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Winter, spring, summer, fall… gift your guests by season with great favors from the Weddingbee Favors Shop! This week all favors are 10% off—our biggest discount to date! Check out our favorite seasonal favors and pop in and see what we’ve got in stock for your wedding date!
This year, hive members swapped Valentines Day cards and showed their love for their fellow bees! Here are the results of the swap…the creativity floating around the hive is awesome! 
In the media -The front says: “Love is the greatest refreshment in life.” - Pablo Picasso
The inside says: Drink it up! And it contains a packet of Kool-Aid, in red of course.
Catch up on the entire After “I Do” series here! And if you have a burning question you’d like to see discussed, submit it here!
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How has your marriage affected your other relationships (with family, friends, coworkers, etc.)? Have you noticed a change in any of your other relationships now that you’re married?
For us, there wasn’t a change, really. Since we had lived together for three years before the wedding, and had been together for four years total, it seemed everyone was used to us being “us.” I had lost one friend early on in our relationship—she was a toxic friend who couldn’t stand seeing me happy and refused to be around me. I think of that as a good change, definitely. Other friends still saw us, and we made more couple friends, which was nice.
I’d have to say the bigger change came from having children, though. Our friends without kids (married or single) are less likely to invite us to things, while family seems more likely to invite us places, even for the smallest things—because they want to see the baby. I can’t blame them, though!
Read more…
The Weddingbee Favors Shop carries some great favors to satisfy the foodie in you! Check out our favorite picks for food lovers, and share your love with your wedding guests!
Featured on Weddingbee
All-Inclusion Invitation Suites
“Make an elegant invitation statement without the fuss. Stylish invitation sets with matching envelopes, reception and response cards included.”
The Weddingbee Invitations Shop has an entire section dedicated to affordable and stylish invites under $100! Order coordinating save the dates and invites, and take advantage of FREE SHIPPING on all orders over $150!
Check out some of our favorite picks from the $100 and under shop, and find the rest of the goods here!
Perfect Pear ($93.95 for 100)
Catch up on the entire After “I Do” series here! And if you have a burning question you’d like to see discussed, submit it here!
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If you debated changing your name before the wedding, what did you eventually decide and how has it worked out for you thus far? If you could go back and do it differently, would you have?
I had a hard time with the name change, but eventually we both agreed to change our names. The process was a bit involved, which made it an even harder time. But, for me, most of the angst came from the middle stage—after deciding and after the wedding, but before everything was official. I hated feeling like I was “in between” names, and I was kind of a jerk about it. (For example, my passport came back with the wrong name. I was a raging turd and all-around horrible for a few hours afterward, a la the cliched maternity-ward “THIS IS YOUR FAULT!” outburst.)
But once it was “done” (and I say “done” because I just realized a few weeks ago that I’d never changed my name on my vehicle registration, which, as it turns out, is another huge pain and small expense), it really didn’t bother me anymore. After almost a full year, I’m getting used to being a “Spaniel.” I don’t think I’ve even accidentally given the wrong name yet. Well, once.
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Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
Catch up on the entire After “I Do” series here! And if you have a burning question you’d like to see discussed, submit it here!
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After your wedding, what were some of your immediate regrets in regards to the wedding day? Now that time has gone by, do you have different/additional regrets, or do you no longer regret those initial regrets?
Immediate regrets: taking my frustrations out on friends and family members during the day. I had hoped that I would be able to play it cool and let things roll off my back on the big day, but I didn’t. When people upset me or things stressed me out, people knew. I still feel terrible about this. Also, I wish I had been more specific about our playlist or used an iPod. You can read about our DJ-related screw ups in my archives—I’m not going to belabor that point.
Later regrets: OMG I DID NOT GET A PICTURE WITH MY MOTHER. We were LITERALLY together ALL DAY and we do not have a posed photograph that is just the two of us! Also, if I had to get married again, I would probably have a smaller bridal party.
The other little things that bugged me after the wedding (wish I had used real flowers on the cake instead of gum paste, wish I hadn’t raised the waistline of my dress, etc.) have faded in the year since our big day…your regrets will too!
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Catch up on the entire After “I Do” series here! And if you have a burning question you’d like to see discussed, submit it here!
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Are/were you and your SO on the same page when it comes to having children (or not)? Have your views on having children (when, how many, etc.) changed since you were engaged or first married? If so, what changed your mind/views/timeline? Bee parents: How did you and your SO decide when you were ready to start trying to have children? Did any specific life events influence your decision?
Ah yes, the baby timeline. I had it all worked out. We’d get engaged, get married sometime the next year, wait a year and then get pregnant…then have a second one when the first was about two…that would make us 36 and 38 at which time we would figure out if we wanted a third. The funny thing about timelines, is that they seem so necessary…and to a certain point, they are…I mean, it would have made no sense to wait ten or so years to experience our marriage and then have a baby because we didn’t get married until I was 32 and he was 34. But the reality is that sometimes timelines are just too much pressure.
Have we followed our timeline pretty consistently? Sure. Would it have killed us to have strayed from the timeline? No…it probably would have helped us feel less pressure. The truth is, there is no GOOD time to have a baby. Sometimes the best timing is the unexpected timing because without it you wouldn’t understand how much control you have to relinquish when you have kids. period.
