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!

The Scoop on Weddzilla: What Is It & How Does It Help?

Have you heard of Wedzilla? As bride-to-be or someone helping with the planning process, there is a high likelihood that you will be inundated with wedding information: a flood of ideas, vendors and of course a million sites claiming to help guide a girl through the process. We had a chance to catch up with the folks at Weddzilla and ask them a few questions about what they do and what their benefits are to you. Read on to learn more…

1. What is Weddzilla.com?
Weddzilla.com is the first website in the wedding industry to really integrate the wedding planning process into popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Weddzilla uses the power of community to simplify the wedding planning process for our Nearlyweds. It’s all about connecting them with their perfect vendors and making their wedding planning easy, social, and fun.

2. How is Weddzilla.com changing the game for online wedding planning?
Planning a wedding is supposed to be fun. With a million sites out there focusing on selling brides something, Weddzilla aims to make their planning experience easier. We created each feature with the thought that if it didn’t simplify their planning process, it didn’t make it onto Weddzilla.

3. What is the one feature you would highlight for Nearlyweds to use?
Our Nearlyweds are loving how easy the Weddmark (a visual bookmarking tool) makes makes collecting and organizing inspiration from all over the web.

And of course they love the fact that each new item they Weddmark between now and September 30, 2010 gives them one entry in the “Weddmark Challenge” and a chance to win a $1,000 gift registry from Macy’s!

4. Do you host any Webinars or educational series to help Nearlyweds or Vendors?
Yes! We want to be a resource for brides and vendors alike. Our current educational series focuses on social media. I can’t tell you how many times I have talked with wedding professionals and heard them say “I know that I need to be engaging brides via social media, but I feel overwhelmed and don’t know where to start.”

5. Tell us about your gurus. How did you pick them? What will they be bringing to the Weddzilla community?
The Weddzilla Gurus are our team of celebrity wedding professionals that will be sharing their awesome expertise and experience with the Weddzilla Community. The Gurus are not only trendsetters in their fields, they’re also trusted names in the wedding industry.

Plus, they all have HUGE personalities and that comes through in their blog posts and interaction with our Weddzilla community. They are all seriously passionate about what they do…it’s inspiring! And it’s why they have all gotten where they are today.

6. What’s on the horizon for Weddzilla? Tell us what we should be looking out for from you guys.
Up first is the Guru Awards …this is going to be really cool. We are all about social media and blogs play a huge role in the wedding community and we can’t wait to award 25 great blogs our Blog Guru 2010 title!

Also on the horizon is an iPhone app for Nearlyweds…if you thought the Weddmark was cool..wait till you see the iPhone app…Its going to be addicitive!

We have a whole bunch of new site features coming soon like the Ideabook, a new twist on the store, and we will also be introducing our “Wedding Helpers” soon which allow our Nearlyweds to really get social and get their family, friends, and bridal party involved in the planning process.

Have you checked out Weddzilla recently? We’d love to hear your feedback on their site and services!

Newlywed in New York: New Requirements at the NY DMV

Newlywed in New York? There is one thing that will forever remain the same –the DMV– with its long wait times and complete chaos at the office! This 3-letter acronym is dreaded among most and is always spoken about with anything, but enthusiasm! However, one thing you can be sure to count on with your DMV, is they constantly update rules, restrictions, and forms, which can cause you more unnecessary stress and aggravation.

Since the DMV is the only office that you must visit in person when changing your name due to marriage, it is important to have all of your ducks in a row before you make the trek to the office! One trip is bad enough; let’s not have to make a second! So if you reside in New York, please read on…

Public safety and security has tightened all around us, for obvious reasons. When changing your name it is especially important for you to properly identify yourself and prove that you really are who you say you are.

Some state’s DMVs have already implemented the 6-point ID requirement system and now New York has decided to implement the same system.

