Newlywed

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!

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!

Maiden to Middle Name Change

Taking her maiden name as a middle name after marriage is one of the more popular name change choices of newlyweds today. Many women are attached to their maiden names for various reasons: they built a career using it, they are the only child to carry on the family name or they can’t imagine “being anyone else”. Adding her maiden name as a middle name allows for a woman to “keep” her maiden name while taking her husband’s last name, but avoid the mouthful of a hyphenated name.

News flash! More and more states are no longer recognizing a woman’s right to change her middle name based on marriage. What does this mean to newlyweds in the middle of name change? If you live in California, New Jersey, New York, New York City, Ohio (unless your Marriage Certificate shows your intended middle name), Pennsylvania or Washington you are unable to take your maiden name as your middle name as part of your married name change.

Be aware of your state’s policies regarding name change. If you file your government forms with a new middle name, but live in a state that disallows maiden to middle name change you will end up with mismatched identification documents. The reality of having a different name on your state driver’s license and your U.S. Passport can be unsettling. Travel will be tedious as you need to book any international flights in the name on your passport, but local flights should match your state driver’s license. There can also be issues if security is requiring two forms of ID (as yours won’t match). We highly recommend choosing one married name option and using it on ALL of your documents.

Petitioning the Court System

If a bride is dead set on changing her middle name, she will have to petition the U.S. court system via an attorney for a legal name change. This can be a very long and expensive process, but it might be the only way a couple can come to a married name they can agree upon. The moral of this blog posting is be sure to research your state’s name change policies before you begin your name change.

If you’d like to speak with a married name change expert about your particular state and situation, call the gurus at MissNowMrs. They’ll provide you with the most up-to-date information on your state for free! They can also help you consider alternate name change options if you end up being in a non-middle name change state.

Have you tried to change your name and run into red tape and state-specific issues? Share your story today and help another newlywed avoid unnecessary name change hassle! You can also check out our name change checklist for more help.

9 Ways to Have a Happy Wife Starting Right Now

Want to ensure you have a happy wife? If you’re settling into you’re happily ever after role of Prince Charming (aka husband). While most princes have Disney to script all the right things to do. It might be a little daunting to realize that you now have a wife and that you play a huge role in her happiness. Here are nine simple ways to make your wife happy today.

Buy her a just-because card. A romantic or steamy card costs less than $3 and will brighten your wife’s whole day. She will also probably keep it forever!
Do a chore you know your wife hates doing without telling her. When she pulls into the driveway and sees the recycling bins already at the curb you’ll be a hero.
Pour her a bubble bath and light a few candles. There is simply nothing better than coming home to such a thoughtful and pampering gesture.
Surprise her with breakfast in bed. Worried about your cooking skills? Zip out for pastries and coffee before she wakes up .
Brag about what a great wife she is, in front of her. She may be a bit embarrassed at the time, but you’ll show her how happy you are to be her husband.
Keep a secret stash of your wife’s favorite candy. The next time she wishes for M&Ms, you can instantly grant her wish!
If you’re going out to eat with a buddy, bring something back for your wife. It could be her favorite appetizer or a mini dessert. You’ll get the green light to go out more often after this one!
Do something nice for her family. Send her mom flowers, rake their yard or help her brother with his car. Your acts of kindness will warm her heart and score you son-in-law points to boot.
Tell your wife something you love about her every day. They all don’t have to be romantic. You may love how well she balances the checkbook or loads the dishwasher…just tell her. These little compliments go a very long way to making your wife feel loved and appreciated.

As you start to follow a few of our suggestions, you’ll see how easy it is to make a woman smile. The thought behind the act is always appreciated and usually reciprocated. Remember, a happy wife equals a happy life! Ladies, if your husband has done something great for your lately we’d love to hear about it. Please leave us a comment!

Newly Married & All Wedding’ed Out

Have you and your spouse found yourselves to be all wedding’ed out!? I’m not talking about feelings of exhaustion from your own wedding, but suddenly now everyone you know is getting engaged and shower and wedding invitations are flooding your mail box! Everyone seems to say the same thing, that if you’re one of the first of your friends to get married, you will have one “golden” year where you will find yourself loading up your calendar with showers, bachelorette parties and weddings to attend.

Of course you are so excited for your friends, and look forward to sharing this special time with them and helping with preparations for their special day, but you may also find yourself feeling somewhat overwhelmed, and unfortunately not being able to accept all invites due to other schedule conflicts, and not to mention the obvious… budgetary restraints.

My husband and I have now attended 4 weddings so far this year and still have another 5 remaining in 2010! Is it selfish of me to want a vacation of my own? Well I’ve come to grips that it’s not going to happen this year, so my husband and I have promised each other that we’re going somewhere fabulous in 2011!

With so many weddings, and your free weekends becoming well… non-existent, how do you choose when to decline some invites, and… if you have mutual friends, when is it OK to decline some and accept others?! This is becoming an on-going, harder-to-handle issue as you certainly don’t want to create hard feelings!

There are a few obvious questions that come into play when making your decision on whether or not to accept your invite! Are you available that weekend? How far away is the wedding (is it a destination wedding with plane tickets and a car rental), and can you afford it? Is it a family member’s wedding? Did you invite them to your wedding? Did they attend your wedding?

I have recognized one thing when making your decision to attend or regretfully decline… Remember to make your decision based on logical factors, not based on whether or not that couple attended your wedding! Even if you’re not the best of friends, the couple must have thought highly enough of you in the first place to put you on their guest list, so you should take a moment to decide on how to mark your reply card. Sometimes you will be forced to decline if you have a conflicting event or just don’t have the funds, but do be sure to mail a card! It is considered courteous and acceptable to send a card and/or gift up to six months after the wedding date.

Remember, it’s an honor to be invited to someone’s wedding, so always be sure to handle your response with care… but above and beyond anything, be sure to respond! There’s nothing more awkward and annoying for a bride and groom than having to call guests who didn’t respond! So hang in there if you’re trudging through your golden year of weddings, and do yourself a favor and keep a photo book of the weddings you attend… its fun to reminisce about these events down the road!

How have you handled being all wedding’ed out? We’d love to hear your solutions in a comment.