sets, gowns and honeymoons

We would love to give our newlywed blog readers free tickets to the Great Bridal Expo show this weekend at the Fairmont Hotel (hello amazing venue)! Simply go to GreatBridalExpo.com – enter MNMBEX in the space provided, and you will be able to print your FREE tickets for 2! What better way to celebrate your engagement and wedding, than to spend time with a few close friends exploring the options available to make your wedding day truly amazing?!
Are you and your fiance or mom planning to go to the show? We’d love to hear what you’re hoping to see or find when you’re there…so leave a comment!

Cooperation in the Kitchen: Blending Tastes as Newlyweds

Working on blending tastes as newlyweds? There are many things that we develop as we grow from infants to adults. Among those is a sense of taste. We become used to what we knew from our childhoods and develop dislikes for certain foods. This is very natural and should be expected.

However, it must also be realized that the foods you favor may very well differ from the ones that your spouse would choose. The beginning of a marriage is all about recognizing and embracing those differences. It can be difficult, especially when two picky eaters are paired together and left with very few foods that seem to overlap.

The best thing that you can do for your marriage if food is a source of disagreement – and even if it’s not – is to share the duty of making the evening meals, and also the responsibility of grocery shopping. You will eventually come up with some common ground and recipes!

Go to the Grocery Store Together – Shopping for food together is a great way to find common tastes. There are many foods that might be overlooked when discussing the topic in your kitchen, which will become more apparent as your loop through the aisles of the local grocery store. For the first few shopping trips, allot you and your spouse extra time and don’t try to follow a list directly. Instead, walk together and pick out foods that you both like, which could be incorporated into meals that both of you will be happy eating.

Preparation – Once you have stocked your kitchen with foods you agree on, it is time to cook. Seasonings, rubs, marinades, sauces, and more go into the very best meals and that means finding common ground on these issues as well. Don’t panic if he or she likes the sauce a bit spicier than you can tolerate. The great part about marriage is that it is all about the two of you being happy. Also, don’t be afraid to do things in your own way. If you know that you both love chicken parmesan, but he likes more heat, then simply split the sauce into two small pans and allow him to add some more peppers and onions to his. Small efforts like this can go a long way toward maintaining the peace and happiness in the household.

Be Open Minded – Easy to say and hard to do, but even if you think you will hate a favorite food of your spouse’s give it a try…you might surprise yourself and like it! Even if you don’t, ask him what aspects of the dish make it his favorite…maybe it’s the sauce or how the flavors meld together. This information can help you create a dish that is similar, but something you will like too.

How are you handling blending tastes as newlyweds? We’d love for you to share any solutions or funny stories in a comment!