 Music tends to be one of the last things you think of when planning a wedding, and while it might seem like it would be super easy. It can take a ton of time especially if you want to make sure the songs are meaningful to your life.
While planning my wedding I wanted to make sure that the songs reflected things that I loved most: my faith, my family, my soon to be husband and I, etc. These are songs that you will look back on (or maybe not) but when you hear them, they most likely will mean something a little extra to you. First decision is to decide on Live Music, a DJ, or DIY. Live music and a DJ can get expensive so sometimes it easier to just DIY and make a playlist, plug it in the aux and hit play. (Side note: If you’re skipping out on a DJ, someone will have to be in control of the playlists throughout the event. Make sure it’s someone who you can depend on and maybe test out a few run-throughs before the big day!) Next, is coming up with the actual songs. Now this is the hard bit, and you can do a ton of research online. To start your list I recommend using an excel google doc so that when you are done you can share it with your DJ (if that's the route you choose). Tips:
Now just in case you are curious what I played at my own wedding and you think you might have the same taste as me I will share my music list that I came up with for my wedding. I put a lot of songs in a playlist on Spotify and then narrowed down my choices with time to what I loved most. MY WEDDING PLAYLIST The Ceremony While Guests Arrive :
The Reception Bridal Party Entrance:
Dancing Uptwown Funk - Bruno Mars I wanna dance with Somebody - Whitney Houston Happy - Pharrell Williams Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 Signed, sealed, delivered I'm yours - Stevie Wonder In my feelings - Drake speechless - Dan & Shay mo mamba - Shek Wes jumpman - Drake finesse - Bruno Mars / Cardi B cant stop this feeling - Justin Timberlake 24K magic - Bruno Mars hotline bling - Drake dear future husband - Meghan Trainor Treasure - Bruno Mars omg- Usher suit & tie - Justin Timberlake wannabe - Spice girls livin on a prayer - Bon Jovi billie jean - Michael Jackson rock with you- Michael Jackson vogue - Madonna jailhouse rock - Elvis Heaven - Kane Brown God's Plan - Drake Poor some sugar on me - Def Leppard 10,000 Hours -Dan & Shay T-Shirt - Thomas Rhett footloose - Kenny Loggins bye bye bye - NSYNC Look what God gave her - Thomas Rhett My DO NOT Play List
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 Looking on how to change your name? Recently married and don't know where to begin? Girl, I got you! As a recently married gal myself I am here to save you the hours of research and help you in 10 easy steps. You probably have a marriage license already, but that doesn't mean you have changed your name. You thought the wedding planning process was a lot? Think again....now it's time to change your name. Wait until you see the lines at the BMV or Social Security Office, or have to deal with the restrictions of COVID on top of changing your name. Welcome to 2020 ya'll! 1. Get Your Marriage License and Certified Copies These documents are KEY and you cannot move to step two without them. When you apply for your marriage license, ask if you can purchase certified copies in advance. They are inexpensive and will save you through this process. This way, instead of having to go back to get copies once you've received your marriage certificate after your wedding, you'll get your certificate and your certified copies all at once. Put the certificate and copies somewhere safe, but keep the certified copies on hand as you will be pulling them throughout the process. 2. Update Your Social Security Card With COVID you now can't go into the branch so you send everything through the mail. Find your nearest location Here. You'll keep the same number—just your name will be different. Print and fill out the application for a social security card in advance. Mail in your application to the local Social Security Administration office. You will also need to send in :
3. Change Your License at the BMV / DMV Once you receive your new Social Security Card you can update your license. Bring every form of identification that your local DMV instructs you to—including your current license, your certified marriage certificate and, most importantly, your new Social Security card. You will need to take a new photograph, as well as pay the renewal fee. Small tip: BRING EXTRA copies of your proof of address. These can be: your lease or mortgage documents, insurance documents, or a bill or bank statement that is mailed to your home address. If you want to update your voter registration as well make sure to bring your Birth Certificate. This process typically takes 2 weeks for you to be mailed a new license. 4. Get a New Passport and Travel Documents Changing your name on your passport is considered a correction. If your passport was issued less than a year ago, you'll be able to have the correction made without paying a fee. If you can do this I highly recommend (a reason why you shouldn't wait to change your name) However, if you've had your current passport for a year or more, the fee for a change and a new passport book is $110 (plus an expedite fee if you're in a rush (maybe you have a honeymoon planned) But with COVID probably not anywhere you might need a passport. Again, welcome to 2020! All passport changes must be applied for by mail. The U.S. Department of State has put together a convenient tool that will help you fill out the change form, which can be found here. Once you've filled it out, send the following to the National Passport Processing Center: (Also if you go to your local post office, they are a huge help, and can take your passport photo for you) This process typical takes 8-10 weeks but with COVID can take more.