I will say, that the most comforting thing that my husband and I experienced when making that final yes-we’re-ready-to-try-to-start-a-family NOW decision was witnessing two of my most eccentric and opinionated and unique friends have a baby together and seeing how it both did and did not change who they were as people.
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Join the Pittsburgh bees for a meet up tomorrow, February 19th (Saturday) at Bocktown Beer and Grill!
They have quite a few beers on draft, but they have more to offer than just booze—check out their website for a full menu.
Bocktown is located at 690 Chauvet Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15275, out near IKEA and across the parking lot from Target. We’ll be there on Saturday, February 19th, at 1:30PM. When you get there, just ask for the Weddingbee meet up, or look lost and I’m sure someone will wave you over to our table.
Hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow!
Catch up on the entire After “I Do” series here! And if you have a burning question you’d like to see discussed, submit it here!
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How did your relationship change in the first year of your marriage? When comparing day 1 of your marriage to day 365, did you sense any specific/notable changes? If the changes were negative, what were some things you and your SO did to get back on track?
Marriage for me has been like running a three-legged race. You’d better be in this thing TOGETHER and in sync, otherwise you’re going to fall flat on your face.
Before Mr. Powder Puff and I got married, we’d make joint decisions. Joint decisions like where were we going to go for dinner. Once we signed our marriage license, we realized that we are now a unit, a family. And we make decisions based on what’s best for the family, not just us as individuals. From little things, like what kind of curtains to get, to big things like where we’ll live and how we’ll spend our money, everything needs to be run past and agreed upon by the other person. This has really taken a lot of trust and compromise that wasn’t as necessary before we tied the knot.
Sometimes Mr. Powder Puff and I get out of sync and have a stumble. But the best part about marriage is you always have a partner to help you get back up. Hopefully with time we’ll become even more adept at working together. Heck, we have an entire lifetime to perfect it! Until then, we’ll keep picking each other up, and working toward our goals…together.
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Catch up on the entire After “I Do” series here! And if you have a burning question you’d like to see discussed, submit it here!
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On a scale of 1 to 10, how much stress does money put on your relationship? Has it changed since the beginning of your marriage? How do you handle your finances as a couple? What do you think you could do to improve the way you handle your finances?
On a scale of 1 to 10, finances are a 2 right now. Up until the the beginning of the year, it was more of an 8 for me and a 6 for the Mr.
Since we were engaged, we have had separate our money into several different accounts: we each have a personal checking account, and then we have a joint checking and savings accounts. When we get paid, an equal dollar amount gets deposited into our separate accounts, with the remainder (a much larger proportion) in our joint. We use our personal money for gifts for each other, dinner or drinks with friends, and frivolous items ourselves, like fun shoes for me or video games for Mr. Dahlia. All of our finances: retirement accounts, bank accounts, frequent flier accounts, savings bonds, etc., are tracked online through yodlee.com. (I know that mint.com is the more popular choice—it is “GUI-er” and has a prettier interface—but I’d rather have the greater functionality of Yodlee.)
For the money in our joint account, twice a month money is automatically withdrawn into our savings account (currently held at SmartyPig.com), where it is dispersed among several short and medium term goals. (Everything from funding our emergency fund to our downpayment savings to vacations and Christmas gifts and our renter’s insurance). The remainder is what is left for spending that month. We typically pay for things with a credit card (since we get cash back) but pay it off in full every month. We both contribute a significant portion of our pretax income to our 401ks.
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Chances are that your bridesmaids and friends are traveling far and wide to attend your bachelorette party. Show your appreciation for them with fun and affordable goodies from the Weddingbee Favors Shop! Remember: the prices on almost all favors go down when you order in bulk, so check out the favors’ pages to find even deeper discounts than those listed here!
Here are some of our favorite bachelorette gift ideas:
“With This Ring” Chrome Diamond-Ring Bottle Stopper ($4.14 each this week with 10% off)
10% off everything in the shop ends this Saturday! See the end of this post for details!
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The Weddingbee Invitations Shop is constantly growing with great new products, and we’re excited to share! Check out the understated elegance of our new Martha Stewart stationery, as well as a slew of fun new paper goods right here!
Finally, our very own bee stationery!
The shops are expanding, and we’re loving the new products in the Weddingbee Favors Shop! We’re loving all things black and white—classic and chic. From gifts, to favors, to decor, check out just a small sampling of what’s new and monochromatic!
“Kensington” Personalized Reversible Tote - solid ivory canvas on one side reverses to bold stripes!
You loved last week’s promo in the Weddingbee Invitations Shop, so we’re extending it until this Saturday!
Until Saturday, the more you spend, the more you save!
10% off $99+
15% off $149+
20% off $199+
We’ve got great wedding essentials in shop, including personalized napkins! The napkins are available in every color under the sun, and you can customize them with your own names and wording! Check out some of our faves:
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Beehive Feature Launched: Aug 31, 2006 About: A forum for readers to post questions and get feedback from the hive, aka the weddingbee community.
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