Special Guest Author: Gail Vaz-Oxlade the host of “Til Debt Do Us Part” and “Princess” on Slice TV

It was a truly a pleasure meeting Gail at last year’s Bridal Fantasy. I sincerely recommend that if you ever get a chance to see/hear Gail speak at any event, it is definitely worth all the effort. She is not only witty and intelligent, she is beautifully charismatic as well. So as I promised, here it is folks . . . the second part of Gail’s article Married and Moving Forward (If you didn’t catch Part 1 of this blog series, make sure you do before you proceed to Part 2!) . . .

“Step #1: Talk to your partner. Now that you’re part of a family, you can’t go off half-cocked, assuming your buddy is on the same page as you. You’ve got to talk about it. Sit down and discuss what kind of timeline you each have in mind.

Your new life partner may want to have children, but may want to wait a year or four until you’re settled in a home of your own. You, on the other hand, may be dying to get pregnant. Step #2 is to work out a time frame that meets both your needs.

Which brings us to Step #3: make a plan that lets you achieve this dream without putting your new family at risk financially. Will you live on one income and bank the rest so you can save up for a down payment on a home? Will you practice living on one income so that when a baby does come along you have a big fat slush fund to supplement your paltry maternity benefits? Will you delay your family long enough to get your student loans paid off? Figure out what’s important to both of you and plan together to make your real life work.

Now that you’re married and moving forward together, you can use each other’s strengths to keep you on track. Share your dreams. Talk about your expectations. And make a plan that takes you from where you are now to where you want to be. Working as a team, you can make all your dreams come true.”

Special Guest Author: Gail Vaz-Oxlade the host of “Til Debt Do Us Part” and “Princess” on Slice TV

Match your dreams to reality . . .

Psychologists have identified a phenomenon that’s probably been around as long as the Jack & Jill but hasn’t been talked about much: The Post-wedding blues. After the frantic build-up to the big day, the let-down can be huge, particularly for brides. If you’ve been managing a team of service providers, coordinating a b’zillian details and spending like there’s no tomorrow, the day after can seem like the big fizzle.

Now it’s time to get down to the business of life. And if you want that life to be fabulous, you have to come to terms with your reality. While it’s wonderful to dream that you could make every day your wedding day where everyone does your bidding and money isn’t top of mind, it’s time to grow up and get real.

The only way you’ll be able to create a life that is satisfying and magical - yes, there is magic still to come - is to set some realistic expectations. Don’t just pull wishes out of the air and then hope that you can make them come true. “I want to own my own McMansion by this time next year” may be a little bit of a bigger bite than you can chew. Instead, figure out what you really, really want, prioritize your goals and then create the plan to make it all come to pass.

Whether you want to own your own home, start a family or go into business for yourself, you need to break your goal down into manageable steps.

And to find out what Gail’s 3 recommended steps are, stay tuned for Monday’s blog! So for now, Bridal Fantasy hopes you have a good weekend and we’ll see ya next week.

When it comes to giving cash gifts, there are many creative options to be explored. From fun and glamorous card holders to unique paper foldings, there are plenty of ways to have fun with the presentation of your cash or gift card.

If you want your cash gift to stand out from the crowd and show the recipient(s) that you’ve put more thought and consideration into their gift than simply stopping by the bank on your way to the party, we have some suggestions for you.

As the giving of cash gifts has become more common, many card designers have designed brilliant cards that are intended for cash and gift cards. These specialized cash and gift card holders truly make cash gifts and gift cards a lot more appealing, and much more appreciated by the recipients. These holders also make sure that the cash or gift card stays in place and does not fall out onto the lap of the recipient when he or she opens the gift.

Another trend comes in the form of paper folding. Within the art of origami, thousands of different creations can be made by simply folding paper, so why not paper bills? Money folding has definitely become an interesting and unique method of cash giving as paper bills are folded into hundreds of different designs ready to be given just as it is. This can be particularity effective with colourful currency, and, as the pictures show, foreign bills can really make a piece of origami stand out. If you choose to make an origami money folding, consider presenting it within a nice gift box that will carry this incredible creation.

Now go out and learn how to fold your own origami paper bill! There are numerous sources that teach you how to fold money into different designs. You can also check out www.foldinmoney.com for different tutorial kits that can teach you how to fold some pretty neat shapes.

Pictures Obtain From:
http://www.tipjunkie.com/2008/12/gift-card-holders.html

What is one of the biggest problem between couples in any relationship? Money. In the current economy, it’s very easy to see why people are more tense and spend more time arguing about money. Kelly Keehn is a financial expert, speaker, elder planning counselor and author, along with being a contributing author to Bridal Fantasy Magazine. Recently she did an interview on CTV on couples and money - a great interview that every couple should see. Check out her website at www.kellykeehn.com - the video is right on the home page! There’s also tons of other great resources to help you with any questions you might have about money. Enjoy!