Bridal Survival Tip #1 - Don't Rush Right Into Planning The Wedding

The holiday season is upon us, which also means engagement season is here as well. Now through February is prime time for proposals and engagements. Not only is this a time for spending with family and friends celebrating Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year, and let's not forget Valentines Day, it's also the time when the love of your life has decided to make this the best holiday ever by popping the question…"Will You Marry Me".

So in preparation for all the new bubbling and blushing brides to come I would like to dedicate this series to you…Bridal Survival – Tips To Help You Have A Perfect Wedding

Survival Tip #1 - Do Not Rush Right Into Planning the Wedding

Allow yourself time to enjoy being engaged without the pressure of jumping right into the planning. There will be plenty of time for planning, but for now just bask in the glow that he loves you enough to want to spend the rest of his life with you and has now made it official.

Use this time to get reacquainted with your fiancé as you work together on cultivating your relationship and making plans for your future. Make it all about your relationship and not about the wedding.

Allow some down time for your fiancé. Believe me he has worked hard on selecting a ring, planning the proposal, getting up the nerve to ask you to marry him and keeping his plans to do so from your ever suspecting eyes and ears.

Take this time to really think about your wedding day and how you would like to remember it. What do you want this day to mean to you and your honey in the years to follow? Who do you really want there to share in the day? Really put some thought into it before you start making plans.

Make the decision now, during this quiet time to enjoy the process. There will be thousands of decisions to make, and everyone will have an opinion on what you should be doing for "your big day". Resolve now to follow your heart and to do what's best for you and your honey.

Maintain your focus, which should be "I'm marrying my best friend and we are going to have a wonderful life together" rather than "I'm going to be a bride and finally have my dream wedding". Remember to keep the proper perspective.

Now I know you're excited, and you've been waiting for this all your life…but a word of caution….take this time to enjoy the engagement and to let it all sink in. Don't turn into Polly Planner mode and scare your poor fiancé away.

What's In A Name?

I must admit, up until last year, my thoughts and feelings about changing my last name if I were ever to get married caused me much angst. I mean, this is my name. I've had it all my life. It's a part of who I am, and besides it's a pretty cool name…Stacey Strickler….has a nice ring to it…don't you think? Of course I considered hyphenating, but after talking to a friend she helped me to understand that when you say "I do", the two become one and you agree to take it all (including the name). I've embraced it and am looking forward to becoming a Mrs. and taking his last name as my own.

Following is a name change checklist that will help you (and me) in making the transition from Miss to Mrs.

Social Security
Drivers License
Passport
Voter Registration
Auto Registration
401K accounts
Car insurance/registration
Billing accounts (credit cards, cell phone, electric, water, gas)
Club memberships
Dentist's and Doctor's office
Employment records
Email addresses
Homeowners's/renter's insurance
IRA accounts
Leases
Life insurance
Loans
Medical insurance
Other insurance
Pension plan records
Post office
Property titles
Safe-deposit box
School records
Social security
Stocks and bonds
Subscriptions
Wills/trusts