$ Money Saver $

If you don't want to spend $300 on a bridal bouquet got to Sams! I got 150 carnations for $70.00 and made my own bouquets and 4 for my bridesmaids (with a lot to spare!). They also have packages where you can get 75 white roses and 2000 flower petals (all fresh) for $86.00. I mean you just can't beat that!

Also, they sell 2 tier cakes for $34 and 3 tier ones for $65 that they will decorate and color coordinate for you!

XOXO      -Frugal Bride

DO WHAT YOU WANT

I CAN NOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!! DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT, LET ANYONE TELL YOU WHAT TO DO WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR WEDDING!!! 

I almost cancelled my wedding because of silly traditions. People will tell you all day everyday "It's your wedding, you should do what you want!" And then in the next breath say "Don't do that. I don't like that. You shouldn't do that." If it's not your intended or your wedding planner then ignore it. Period.

You want to wear a white dress? WEAR IT! 
You want to only invite 10 people? DO IT!
You want to walk down the aisle by yourself? STRUT YO STUFF GIRL!
You want to have a destination wedding? TELL THEM TO EITHER COME OR NOT!

Let me tell you all something, I had people not come to my wedding because I did a church invitation and they didn't get a personal one. One invitation for the entire church. I announced it myself twice, it was put up on the screen during the announcements and the invitation was put on the bulletin board. I refused to buy 160 extra invitations. And you know what? My wedding and reception were absolutely perfect.

As long as it's what YOU want, go for it! Don't get upset when people have something to say, because trust me, they will. 

Rant Over
XOXO   -Determined Bride

Unequally Yoked - Part 1

My husband and I are Christians. We love God and strive to live the way He wants us to. I can not tell you how important being "equally yoked"(II Corinthians 6:14) is. Not only in faith, but also in general.

When you both are on a similar level of Christian maturity you agree more and you're able to coexist with each other more peacefully. Why? Because you have the same values, beliefs and morals. Being a Christian is by no means easy. BUT being a Christian couple is easier than being an unsaved couple. I say this because if you believe in God and what His Word says then you already have an entire book of instructions! The Bible clearly states many things in regards to marriage and the household. My husband believes that the husband is the head of the household and I agree. That does not mean he can wake me up at 2 am and demand that I make him a sandwich and I better hurry up about it. It does mean however, that I know that I can depend on him to make decisions for our family. I submit to him as he submits to me (Ephesians 5:22). I see a TON of people struggle with their spouses' inability to keep their side of the family out of their marriage. The husband runs to his mother/sister/aunt/cousin every time something happens and understandably this causes friction. Or the wife runs to her family whenever (not just for emergencies) they call, leaving her own home to fend for itself. I also see a lot of spouses' bad mouthing their partner to each others families. It's sad and harmful. The Bible has something to say about that too. Genesis 2:24 says that "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." (It's the two of you together FIRST, then everyone else). So if  I believe that the Bible is what I'm basing my marriage off of and he does too we shouldn't have these issues and if we do (because we're not perfect) we understand what we did wrong, ask for forgiveness and move on from it.

Through years of dating I learned that another form of being unequally yoked that can put a lot of strain on a relationship is social imbalances. I grew up one way and he grew up another. My husband has experienced this in the past as well. This issue manifests itself sporadically and often. For instance, some people are more reserved and proper in public, others are loud and just want to have fun no matter where. I am the latter, and because of that as soon as I would say "Can you please stop being so loud?" or something of that nature I'm a "party pooper", "acting bougie" etc. and next thing you know we're both upset. I love going to church ANY Sunday I don't have to work, others go when they feel like it (this can also be applied to being on different spiritual levels) because that's what they're family did. Another BIG thing that my husband and I realized is that some people grow up always doing holidays with their families (more about this convo in another post haha), and others would rather travel or stay to themselves. Traditions are HUGE in some families and if for the past 46 years, since Grandma Lou passed, everyone still meets up at Uncle Pete's for Christmas you're going to have a time convincing your spouse (and their family, because families LOVE to have a say so) that you all should go to the beach instead, or to your families house. 

I am a newlywed so I am not saying that I have all the answers, or even part of the answers but what I do say I have learned from watching the flourishing decades-long relationships of my families, as well as Christian Counseling courses and good ole Sunday Morning worship, Bible Study and prayer.

*Keep a look out for part 2!*

XOXO
- The Mrs

BAM

So I HAVE to sprinkle in some details about my wedding and the planning every now and then, along with a few tips and tricks I picked up. I was as cool as a cucumber in ice water up until about a month and a half before the wedding. I was like "I got this!", "It'll be fine!", "I'm not even stressing, as long as he says I do and I say the same I could care less what happens." And then all of a sudden the time started fast forwarding. I was in the Twilight Zone. Weeks turned into seconds. BAM! It's too late to order anything from EBay because it take 90 days to get to the states, oh well for saving that extra $50.00. BAM it's too late to ask such and such to help out because they have to ask for time off 30 days in advance. BAM now it's too late to order from anywhere in the US without paying an extra $20 for express shipping so it'll get here on time. BAM I need a shot of anything, I'll even take rubbing alcohol at this point. And then BAM it was all over. Just like that. It was literally the fastest summer and day of my entire life. We got married September 10th and 3:00 pm and in my mind it was still August. I kid you not. And you know what? I wouldn't trade it for anything. The day was absolutely perfect.

My first little nugget of wisdom to all Brides-To-Be (one that was given to me) is to always ALWAYS carry around a notebook. I had a simple purple, single subject, college ruled notebook that had to be fixed with tape at least once a week but it became my lifeline. Every thought, to-do list, coupon, suggestion, idea, picture, etc went into that notebook. I didn't go anywhere at all without it and it saved me more than once.

Talk to you soon!!!
-The Planner

First things first!

Hi! Welcome to my blog! As you've read in the description, this blog is dedicated to my "LAW" (life after wedding) experiences. I've mentioned the "what do I do now?" dilemma to a few older married women and they've simply said "enjoy your marriage", and I am excited to do just that!

This is not an in-depth look into my marriage by any means because I believe in keeping some things private, however, I will be sharing different milestones as well as day to day transitions as I move away from single life. Technically, I have already moved on, but to be completely honest, going from making all my decisions alone and being 100% independent to being married is something that takes getting used to.

I also LOVE to cook so I'll be sharing my meals that I prepare for my husband and I, as well as other things we're interested in!

Talk to you soon!
XOXO     -The Mrs