New York 6-Point ID Requirements for Name Change

Before a NY state DMV will issue any photo document (learner permit, driver license, non-driver ID Card) for the first time, or if your document expired more than 2 years ago, you must show the following points of identity:
-Proof of your date of birth
-4 points of proof of name along with your Social Security Card, OR if you are ineligible for a Social Security Card, 6 points of proof of name plus a letter of ineligibility from the Social Security Administration that they (SSA) used to determine that you are ineligible. All proofs of name must show the same name.
-If you already have and can show a valid NY DMV photo document, that is all you need as 6 points of proof of name to get a new or different photo document. However, if the DMV has no record of your Social Security Number, you will have to show your Social Security Card too.

For more newlywed in New York information, please see the list of acceptable documents to show proof of identity found on the New York DMV website. For more help with your name change, check out our 20 step name change check list!

Co-habitation: Newlywed Surprises and Compromises

Cohabitation can be full of newlywed surprises and compromises. If you’re moving in together after the Big Day, you probably can’t wait to start married life together. What could be more romantic than sharing a home, waking up together and never having to wait to see each other? With all of this built up anticipation, the challenges of early co-habitation might catch you off guard. There are several things to consider as you plan your move-in to help smooth the transition and ensure newlywed bliss.

If your partner is moving into your house, make room for him. Empty a closet (this can include a painful trip to Goodwill) in your room for his clothes, and if room permits, give him a room that is “his”. These small acts will show your man that you have made room for him in your home and in your life. He will sincerely appreciate the fact that you don’t expect him to squeeze himself and his stuff in a corner. Added bonus: the man room can be a great place to put any of his bachelor “décor.”

If you’re both moving to a new place after the wedding, consider how much space you’ll need based on how much stuff you both have. If neither of you can part with the majority of your furniture, you might need a much larger place than you anticipated. This brings us to potentially one of the harder parts of living together…combining your stuff. Try to be as rational as possible when approaching the big merge. If you have a ratty old couch from college and he has a new sofa, concede that his should be the one you keep (even if it is orange). Make trades, such as “I’ll get rid of this lamp if you get rid of that recliner”.

If you can’t come to a decision you both feel good about, consider donating both items and buying a new one together. It’s important to realize that with the addition of all of your wedding gifts, it is virtually impossible to keep all of each person’s belongings.

Living or moving somewhere with two bathrooms? I highly recommend starting a marriage with your own bathroom. Learning to live with someone can be stressful, and allocating bathrooms allows you to keep your current morning schedule without interrupting each other. It also circumvents any disputes about cabinet space and leaving seat up vs. leaving the seat down. Small amounts of personal space allow you both to breathe and adjust to living together.

No matter where you’re living or moving to, communication and planning are key. Try to hash out the majority of major co-habitation decisions before your move. Take into account both partners’ current schedules, commutes, belongings and ideas as you come up with a mutual plan to co-habitate and start your journey of married life together. A little planning goes a long way towards happily ever after!

Do you have any funny co-habitation newlywed surprises and compromises? We’d love to hear how you accidentally used an expensive bottle of “his” wine to make spaghetti sauce or how he ended up washing his hair with your fancy body lotion!

Name Change Kit or Name Change Service—It’s Your Choice!

Deciding between a name change service and name change kit? Once you and your spouse are married, one of the very first decisions you will make (if you haven’t already thought about it prior to your wedding) is whether or not you will be changing to your new married name or keeping your maiden name. If you decide on married name change you will look into the steps of dreaded name change process and may decide to make your life easier by purchasing a Name Change Kit or a Name Change Service.

Name Change Kits as well as Name Change Services are designed to assist brides and newlyweds with name change after marriage. Each could be the answer to all your name change needs, the question then becomes which one would best suit your specific needs? So, you’re asking yourself what is the difference between a Name Change Kit and a Name Change Service?

