Tickets
Take an adventure on a train, plane or even a hot air balloon. Or stay close to home and see a movie, sporting event, play, or concert.

1st edition book
What could be more special that tracking down the first edition or signed copy of his favorite book? That would be something that he would treasure forever.

Cookbook of family recipes
Organize his favorite family recipes with yours and create a cookbook for you and him that you can pass down to your family one day.

Coupons
Save some money and create “anniversary coupons” for things like massages, breakfast in bed, a strip-tease and more.

Love letter
Write a love letter telling him how you can’t wait to spend years to come with him. It will be fun to look back at this letter 20 years later.

Framed invitation
Have your wedding invitations framed and maybe include your favorite photo from the wedding.

Framed photo of you two
Choose your favorite photo from the last year and have it framed. You can even add a “first anniversary” caption.

Zombie Newlyweds
Available from Costume Craze. Zombie bride and zombie groom.

Vampire and Vampiress
Available from Kmart

Tacky Tourists
available from Import Costumes

Popeye and Olive Oil
available from Target. Popeye and Olive Oyl

More ideas
• Movie star and paparazzi
• Ken and Barbie
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Romeo and Juliet
• Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt

Deciding to take your new husband’s name is a huge deal for many brides. It’s a very personal decision that is different for every woman. From my own personal experience, I was concerned about the name I had made for myself in my career and losing my identity that I had know for close to 30 years. But I knew moving forward that I wanted to create a family with my husband and it was important to me that our children had the same last name as me.

I discussed my concerns with my husband and ultimately I choose to take his name after weighing my options. It took at least 6 months until I was comfortable with my new last name. There were many instances where I was called by my new last name and didn’t even recognize they were talking about me.

Establishing myself in my profession was not as painful as I anticipated either. I was able to notify my previous employers through LinkedIn and I sent out an office memo to my current employer explaining the name change.

While the change took some getting used to, I’m happy with the decision I made. I now feel a strong sense of family with my husband that I am excited to pass to our children someday.

Mrs Forever has compiled all the resources you will need to guide you through the name change process. We hope to help take some of the anxiety and stress out of changing your name so you can relax and enjoy being a newlywed!

Here are some name change options to consider and discuss with your future husband.

Take you husband’s name
Keeping with tradition, it is most common for women to take their husband’s last name after marriage. Many women feel that having the same last name as their husband forms a strong family bond, especially when children are involved.

Keep your maiden name
Some women choose to keep their maiden last name to avoid any professional confusion with their careers. Another option is to choose to keep your maiden name professionally, but use their husband’s last name at home.

Hyphenate your name
Hyphenating your maiden name with your husband’s last name can be a good compromising choice for you and your spouse.

Alternative options
Some couples decide to create a new last name by combining both last names together. While others decide that the husband will take the wife’s last name. Both of these options need to be researched to find out what kind of legal procedure needs to take place in your state.

Writing thank you cards to your many wedding guests might sound worse than going to the dentist, but it’s all about organizing yourself and getting the task done the smart way. Thank you cards should be sent out no longer than 6 weeks of your wedding. We break it down for you and offer tips on how to ease the pain of writing the dreaded wedding thank you cards.

Use your guest list
You already have your guest list with names and addresses of all your wedding guests. So simply create a “thank you card” column to keep track of the gift each guest gave and check off when you finish writing a card to each guest. This will keep you organized and save potential confusions.

Check gift registries as reference
If you registered with a store, get a copy of the gift registry to see what was purchased from the registry and by which guest. This will help if you forget who bought what from the list.

Address envelopes first
Getting each envelope addressed and stamped is an easy task that can be done while watching TV or listening to music. Getting this out of the way first can help ease the workload when it comes to writing out the actual cards. And make sure to include your return address so your guests have your current address.

Set small goals
Divide your guest list into more manageable sections and set goals on how many cards you can complete a night. It is easier to write 10 cards a night, rather than trying to tackle 100 in one afternoon. Your wrist and your husband will thank you!

Take sides
Split the job up with your husband. Have him take his family and friends and you can take yours. Thank you cards should be personalized, so writing a heartfelt message to your side of the guests makes more sense and will be easier when thinking of what to write.

Keep it simple and personal
There is a reason why thank you cards are so small. Keep your thank you short and sweet, with a personal touch. Let each guest know how happy you were they could attend your wedding and how much you love their gift. If the gift was money, let your guest know how you intend to spend the money, whether it be saving for a house or decorating your new home.

Send cards out at the same time
Wait until you have finished writing all your cards to send them to your guests. This way no one feels left out or less important if they get their card later than someone else.

It’s easy to get caught up in the glamor and excitement of planning your dream wedding. When the wedding is over, many couples treat themselves to luxurious honeymoon vacations, only to find it hard to transition back to “normal life” when it’s all over. Many brides feel emotions of depression after spending upwards of twelve months planning such an event.

You have planned months and maybe even years for your wedding, but what about planning for your marriage? When the glitter wears off and the white dress comes off, many brides are left with feelings of loss and boredom. Studies show that one in ten new brides will experience some form of depression post wedding. While the wedding planning can be quite a roller-coaster of emotions, (good and bad) the feelings that can occur after the wedding can be much more intense and overwhelming. Some brides feel a sense of loss after devoting so much time to planning their dream day and find themselves asking “Now what do I do?”.

It is quite normal to be blue after such a big, life-changing event in your life is come and gone. Change is difficult for the best of us, so try and keep this in mind during an such an important transition in your life. And it is helpful to take the time to set new goals and ambitions for yourself and your new husband after your wedding. You will probably find he is has feelings similar to yours and you can work together to solve any issues that might arise. Communication is key in keeping a marriage healthy and beautiful for many years to come.

Sharing your feelings with family and friends is an excellent way to cope with feelings of depression after your wedding. In many cases, your peers have dealt with similar issues during their transition to married life. For many, giving up their single status takes some getting used to or moving in with your new husband can be a transition that can be overwhelming at first. Advice from the people you love may help make these transitions less stressful for you.

Take time for yourself with a new hobby or attend social events. There are plenty of things to do that you may have put aside because you were busy planning your wedding. Stay positive and reflect on how great your wedding was, while moving forward and enjoying how great married life can be.