What to do after the I Do's

The vows have been exchanged, the “I Do’s” have been said, and the honeymoon is over, it is time to start your lives together as husband and wife. From preserving your wedding gown to changing your name, there are many tasks that need to be taken care of.

The top priority after getting married is writing the thank you notes. Your guests have taken the time in finding the perfect wedding gift for you, so you must return the favor by sending them a thank you note. The first step is to write a list of gifts, which you have received. My husband and I split up the writing duties, however to make them more personal, we signed our own names. I suggest that once you return from your honeymoon you start writing the thank you notes.

Changing your last name is a very exhilarating time for any bride. When you are changing your name, you must have the original marriage license. Your first stop in legally changing your last name will be the Social Security Administration office. Once you have received your new social security card, motor on down to the DMV to get your new driver’s license. Then, it is time to contact your bank, credit card companies, and employer. It is very exciting to see everything with your new last name!

Ordering your wedding photos is a must “to do” after your wedding. In some cases, you will need to order your photos directly from your photographer, while in other instances you can order the prints yourself. Fill your home with your wedding pictures and make enlargements of your favorites. You will have these pictures for the rest of your life, so it is ok to have hundreds of them in albums, frames, etc.

Many brides would like to keep their wedding gown for sentimental value or to pass it on to a future daughter or family member. The best way to preserve your wedding dress is to take it to a company, who specializes in preserving your wedding dress. The price of preserving your gown can range from $99 to $300; however it is worth the investment. Another trend is to donate your wedding dress. Brides Across America is an organization that will help military brides with the gown of their dreams.

Life as a newlywed is simply blissful. There are a lot of things to look forward to like signing a document with your new last name and introducing your groom as your husband! You will find yourself staring at your husband’s wedding ring, constantly saying “husband” and looking at your wedding photos. Enjoy this time together as newlyweds, because before you know it you’ll be celebrating your 25th wedding anniversary.

Wedding Day Advice

After months of planning, big day has finally arrived!  You have been dreaming of your wedding day, ever since you were a little girl.   Your wedding day will be the happiest day of your life, one that you will never forget.  I married my husband, John, on July 30 in Boca Raton, Florida.  My wedding day was everything I had dreamed of and much more.  From beginning to end, the day was absolutely beautiful.  I wish to share some of my advice with you, to ensure that you have an unforgettable wedding day. 

All of the excitement and nerves will set in the night before the wedding, which may cause you to lose some of your beauty sleep.  However, I suggest that the night before your wedding, try to get to bed early.  Depending on what time your wedding will begin your day will start off early.  No bride wants dark circles under her eyes, when all eyes are on you.

A piece of advice, which my aunt has told me for many years, was to drink plenty of water.  When I was getting ready, I was very excited to walk down the aisle, that I barely ate, so instead my aunt kept giving me water through a straw (you don’t want to mess up your lipstick), so I will not become dehydrated.  Not to mention that it was nearly 100 degrees on that day.

After the ceremony has ended, take some time with your husband to take everything in.  The day will go by very fast and you need to share some special moments with your husband.  If possible, try to see the reception site before the guests arrive.  You will appreciate the beauty of everything with no one in the room. 

The most important advice that I can give any bride is to have fun!  This is the most important day of your life and there is no need to sweat the small stuff.  Dance with your friends and family, be goofy, and give plenty of kisses to your husband.  One minute you are getting your makeup done and the next, you are leaving the reception to spend the first night together as husband and wife. 

My husband and I cannot stop talking about our wedding day.  There is nothing that we would do any different.  It is a great feeling when you say “husband” for the first time and you will find yourself saying it over and over again throughout the night.  Enjoy your day, because it will be over in a blink of an eye.  Congratulations to all of the beautiful brides, who will soon become a Mrs. 

Shake, Shake, Shake

The day started off to be a normal Tuesday, with a cup of coffee and a lot of phone calls to make and emails to respond to.  The only thing on the agenda was getting my hair done, but little did I know that my day would be shaken up, literally!

At 1:53 PM, the house started to shake and I thought it was because of the house construction up the street, but then then shaking became more violent.  The house began to sway back and forth, while picture frames rattled and I kept thinking that the house as going to collapse.  After nearly two minutes, the shaking had stopped and the neighbors had poured into the streets and that is when I heard "I think that was an earthquake."

I frantically attempted to call John, but the phone lines were down.  Thankfully, the Internet was still working, so I sent him an IM that said "Call me ASAP", his response was one word "EARTHQUAKE".

It was by far the scariest moment of my life.  One minute I am folding laundry and the next, I am hearing "earthquake" all over the news.  It was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake, with the epicenter being in Virginia.

