...A Guest Blog From TheManRegistry.com!

Answers to some of the common newlywed financial questions from the guys at TheManRegistry.com!

(Photo credits: provided by TheManRegistry.com)

Statistics say that finances are the number one topic that married couples argue about (think about some of the couples that you know and you’ll realize that this is probably accurate). Money is always a very touchy subject, especially if you don’t have a lot of it. This is generally the case for newlyweds who are just starting out.

The best way to align yourselves for financial success and avoid arguing over money is to discuss some financial topics before you take the walk down the aisle. Here are a few of the major issues and some quick recommendations from us on each one.

Should we combine our finances after getting married?

Not every couple combines their finances after getting married, but our answer to this question is yes. First, determine who the money manager is going to be in the family or if you’re going to split that duty. From there, we recommend creating joint checking and savings accounts and keeping personal checking accounts for each of you. By doing it this way, you can split common bills and still have “mad money” to spend on your own things.

It takes every couple awhile to get used to the “my money is your money mindset” that comes along with marriage, but if you can stay organized – it won’t be a difficult transition.

How much should we be saving from our paychecks?

If you haven’t noticed, our economy hasn’t been the most stable over the past year. The recovery has been nice, but we all have learned just how important saving for rough times can be. Depending on incomes, 30% is a great amount of net income to put away in savings/investments each month. Obviously, every couple isn’t going to be able to put aside that amount, but you’re doing yourself a huge favor even if you can only do 10% each month.

We both are bringing debt into the marriage, how should it be tackled?

Don’t freak out if you’re bringing debt into marriage. More couples do than don’t and there are ways you can tackle the debt together. The first and most important step is to be upfront and honest with each other about how much debt you each have. We recommend creating a chart of spending habits (it’s lame, but it works). This chart will help you both identify places you can cut back each month. If it’s an option, we highly recommend speaking to a financial planning professional. A financial planner can look at your debt and interest rates and help you plan where to begin paying down.

What should we do with all that cash we get as wedding gifts?

Who doesn’t love cash? You’ll definitely be seeing green after the wedding as cash remains the most common wedding gift that couples receive. There’s nothing wrong with splurging a little with the new found greenbacks, but this might also be a great time to create that joint savings account we talked about earlier. The wedding cash would be a great first deposit. Depending on how much you get, you could always pocket a few hundred for honeymoon drinks and save the rest!

What advice do the readers of It's A Jaime Thing have for newlyweds who are thinking about their post-wedding finances? We want to hear your thoughts. Comment below! Cheers! ~ TheManRegistry.com

Thanks for the great advice, guys! Brides, be sure to send your grooms over to TheManRegistry.com. Okay fine, you can peek too...you know I did (and loved it - The Man Registry rocks)! Also, here's a lil' extra frosting for your cake - today while picking up a bottle of wine, I heard the guy ahead of me say to the cashier, "Can I please have the receipt? My wife told me I have to keep track of my monthly beer drinking expenses." - I just smirked and walked away... ~Jaime

...A Guest Blog By Wishpot's Gift Girl!

With Halloween just around the corner, you're sure to see more orange! However, this color isn't just for jack-o'-lanterns. It's also one of the top colors for fall weddings...

(Photo credits: Brides.com, AppealingFlowers.com, Teleflora.com)

Orange is hot this season! Who doesn’t love orange? It’s vivid, cheerful and fresh! For weddings, use it as an accent color or combine it with purple, chocolate brown, yellow, pink, sky blue or green. The possibilities are endless. For a romantic setting, pair it with darker colors and low lighting!

Looking for more orange wedding inspiration or style ideas? Head over to Wishpot.com or visit @gift_girl on Twitter! Also, be sure to check out the Wishpot Wedding Blog.

Wishpot is a great place to set up your wedding registry. However, what many people don't know is that you can also use Wishpot to bookmark wedding ideas and inspiration for your day. I’m happy to say there will be a new addition to the Wishpot Wedding Blog! We will regularly showcase a few fabulous finds from wedding wish lists.

With Wishpot, you can also bookmark any graphic and the URL from any site. This means that our showcased items are from all over the web! And who better to turn to for wedding inspiration than our wedding experts? Now, for the first of many {Wedding Wish Lists}! Here are some spectacular things from JuneBug Weddings, It’s a Jaime Thing and myself, Gift Girl...

Wedding Wish Lists ~ Ivory Wedding Inspiration

Many brides today are moving away from white wedding dresses altogether. If you are looking for an alternative to white but aren’t quite ready to go with a bolder color, you may want to consider ivory. Ivory compliments any skin tone color and works well as a wedding accent color. I adore the soft, delicate and oh so feminine feel of these wish list items. There is something so wonderful about combining materials, feathers, soft draping silk and ruffles!