If you're honeymooning out of the country, you'll naturally need your passport, and your passport must match your tickets. If you'll have your new passport by the time you'll take flight, go ahead and book the ticket under your new name. If you won't have your new passport at that point, stick with your maiden name when you book the ticket. 5. Change Your Name on Your Bank Accounts As soon as you have your new license you can head to your bank and update your name there. Note that most banks require that these changes be made in person, or will require you to mail in a certified copy of your marriage license if you don't live near a physical location. If you do not live near your branch some will let you email them the information. If you're going in person, bring the following documents with you:
6. Change Your Name on Your Credit Cards This process is easier than your bank because you can do it all through a phone call. Now this process will vary from company to company. Contact your credit card company directly to determine the best way to have a card issued with your new name. 7. Change Your Name with Your Employer Contact your company's human resources office or payroll processor to provide your new information as soon as possible. This way your checks will be issued with the correct name, and direct deposits will be processed correctly. Also don't forget to contact IT to get your name changed in Outlook / email, as well as other systems. 8. Update Your Insurance Information Whether you're combining insurance policies or are simply updating the information on your own policy, this is a major change you need to make as soon as possible to ensure you're covered in the event of a claim. You will need a copy of your marriage license to move this along. 9. Update Your Mortgage, Rent, and Utilities Companies Be sure to update the payment information as well as the info on your account. Most can be easily updated online in your account portal or on the phone, and should be as simple as typing in your new last name and entering your new credit card number or bank routing information. 10. Fill in the Blanks Once you have a Social Security card and driver's license in your married name, other changes should be fairly easy. Most places you can do it online or only require a phone call.
Tip: Dealing With Your New Last Name at Work Decide which name you will be using professionally and send an email to your work colleagues, clients, and vendors when you return from your honeymoon, reintroducing yourself with the name you are using. This is especially important if your company will be changing your email address to reflect your new last name. If you're not changing it, you should let your colleagues know that, too. 4/5/2020 0 Comments COVID-19 WEDDING STORY(The Story) First, The Lord has taught me some things with this wedding. The time leading up to the wedding was so hard. I think every emotion went through my body leading up to it. But through all the cracks was so much of God’s love and mercy that was shown. I re-planned my wedding day about 7 times leading up to the day within 7 days. It’s a sensitive subject to me and I’m not sure I still understand all the feelings I have that go with all of it. I have heard it all. I did my best to trust the Lord through the process, lean on Him for my own understanding, and I tried to stay positive. It was tough. I would be lying if I didn’t say that my heart felt broken. I had planned this day for months. Every detail, every moment. I remember one night when hearing all day at work about COVID-19 I came down and broke down. I had stayed strong at work because it was my job to be the support system for employees but when it came to my own life / day it all came crashing down. I went up to my office and cried, I got out my Bible and I read a devotion that said trust in me and my plan for you. Keep me close says the Lord. After that moment I felt peace over me and the situation. The next day more details began to change but I trusted the Lord and his plan. A few days later we had to make the executive decision to postpone our wedding day. I was angry, sad, my heart was broken inside. I knew it was no one’s fault, it was just a crazy circumstance. Here's what I knew: I knew I wanted my big extravagant day, so we postponed to August and boy did the Lord work. There was one Saturday available at the venue. August 1st. It just so happened to be my great-grandparents wedding anniversary. While I was angry and sad this brought me so much peace. I saw the plan God had for us. This date is so meaningful because I was