Thankfully there was no damage to the house, just a few items, which had fallen from the storage shelves.  There was minimal damage throughout the city, but thankfully no one was harmed in the earthquake.

I survived my first earthquake, and it was a very scary experience.  Now, we must prepare for Hurricane Irene, which is scheduled to hit the area on Sunday.  At least with hurricanes, I know the routine!

Preserving Your Wedding Gown

After the "I Do's" have been said, the thank you notes have been sent out, now it is time to begin your lives together as husband and wife.  You have spent months finding the perfect wedding dress and after wearing it on your wedding day, now the question is what to do with your wedding gown?

After speaking to some of my married friends, some had their wedding gown preserved, while others just stashed it away in their closet.  My good friend, Amanda, will be donating her wedding dress to Brides Across America, which is an organization that provides military brides with the wedding gown of their dreams. 

There are many reasons to get your wedding dress preserved.  One day, you may want to pass it down to a future daughter, daughter in law, friend or even a member of your family.  Preserving your wedding gown will protect it from sun exposure, discoloring, etc. 

Wedding dress preservation can cost anywhere between $99 and $300.  David's Bridal offers wedding gown preservation for $189, which will include professional cleaning of your dress and preservation in a box.  This is an alternative to taking it to your local dry cleaners, which can cost up to $300.

Upon much consideration, I have decided to have my dress preserved by Admiral Cleaners.  They are a local dry cleaning company in Annapolis, who have been in business for many years.  Not to mention, they have come highly recommended and do wonderful work. 

Our Wedding- It's All About the Decor and Details

July 30, 2011 was the happiest days of our lives, as that is the day that we became husband and wife.  From the moment guests walked through the door, they were greeted with pictures of John and I throughout our relationship.  The guest book was DIY, as I gave it an extra added touch with teal ribbon and a pearl broach, which was from the bridal shower favors. 

In order to save money, which the wedding was budget friendly, John decided to make our card box.  We went downstairs and searched for empty boxes that would do the trick.  After covering it with white wrapping paper, it was wrapped in teal ribbon and accented with several starfish, which I had purchased at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. 

Since it was a beach themed wedding, we opted out of the unity candle and decided to have a sand unity ceremony.  It is the same concept, we both poured two different color of sand into the same vase, to symbolize two lives coming together as one.  We will keep the sand unity and display it on each anniversary.

Another money saving trick was to use premium plastic ware instead of renting china from a vendor.  After searching for the perfect plastic ware, we had decided on square white plates, premium tumblers, and silverware that looks like the real thing! When planning our wedding, I wanted to added various personal touches, so I decided to look for personalized napkins.  I found ones that matched the theme of the wedding on The Knot Wedding Shop.  The price was very reasonable, so I purchased both cocktail and luncheon napkins, which were a big hit with the guests!

John and I had a sweetheart table, which was decorated with the centerpiece that was on each guest table, along with a pair of champagne flutes, which were an engagement gift from my sister, Lauren.  We sat under an arch, which is where the ceremony was held. 

After the toasts, dances and delicious food, it was time to get to the most important part of a wedding reception...the wedding cake!  We had chosen our wedding cake from Publix and what a delicious and beautiful cake it was.  They had offered a beach themed wedding cake, which was perfect.  To save money, we provided our own seashells, instead of paying for gum past shells.  In addition to the wedding cake, I had surprised John with a groom's cake, which was a golf bag.  Even though he is a tennis coach, he really enjoys playing golf, so that was a great surprise for him!

Our wedding day was absolutely perfect, a day that we will never forget.  From the delicious food to the personalized details throughout the yacht club, it was truly a special day, not only for John and I, but for our family and friends as well.   Now it is time to enjoy our lives together as husband and wife!

Honeymooning at Mile Zero

After becoming Mr. and Mrs. Moreland, it was time for some relaxation and fun in the sun in Key West.  The Reach was our luxurious home during our honeymoon.  From the moment we checked in, we knew that this was going to be a great stay.  Upon entering our 3rd floor room, we were greeted with a bottle of champagne from the resort and a gift basket from Aunt Jane and Pop.  In addition to the gift basket, they had given us a sunset cruise, which was scheduled to depart the next evening.

The view from our room was breathtaking, as every morning we awoke to the blue ocean and sunny skies. 

The first night, we stayed close to the resort, as we were both exhausted from the drive, but we could not be any happier to be on our honeymoon as husband and wife.  Our first meal was at Duffy's Steak & Lobster House, where we started off the meal with a traditional Key West favorite, conch fritters.  I enjoyed a Florida lobster tail, while John dined on a tender steak.  Since I was wearing my "just married" tank top, the waitress gifted us with a slice of key lime pie.  What a great way to start off our honeymoon!

