Posted by: Kyle Sommers, Marketing Analyst
I’m excited to announce that I’m a newly married man! On August 29, I was married, and I can honestly say it was the best day of my life. It’s a day I’ll cherish forever. Although it’s been a few weeks I’m still trying to get used to saying, “wife” instead of “fiancé,” and I still find myself playing with my wedding band as I notice it between my fingers. And though all the planning and preparation for the big day is over, planning for our future has just begun.
I proposed in September 2014, and before I knew it the big day was here, and the ceremony was over. The wedding day and honeymoon were an absolute blur. Friends and family members told me that it would be, and they were right.
For engaged couples, the preparation up until the wedding day seems endless. I can’t take much credit for making the day as wonderful as it was, my wife and our parents handled most of the preparation and behind the scenes work, but I tried to help out as much as possible when my skill set allowed and always asked how I could help.
To me, it was important to attend all of the meetings and be by my wife’s side when we were making important decisions. She valued my input and that was all I needed to feel like I was involved and a part of the process. And, speaking of meetings, there are many of them. A lot require meeting in person and may involve multiple trips (hopefully gas prices stay low if you’re going through your own pre-marriage steps).
Wedding planning is quite the process. There are meetings about the venue, the food, the cake, the decorations, wedding gifts, the marriage counseling, the music, the rehearsal… this list is huge and I’m definitely leaving out a lot of other meetings. Oh, and don’t forget about the guest list and seating arrangements. Narrowing down the guest list is extremely tough, but it’s a conversation that needs to be had. Thankfully, my wife took care of the planning and managing payments. If I were in charge, we would have been in trouble.
For those of you going through the process, take a deep breath and make sure to enjoy the day. The honeymoon went just as fast, it seemed as if Friday followed Monday, and we were on the plane back to Cedar Rapids before I knew it. When we got home, I was hoping we’d be able to enjoy our time together as a married couple. We should be done with our wedding-related planning and tasks, right? Wrong. We’re still trying to complete all of the other tasks associated with getting married and changing one’s name.
Not only do you have to worry about getting the marriage license, but you have to think about new social security cards, updating driver’s licenses and work records. Then, we can’t forget to update our beneficiaries, set up a joint bank account, reach out to creditors, our landlord, our doctor’s office, review insurance accounts and update billing information, etc. Thankfully, there are plenty of
checklists on the Internet, so be sure to utilize them.
Through out the planning process we learned a lot about ourselves and how we work together, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. But, even after everything was said and done, the planning isn’t over. As we start life as a married couple now we have to think about planning for our family. Dreams that seemed so far in the future are starting to become a reality. We got married and are working on saving money for a down payment on our first home, and now are thinking about things like having kids, saving for their college education and having enough to retire.
As we navigate our way through this crazy thing called life, we can rest easy knowing that we have not only the love and support of our family and friends, but trusted advisors at the Credit Union to help us make the best financial decisions for our family.
If you’re going through the wedding planning process, don’t stress. Take a deep breath and enjoy the journey.