named after my great-grandmother Sarah Elizabeth. Her husband (my great-grandfather) Dean, was a light to my life growing up. We moved to the family farm when I was 5 and the farm has been in our family since 1851. Dean used to say the farm was “The Best Place on Earth” and needless to say he is right. He was the strongest Christian I’ve ever known. He read his Bible every day, he prayed for hours each night and he prayed for every member of the family by name. So having his wedding date be our new date I was at peace. Nate and I also knew that we wanted to still be married April 4th like we had planned. So we planned to have a tiny backyard wedding that day. Throughout the week more and more plans changed. Nates family, and our pastor could no longer come because the state had shut down its borders. I felt heartbroken yet again. But we would not let the devil ruin our plans. Here is how God’s mercy peaked through: A week ago Nate and I started our journey studying the word through @ReviveIndiana in our marriage counseling we learned the importance of reading the Bible as a couple and we wanted to fully commit to this. So we did just that and we read, and watch Kyle Lance Martin daily. After we started Revive and more and more wedding plans changed I saw how God works. I wasn’t as stressed as before or as angry. I felt an overwhelming peace fill my life. If plans changed I knew and believed “God’s Got This!” As the week went on I decided that I wanted to have the small zoom ceremony at my parents house, the family farm, and “the best place on Earth” so we did just that. I wanted it here because even though the Lord is with Nate and I wherever we go, I knew that The Lord would be with us extra at the farm. My parents set it all up, we social distanced, had our immediate family on a big screen and lot’s of cameras. Pastor Tom graciously stepped in as the officiant. It was small, it wasn’t what I dreamed of, I didn’t get to walk down the aisle, or wear my dress, or have our first dance. But that will all come soon in August. We are just happy to be married and start a life together through Christ. This will make a crazy story to tell generations to come. It became a story of God’s love and mercy. And we get two wedding dates to celebrate now. Let me be clear. I am thrilled to be married to the man of my dreams. But I am still grieving a little too. Sometimes things are not perfect, and God has a different story to be written. Trust that His is always better than the one you want to write. This is what I learned. This is God’s story that we get to be a part of.  10/30/2019 0 Comments You Are ENGAGED.... Now WHAT?!?!Your Engaged!!! Congrats!!! But the big question is now what???? Wedding planning is supposed to be the best right? But it can also be an extremely stressful process. Trust me I've been engaged a little less than a month and the first few weeks after the engagement I was a big ball of stress. So here's my tips on what to do after you get engaged. 1. CELEBRATE Tell your family and friends, and take a moment with your newly minted fiancé! You'll get caught up in wedding planning soon, so savor this time before you let the stress get the best of you. 2. INSURE YOUR RING Make sure you talk to an insurance agent about coverage in case your ring or its stones ever need to be repaired or replaced. First, get an appraisal by a certified independent gemologist; most jewelers will provide this service upon purchase and make sure you understand all the terms of the policy. Find out whether you are covered if the ring is lost, stolen, or damaged, what stipulations there are, if any, and how long the claims process takes. You might be able to add a jewelry rider to your existing homeowner's or renter's policy; if not, set up a separate policy. In my case Nate (my lovely fiance) took care of this right away. 3. SET A BUDGET Prior to making any wedding decisions, you need to figure out what you have to spend and whether your families will contribute. Make sure you and your fiancé are in agreement about your priorities before talking to your parents about budget and logistics. Also REMEMBER this is ONE DAY and while yes it is meant to be special there are ways to make it special without breaking the bank. 4. MAKE A WEDDING EMAIL This is my top recommendation To do before you start your wedding planning. Once you start planning and emailing places it's easy for everything to get lost in your email. So to keep everything in one place just make a little gmail for your all your wedding stuff. 