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!

Newlywed Art Advice: Compromise

Do you need some newlywed art advice? Art is defined as: the creation of works of beauty or other special significance. That being said, there is a very wide range of ideas about what is and isn’t art. Newlyweds are the most likely segment of the population to experience this variance in a very personal way. As you combine your worldly goods, you may be in for some surprises in the art department!

For example, you may have a framed Monet print and know that it is indeed art by most people’s standards. Your husband may see the same print as a really blurry elementary school project while his framed Chicago Bulls poster (from college) is worthy of the prized spot over your living room couch. What can a newly married couple do?

Hopefully you both can compromise on your tastes and use your collective art to decorate your home. If your partner has one particular piece that drives you crazy, consider offering him a trade. Tell him he can select any item out of your wall art to give to Good Will as long as you can do the same thing. You need to be willing to part with the fuzzy kitty inspirational poster from high school if you expect him to get rid of something that is important to him too.

Compromise is the way to go unless your beloved’s art collection includes naked women that you find offensive, images of his previous girlfiend(s)/wife, or truly gory/scary stuff. In that circumstance you need to hold your ground and stoop to calling his mother about the situation if necessary. For most of you, you know your spouse well enough that art won’t result in major conflict in your marriage. If there is some unhappiness about a certain wall or section of your home, consider selecting a piece for that spot together. That way you’ll both enjoy the view.

Need new art for your house or to compromise? Art.com is giving one of our newlywed blog readers the chance win an 18×24 printed canvas image (or 25×31 framed image) valued at $150 to hang in their home! Talk about an inspiring giveaway! The Photos to Art feature on Art.com will allow our winner to upload an image of her choice (be it wedding, honeymoon or even a favorite family photo) and translate it onto high-quality photographic paper or artist-grade stretched canvas. The result? A high-quality, large-scale, beautifully-finished and ready-to-hang wall art.

Ready to win our awesome November art giveaway? Leave a comment on this, or any of our Newlywed Art Posts on Mondays this month and you’ll be automatically entered to win. Tell us all about the photos from your wedding and honeymoon. We’d love to know what image you’d want to have printed and where you plan to hang it. The randomly selected contest winner will be announced on November 30th!! 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!

What did you think of our newlywed art advice? Was it helpful? We’d love to hear from you in a comment.

How to Convince Your Wife That She Needs a New Gadget

Are you longing for the latest version of your favorite electronic toy (i.e. TV, iPhone, Xbox, etc.)? Not sure how to convince your lady that it’s a good purchase that you’ll both benefit from and surely enjoy? Well, don’t sweat it! Try these helpful strategies and you’ll find yourself making your next new gadget purchase as early as this weekend.

As women, we don’t always see why your new $200+ new gadget is a good idea, much like you don’t understand our shoe bill at the end of the month. Your wife may not see the point in your purchase because she hasn’t been convinced or sold on the idea of the mutual benefits.

Your job is to figure out what those mutual benefits are (not your strong suit? Not a problem, we’ve got you covered!…keep reading) and tell her about them. Once she has a better understanding of how this new gadget fits into both your lives (and relates to her interests/hobbies), she will be more susceptible to the idea of purchasing the said item!

Women tend to care about the following (among so many other things, but for the purpose of this post we’ll stick with these): how will it fit/look in our home, will it make my life easier and will it affect our communication (i.e. will it bring us closer together)?

How will it look in my home?

Women spend a lot of time making sure everything in the house is color coordinated and has its own special place. Don’t mess with that! Try talking to your wife about how a new TV will not ruin the chic and sleek look she has going on in the family room because it’s a wall mount with wires that will not be seen! She’s more-likely to agree to a purchase that won’t clash with the décor or ruin her vision of your home.

Will this gadget make life easier?

Women have so much on their minds (i.e. You, a career, a home, fitness, kids just to name a few) and don’t need anything to make life more complicated or stressful. If you can figure out a way to prove that the new gadget will make life easier you will be one step closer to getting exactly what you want. It could be as simple as explaining how a universal remote will work the TV, DVD player, stereo and surround sound system, eliminating 3 of 4 different remotes. Believe me, this will sound like a mini lifesaver to your wife!

Will this gadget affect our communication or bring us closer together?

Whether it’s a conversation over a glass of wine or watching a movie with a bowl of popcorn, at the end of the day your wife just wants to spend some quality time with you. Let her know how a new gaming system will allow you to have video game nights together; which is great if you are the competitive types or how a new laptop or Smartphone will allow for you to sit on the couch and catch up on emails and bills instead of having to head to your home office. After all, it’s not always about what you’re doing that matters most, it’s that you’re able to be together while you do it.

Tell us: What purchase were you able to convince your wife to make using our tips or others? Share your tactics with other readers…I’m sure fellas all over will appreciate advice Man-to-Man!

10 Newlywed Stress Busters (Under $10)!

Looking for newlywed stress busters? There’s only so much time in a day and not much of it is spent on you! So take a minute to think about when you can remove yourself from the stresses of your world, and make YOU your only responsibility. It is important to spend some time clearing your head and getting rid of the stress built up from the day.

So to get you started, I’ve put together a few ideas that may interest you and possibly spark some new ideas of your own! The holidays are around the corner, so start de-stressing right now (before it builds up inside)… and because the holidays are coming- let’s be mindful of our wallets!