The feathers are from Leah C. Couture and were added by Junebug Weddings. While they are a bit on the pricey side, if you are looking to splurge why not do it on a stunning hair accessory?

The dress is an Etsy find by a peaceful afternoon by sarahseven and added by me, gift girl. I simply love it. You can order it to measure either long or short and it’s also available in color. As far as wedding dress prices go, this is very reasonable.

The umbrella is from Raindrops and is a It’s a Jaime Thing find. I live in Seattle, so umbrellas have a special place in my heart. Plus, you can take some spectacular wedding pictures with umbrellas! They are also a great alternative to wedding bouquets.

Anyone planning on incorporating any of these wedding trends into their wedding? A Wishpot wish list makes it easy to save your wedding ideas! ~Gift Girl

Follow me on Twitter @gift_girl.

Tips On How To Save, From One Fabulous Planner!

Please welcome wedding planner Brittany Sobering, the founder of Tickled Pink Brides, a full-service planning and coordination company in Orlando, FL.! Today she's offering up some inspiring tips and ideas to help you plan a wedding that fits your style and budget. Enjoy!

In the economy we've found ourselves in, it's understandable that brides are cutting back on wedding budgets and expenses. But the show must go on!

As a wedding planner, I've found that weddings are still taking place every day, and brides are getting savvier with all of the incredible resources to take advantage of. So how will you plan a wedding to be remembered that fits into your budget? Take advantage of the following tips to minimize wedding stress and maximize your party's potential.

SET YOUR PRIORITIES AT THE VERY BEGINNING.

When you are locked into your "must-haves", you'll be able to focus on those first and you won't be as tempted to spend money on each new option you find along the way.

USE A BUDGET TRACKER OR SPREADSHEET AND BE REALISTIC.

Speak to whoever is contributing to the wedding budget, and when it's set, allocate funds to your top priorities first. Brides.com makes an excellent budget tracker that helps you estimate where to spend your money.

NEGOTIATE WITH WEDDING VENDORS.

As a wedding planner, this part is typically my job, but if you are planning a wedding on your own, politely ask vendors if prices are negotiable and be up front about your budget. Many vendors are happy to throw in a little extra or customize a package for you if you need it.

PERSONALIZE YOUR WEDDING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

Mix trends with tradition and add as much of your own personality and style to each aspect of the wedding. Weddings are not remembered by how much the couple spent, but by how personal and unique the event was. Incorporate memorabilia from your relationship, your favorite food and music, a non-traditional wedding dress, a signature cocktail, etc... to create a wedding that is uniquely yours.

ASK FOR SPECIFIC HELP.

If your grandmother is a great calligrapher and your best friend's mom makes killer cakes, enlist their services to keep costs down and personalize things even more. Many times friends and family are happy to offer help in lieu of a wedding gift, and your memories of these wedding details will be even more special.

REMEMBER THAT THESE DAYS, ANYTHING GOES!

Weddings have come a long way in the last few decades, and we are lucky enough to be on the forefront of the revolution. Your wedding can be just about anything you'd like: themed, a morning brunch, a late evening dessert buffet, an intimate gathering at your favorite restaurant, a blow-out party at a downtown lounge, you name it! You don't have to serve cake, toss a bouquet, provide programs for guests, or send them home with favors. Make this wedding your own and you are sure to cherish it even more.

…To You!

Just wanted to send some special Happy Birthday wishes over to the very fabulous, creative and inspirational letterpress expert, Denise of Bellis Studios!

For those of you who have never seen her beautiful letterpress stationery before, you’re in for a treat! Even if you have seen her work, be sure to visit her site by clicking HERE, she just added some cool new stationery. Or, visit her at her blog, HERE. She is truly a special, unique and extremely talented letterpress designer. I’m so blessed to also call her my aunt!

On that note (no pun intended!), cheers to you, cool aunt of mine! I hope you have a fabulous birthday, you deserve it. Thanks for all you’ve done to inspire me, including your idea for me to start this blog. You rock. Happy Birthday!!!

...Who's The Running Mate?  Him or Her?

When I saw these political themed rehearsal dinner invitations, they were seriously too cool not to share!  Take a look...

The front of the postcard:

These two love birds both have a background in politics, so how appropriate for them to have their rehearsal dinner invitations designed like this.  With their wedding being held during a big election year and all, I think it's quite a fabulous and creative idea!

The back of the postcard:

The details on the back of the postcard:

Postcard invitations designed by the very talented Denise over at CSDesigns, who also owns and operates her own letterpress company, Bellis Studios.

Best wishes to the happy couple!