5. DRAFT THE GUEST LIST Once the budget is set, figure out who you're going to invite to your wedding. If deciding who's coming (and who isn't) threatens to either bankrupt you or start a war with your families, scale back. 6. THINK ABOUT THE BIG PICTURE Envision the type of wedding you both want—maybe it's the event of your childhood dreams or one that reflects your current tastes. Even if you are set on a formal event in a ballroom, considering other possibilities. The same holds true for selecting the time of day and mood of the wedding. 7. PICK THE VENUE Now that you have your budget and guest list settled, it's time to pick your wedding venue. Where you wed can dictate a lot about the wedding—from the date to the dress code. The key is to look far and wide, and to follow the advice that's typically given for the wedding-dress hunt: "Try on" different options, not only the one you think you want. You never know what you'll end up liking the most. Also I recommend making an excel sheet with prices, address of the venue, what day's they have available, etc. 8. DISCUSS A DATE Once the word is out, expect lots of questions, including "When are you getting married?" Reveal a date if you have one, or let curious friends know plans are in the works—as they should be, especially if you want to hold your wedding at a popular time of year, such as June or over a holiday. Locations, photographers, caterers, and other professionals book up early, sometimes a year in advance. Also make sure that your venue you love best has your date available. If you have always dreamed of a specific date just make sure you know that the date can really depend on the venue. This is why you should pick a venue before a date. 9. SHARE YOUR PLANS WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS As you start booking things, you’ll definitely want to keep your family and close friends in the loop. You don’t want to pick a date that doesn’t work for one of the most important people in your life but you also don’t want to be living on other people’s agendas, so keep this circle small-ish. If you want a big wedding, it might be best to do something more off-season so you know more people will be able to attend! 10. GO DRESS SHOPPING Ahhhh!! Dresses take a LONG TIME to make and alter. Even if you have a year-long engagement, I definitely wouldn’t wait too long to pick your dress! So get on Pinterest and print out the styles that you love best to take to the dress shop.  10/30/2019 0 Comments October 30th, 2019 I"M ENGAGED!!!
Ahhh it's crazy how God works in mysterious ways. Neither Nate nor I could have ever imagined the timing and the way the Lord brought us together. We are both here, not because of anything either of us did, but because of God’s faithfulness and kindness toward those who love and serve Him. We serve an amazing God who loves us relentlessly and will stop at nothing to draw us near to Him. I hope you see a glimpse of His love through the way Nate and I love one another. How We Met: There is a trail for walking, running, and bikes where we live and Nate would ride his bike everyday on it after work and I would run on it everyday as well. Little did I know Nate saw me one day, somehow he caught a glimpse of me and according to him and his friend, Nate called his friend right after he noticed me and said, "I just saw the most beautiful girl on the monon, she also had one arm." haha A week later we met for coffee. What we thought would be a first date, quickly turned into a business meeting. We talked work for an hour and a half. Not one personal question was asked. We joke about it to this day. Nate and I are the exact personality types, according to the 16 personalities test we are "The Executive". Both extremely focused in our jobs, extremely stubborn and driven. After our business meeting Nate was worried he might've blown it by not asking anything personal so he asked me to dinner the next night. I said yes of course and I was extremely impressed with how much of a gentleman he was. He was unlike any man I had ever met. He opened the car door for me, opened the door, made sure I was safe and was the most kind and genuine person. We sat at that dinner table until the restaurant closed, he took me home and the rest is history. 