The next morning started off with a short walk to the Southernmost Point.  It is amazing that you are only 90 miles from Cuba and on a good day, you can see the lights from Havana.  The Southernmost Point is one of the most known sites in Key West, as tourists stand in line to get their picture by the buoy.

As we made our way down the infamous Duval Street, we decided to take a break from the heat and stop into shops along the way.  After a long walk, we had worked up an appetite and waited for Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville to open.  We were anxiously awaiting for an ice cold margarita and a "Cheeseburger in Paradise". 

That was the day of our sunset cruise, thanks to Aunt Jane and Pop.  We made our way down to the marina, where we were greeted by the staff of Danger Charters.  Once on the sailboat, we were informed of the variety of wines, which will be offered during our sail.  As we sipped on the glass of wine or beer, in John's case, we sampled a wide range of cheese and crackers, all which were delicious.  The sunset was absolutely breathtaking, as we listened to music from Frank Sinatra. 

After a wonderful sunset cruise, we had made our way to Blue Heaven.  I have heard so many good things about this restaurant and decided that we needed to check it out for ourselves.  Their key lime pie was featured on Man vs. Food Nation, so of course John was interested.  After a delicious meal, we had decided to try the famous key lime pie, which was light and full of flavor.

The next morning, we had a snorkeling trip planned through Fury Water Adventures.  We had departed the marina at 9:30 and was headed out to the reef.  After putting on our fins, snorkel and mask, we were ready to explore.  Upon entering the water, we were encountered with jelly fish, which bought most of the people back to the boat.  However, we wanted to see the fish, coral, and reef, so we avoided the jellyfish and enjoyed our snorkeling trip.  It was a wonderful trip, as we got to see a lot of marine life and hopefully was able to capture some good pictures, which were taken on our waterproof disposable camera.

We have heard many great things about the jet ski tour around Key West, so we had decided that it would be a fun activity to end our honeymoon.  It was a 2 hour long tour around the entire island.  At specific locations, the guide had stopped, to inform us on some history of Key West.  This trip was definitely worth the money, as we were able to view Key West from a jet ski, which was so much fun.

For the dinners, we had taken recommendations from the locals and our final dinner was at Michaels.  What a great choice for our final meal in Key West, as we started off with drinks called "The Hemingway" and "Tropical Breeze."  Our meal began with coconut shrimp as an appetizer, then we moved on to the main course, which was seafood Alfredo and steak.  Of course, we had to end the meal with a slice of key lime pie.

Our honeymoon has come to an end, but we will never forget the memories which we had shared together as husband and wife.  From the moment we said "I Do" to swimming in the ocean, our first week together as husband and wife has been very memorable.  We will have the memories and pictures for a lifetime, as this is a time that neither of us will forget. 

We want to thank all of our family and friends who made our day so special.  We hope that everyone comes to Annapolis to visit!

We are MARRIED!!

July 30, 2011 is a day that I will never forget, as it was the best day of my life.  On that day, I married my best friend and became Mrs. John Moreland III.  John made me the happiest woman in the world, when we said "I Do".  I cannot believe that everything is over and now we are enjoying life as newlyweds.

The day began very early, as my excitement wouldn't allow me to sleep.  My mom and I went and got our hair done for the big day.  My wonderful makeup artist, Amanda Eve, arrived to do makeup for my mom, sister and myself.  We were all very excited for what is going to happen in a few hours.  The very talented, Kristen Wynn, arrived ahead of schedule with her husband, to get set up for the day.

After my makeup was complete, it was start to put on my jewerly, which my mom had purchased for me as part of my bridal shower gift. I had rhinestone heart earings, with a matching necklace and a rhinestone bracelete.

My bridesmaids had finally arrived, with food, wine, and champange, which was very much appreciated, as I was getting hungry.  Now that the makeup and earings are on, it was time to put on my gorgeous wedding dress and glitter shoes.  This is when it really set in that I was getting married, but I could not wait to walk down the aisle to my future husband.

Now that everyone is dressed and ready to go, it was time to head outside to the South Florida summer heat to take pictures.  Thankfully, there was some breeze, because it was very hot, however, I pulled it out and as a result, Kristen was able to capture some beautiful photos.

Kristen headed over to the yacht club, to start pictures with John and the guys.  Of course, they had to endure the heat too, but thanks to editing, you would not even know that anyone was sweating.  The ceremony started on time, with me walking down the aisle with my dad and brother.  I was very excited to get down to my husband to be.  After being announced husband and wife, it was time to start the party! 

Everything at the reception was simply beautiful and perfect.  The night went by so fast, but we could have not asked for a better night.  From the food to the music, it was everything that we dreamed out and much more!  We are very excited to begin our lives together as husbsand and wife.