Name Change Kits will provide you with State and U. S. Government name change forms allowing you to manually complete them at your leisure, in the comfort of your own home. They can help keep you organized by providing you with the forms you need all in one place, saving you from the hassle of having to search the internet for name change forms or worse—having to physically go to each office to obtain the most up-to-date name change forms. If you decide to purchase a Name Change Kit, be sure to purchase one that will be sending you YOUR specific State forms; such as the one offered by NewlywedNameChange.com. This way you have exactly what you need (rather than the forms for all 50 states leaving you to figure out what you need and what you don’t) to officially and legally obtain a name change after marriage!

A Name Change Service is designed specifically for the busy, yet internet savvy bride or newlywed. MissNowMrs.com provides you with all the most up-to-date State and U. S. Government name change forms for YOUR State within an instant online account, allowing you to login and auto-complete your forms in under an hour! Our Name Change Service keeps you organized every step of the way by providing your name change forms in one convenient and easily accessible place, asking you all the necessary questions and making sure you have detailed instructions on how to file your name change form with each agency.

Help Me Change My Name

Our married name change experts are readily available to answer ANY questions that may arise during the name change process via our Customer Support phone number, email and live-chat features 9:00am-5:00pm EST. There’s no need to worry if you made a mistake, as with our Name Change Service you can edit your forms as many times as you need to without having to use white out or obtain another form.

We’ve even gone one step further by providing you with name change notification letters for banks, credit cards, utilities, etc. making our Name Change Service a blessing for any bride or newlywed by alleviating unnecessary stress!

So, whatever you decide to do just know that there are options out there to help make your life easier. You worked hard planning your wedding, worrying about all the little details; so now it’s time to enjoy your newlywed status hassle-free! Congratulations!!!

5 Signs Your Newlywed Husband is in a Bromance

Is your husband in a bromance? Does he have a guy friend that he is unusually close to? He’s always talking to him or about him and reminiscing about times they’ve had together—if so, it is very likely that you’re man is part of a bromance! Some of you may be thinking, a what?! Urban Dictionary’s definition of a Bromance is a close relationship between two males to such a point where they seem like a couple.

They are more common today than ever before due to the growing number of men (and women) waiting longer to get married—and staying single. Bromances are typically between 2 heterosexual males who have known each other for a long time (since childhood or college) and may even share a bond like brothers often do.

You may recognize some of the following celebrity bromances: Brad Pitt and George Clooney, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, P. Diddy and Notorious B.I.G. (in the early 90’s). Most guys tend to have at least one best friend or co-worker they really enjoy hanging out with/being around, so there’s no need to get upset or feel jealous. Although, these negative feelings are understandable if your spouse does any of the following:

5 signs your man is part of a bromance:

He talks to his bro more often than he talks to you or anyone else and they have so many inside jokes that to you it sounds like they’re speaking a different language.
He tells you (and anyone else who will listen) the story about that “one time…” over and over again!
He tells you that he’s going to run your thoughts/ideas on a big life decision (i.e. buying a house, changing your career or starting a family) by his friend to see if HE thinks it’s a good idea.
He spends more time/effort making plans for his man date than he does planning a date night for the two of you.
He tries to include his friend in any plans you’ve made including: dinner dates, concerts, cocktail parties, vacations, etc.

If any of the above mentioned signs struck a cord with you, you’re not alone! Hey ladies, you may have a girlfriend, sister or co-worker you enjoy being with too—so try not to judge! However, in all seriousness if your man is focused more on his bromance than on romancing you it could cause some bumps in your marriage.

It is best to sit down with your husband and communicate with him about how you feel in this situation. Allow him to explain to you why his buddy means so much to him (if you don’t already know the reason(s)). After all, it’s sweet that a he feels so strongly about his friendship and shows how loyal and sensitive he can be. Perhaps he just needs to be reminded that the two of you are in a union and need to spend quality time together—alone!

So tell us ladies, has your husband brought his man crush along to your romantic Valentine’s Day dinner date or something worse? Come on, we know you have stories of a Bromance between your spouse and his BFF, so please don’t keep them inside…share them with us and other readers!