Here are a few of my favorite newlywed stress busters under $10.00:

Break out a movie- better yet, how about a soothing workout DVD! I particularly like Pilates every once in awhile to throw my body for a curve, and it’s relaxing pace allows for you to concentrate on the different poses. It’s a great mental exercise as well, because when you’re going through the motions on a cardio machine at the gym- you’re still thinking about your responsibilities!
Get a massage—from your spouse of course! Since going to a masseuse can be a little pricey, and besides you’ll enjoy it more this way!
Bath & Body- It Works! Pick a night after work, go home, and pour a nice warm bath for yourself- and most importantly, leave your cell phone in another room!! I can’t think of anything more relaxing than a bubble bath! Go to the store, pick out your favorite fragrance, and enjoy! There’s plenty to choose from for under $10.
Life isn’t always a walk in the park- but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take one once in awhile! If it’s not exactly 70 degrees outside, throw your scarf and gloves on and pick up your favorite latte on your way! Sunshine and fresh air does wonders!
Remove yourself from the world, and indulge in a book! The most obvious way to not think about your own responsibilities and ‘get away’ is to get into someone else’s world! Find the latest book by your favorite author, or try something new and try reading a chapter a night; it will give you something to look forward to!
PJ’s, a chick flick, and yes, a big bowl of ice cream! This is an instant mood-booster!
Turn on some music at home, light some aromatherapy candles and either relax on the couch, or cook-up your favorite recipe (but only if you enjoy cooking, otherwise that will just stress you out more)!
Plan a picnic, with your spouse or your favorite gal pal! Be sure grab a blanket and throw in a bottle of vino!
Thrifty Shopping! Shopping is always an automatic stress-reliever for me, although sometimes not in my budget! So check out your local thrift store and browse around! There are always great treasures to find! Don’t want leave home— try Ebay!

Wedobo: The Newest Resource For Budget Savvy Brides

Wedobo, created by Amanda Sudimack; is “the original deal group for resourceful couples planning their dream wedding.” The site was created with budget-conscious couples, wedding planners and vendors in mind. It is a community of subscribers (brides, grooms…anyone who helps plan a wedding), vendors and wedding planners. The vendors and wedding planners are the best-of-the-best in the Chicago area. Wedobo offers couples deals that will help them plan their dream wedding without breaking the bank! Every day, Wedobo offers one exclusive deal from one local wedding business, giving you direct access to the best vendors in town; while saving you money on every aspect of the your wedding day!
Here’s how it works:
Subscribe at www.wedobo.com, and you will begin receiving limited time, must-have wedding deals via email. You buy the deal and share it (if you’d like) with anyone you know who might be interested in receiving the same deal.
Wedobo Fun Facts:

Amanda Sudimack (founder of Wedobo) has been working with brides for more than 13 years. She has been named one of the Top 20 wedding photographers in the U.S. and is also founder of internationally acclaimed Artisan Events.
Wedobo (pronounced as wed-doh-boh), breaks down like this: WED and OBO. Wed is short for wedding…and obo is “or best offer.”

You may already be married, but it’s never too late to share a deal with a newly engaged friend or family member. Let them know about Wedobo and you could help them plan the wedding they’ve always dreamed about while staying within their budget!

Newlywed Public Relations

As a single woman you knew exactly how you thought of yourself and had your own standards of public behavior. Now that you’re a newlywed, you need to consider the best way to represent you and your spouse as a couple. The spectrum ranges from Mr. & Mrs. Perfectly Plastic to Mr. & Mrs. Public Tantrum Throwers. Frankly, I don’t believe that anyone wants to be either of those extremes. How your relationship functions in and out of the public eye is completely up to you and your partner. A little prior planning can help prevent a poor public image of you and your marriage.

Here are a few newlywed tips for you:
Make a dispute plan. If you are both at a party or out with friends and disagree on something, what should you do? Some couples can shelve the issue and discuss it privately at a later time. Others might need to excuse themselves to immediately work things out. Having a plan in place before a potential blow up can help you both keep your cool in public, but still deal with the problem at hand.

Accentuate the positive. You shouldn’t fabricate stories about your perfect newlywed life, but you also shouldn’t do a dissertation on how terrible your husband is about leaving the toilet seat up. You married the love of your life…so be proud of him and shine a positive light on him. Imagine how you would feel overhearing your spouse complimenting your cooking versus complaining that it took you 45 minutes to pick out your party outfit. Take the initiative and say something sincerely pleasant about your husband, whether or not it makes it back to him, your marriage will be better for it!

Manage expectations. If you’re a social butterfly and your partner is more of a lone wolf, you might have very different expectations for how to enjoy a party. Perhaps your husband would like you to introduce him to other guys at the party with similar personalities or he might just want to hang out with you as you mingle. Discussing what would make both of you happyand comfortable before going out, should result in a great time for everyone instead of a potentially awkward “we should go now” situation.

Have fun. You know your husband and he knows you, so use that intimate knowledge to do things that you both enjoy. If you have a girlfriend who wants to go to the ballet, why drag your poor husband? Take your friend to the performance and then come home and go out for cocktails or a movie with your man. This way you both win and there’s no need for a difference in likes or dislikes to cause chaos in your lives!
Navigating as a newlywed couple can take some getting used to. By following our tips and putting each other first, you should have a smooth transition and be known as “that great newlywed couple” instead of some less than desirable description.
Do you have any tips for maintaining your relationship in public and in private? We’d love for you to share them in a comment!

Looking for more newlywed advice? Our experts are her to help