If the idea of trashing your wedding dress makes you shiver, then you may want to look away.  If it sounds liberating to you, then read on!

"Why?  Why not?  You’ve made a commitment to your husband.  He’s your one and only true love, right?  Then you’ll never need the dress again.  And no, your daughter won’t wear it in 20-30 years." — trashthedress.com 

That's the idea behind the 'Trash the Dress' concept.  It doesn't have to be radical!  It's more about letting your hair down, just being yourself.  If the dress gets a little dirty or wet in the process, c'est la vie!

So what do you think?  Liberating or horrifying...would you do it?

See more on the 'Trash The Dress' website or in the Flickr group.

(Images by: Kamp Photography and Bumatay Studio)

Do you just crave unique items that can't be found at big-box stores?  Consider registering on Etsy.  While Etsy doesn't have an actual bridal registry just yet, many brides are finding a way around it.

Take Jes and Alex for example.  They loved this sweet sugar bowl and creamer by Etsy artist Whitney Smith (www.whitneysmith.etsy.com).  So they set up an Etsy account and added the item to their 'favorites'.  They then sent her a convo to let her know.  Whitney is a savvy Etsy seller, so she knew to change the listing to 'reserved' for the couple.

"I saw immediately that the only way to make this work would be to give them a custom listing, otherwise the item would sell and the friends might be put off buying unless they were experienced etsy users who knew to ask for the item again."  -  Whitney Smith

Other ways to register on Etsy can be found in this Etsy Storque article, Handmade Weddings: Custom Registry Websites.

I'd like to thank Whitney for her help on writing this.  Make sure you check out her store, it's full of beautiful items you'll want to add to your registry!

So your invitation comes back from the printer, now what?  Is there a special order they should go in when assembling them?  Turns out, there is.  Some printers will include a mock-up for you.  But in case yours didn’t, here’s my instruction sheet.  You can download it in pdf format here.

1. Address outer (mailing) envelopes with the guest names and full address.
2. Address inner envelopes (if any) with guest names only.
3. Lay invitation face up.
4. Place tissue over the writing.  Using tissue is optional.  Tissue was originally used to keep ink from smudging.  No longer a concern today, it is completely up to the couple if they want to adhere to the tradition.
5. Layer enclosures (if any) large to small and face up, on top of tissue (the largest enclosure would be closest to the invitation).
6. Put a stamp on the response envelope.
7. Tuck response card, face up, under the flap of the response envelope (the flap will cover part of the writing).  Place on top of the enclosures (or tissue) with the response card face up.
8. If using an inner envelope: slip the resulting stack inside the inner envelope.  The back of the invitation should rest on the inside of the flap as you insert the stack.  Folded edge first (or left edge first if invitations are not folded).  Fold the flap, but do not seal the inner envelope.  OR If you are not using an inner envelope: slip the resulting stack inside the outer envelope.  The back of the invitation should rest on the inside of the flap as you insert the stack.  Folded edge first (or left edge first if invitations are not folded).  Seal, stamp and mail!
9. Place inner envelope inside the outer (mailing) envelope with the names on the inner envelope facing up.  When the outer envelope is opened, guests will see their names.  Seal, stamp and mail!

TIPS:

• Keep in mind, the actual assembly of your invitations may vary depending upon how traditional they are.  Overall, your guests should see their names on the inner envelope as the mailing envelope is opened, and should read the response card when the inner envelope is opened.
• Take one invitation to the post office and have it metered!  Fully assembled invitations are heavier than a standard letter and odd shapes (ie: square) may require extra postage.

It's true, the third week of March is American Chocolate Week.  I don't know why we need an entire week, but who am I to judge any excuse to indulge!!  Here are a few ways to celebrate:

1. Read a book:

The Bride Wore Chocolate, by Shirley Jump

2. Rent a movie:

Chocolat, Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp

3. Play a game:

Truth, Dare or Chocolate, available at Red Envelope

4. Get a chocolate massage:

The Spa at the Hotel Hershey.  Can't get there?  Their Cocoa Massage and Body Oil is available online.

5. Throw a chocolate tasting party:

Allchocolate.com  You can also learn how to pair chocolate and wine and create your own tasting mat!  (Check out SavorChocolate.com, for more chocolate party ideas!)

6. Discover your chocolate personality:

SavorChocolate.com (I'm a "Chocolate Goddess"!)

7. And of course, eat it!

Botanical Truffles, by Kohler Chocolates. Available in honey, green tea, lavendar, and ginger. Those are my latest favorites!  Check out the Craverie too!

Have a great chocolate week everyone!

Did you have your heart set on using wedding postage stamps?  You'll need to either move your RSVP date up to before the 12th, or include an extra .01 stamp.