28 Days after we met Nate bought the ring. Leading up to that moment Nate and I had moments that only God could had planned. There was no doubt in our minds that God had placed us in each others lives at this time for Great Purpose. We thank God everyday for this incredible blessing and all of the blessings that he has given us and will continue to give. September 7th 2019 was the day. Nate said we were going to a nice dinner and that he would pick me up at 4:30. So I got dressed and there he was....what I thought was going to be a nice dinner turned into one of the greatest days of my life. On our way to dinner Nate said he made the reservation an hour earlier than he thought so he said we could go to a park that I had been wanting to walk at. We pulled in, parked, and went for a walk before dinner. When we got to a wooden bridge I saw roses, rose petals and a card. My initial thought was OH MY GOODNESS someone just had a moment here and we are walking through it, let's walk faster. Then Nate said hmmmm what does the card say? There was my name... As I opened the letter and read Nate soon was on one knee. Of course I said yes but after I made sure he asked my father haha and there around the corner came my family and Nates. What a wonderful moment and a moment that I will forever hold near and dear in my heart. When I was 8 I said a prayer one night before bed. “Lord I pray that my husband holds my little arm just like he would my right hand.” The Lord made sure that prayer was fulfilled. Nate fearlessly loves me for who God created me to be.“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love, Sarah 9/7/2019 0 Comments Engaged... He put a ring on it I"M ENGAGED!!!
Ahhh it's crazy how God works in mysterious ways. Neither Nate nor I could have ever imagined the timing and the way the Lord brought us together. We are both here, not because of anything either of us did, but because of God’s faithfulness and kindness toward those who love and serve Him. We serve an amazing God who loves us relentlessly and will stop at nothing to draw us near to Him. I hope you see a glimpse of His love through the way Nate and I love one another. How We Met: There is a trail for walking, running, and bikes where we live and Nate would ride his bike everyday on it after work and I would run on it everyday as well. Little did I know Nate saw me one day, somehow he caught a glimpse of me and according to him and his friend, Nate called his friend right after he noticed me and said, "I just saw the most beautiful girl on the monon, she also had one arm." haha A week later we met for coffee. What we thought would be a first date, quickly turned into a business meeting. We talked work for an hour and a half. Not one personal question was asked. We joke about it to this day. Nate and I are the exact personality types, according to the 16 personalities test we are "The Executive". Both extremely focused in our jobs, extremely stubborn and driven. After our business meeting Nate was worried he might've blown it by not asking anything personal so he asked me to dinner the next night. I said yes of course and I was extremely impressed with how much of a gentleman he was. He was unlike any man I had ever met. He opened the car door for me, opened the door, made sure I was safe and was the most kind and genuine person. We sat at that dinner table until the restaurant closed, he took me home and the rest is history. 28 Days after we met Nate bought the ring. Leading up to that moment Nate and I had moments that only God could had planned. There was no doubt in our minds that God had placed us in each others lives at this time for Great Purpose. We thank God everyday for this incredible blessing and all of the blessings that he has given us and will continue to give. September 7th 2019 was the day. Nate said we were going to a nice dinner and that he would pick me up at 4:30. So I got dressed and there he was....what I thought was going to be a nice dinner turned into one of the greatest days of my life. On our way to dinner Nate said he made the reservation an hour earlier than he thought so he said we could go to a park that I had been wanting to walk at. We pulled in, parked, and went for a walk before dinner. When we got to a wooden bridge I saw roses, rose petals and a card. My initial thought was OH MY GOODNESS someone just had a moment here and we are walking through it, let's walk faster. Then Nate said hmmmm what does the card say? There was my name... As I opened the letter and read Nate soon was on one knee. Of course I said yes but after I made sure he asked my father haha and there around the corner came my family and Nates. What a wonderful moment and a moment that I will forever hold near and dear in my heart. When I was 8 I said a prayer one night before bed. “Lord I pray that my husband holds my little arm just like he would my right hand.” The Lord made sure that prayer was fulfilled. Nate fearlessly loves me for who God created me to be.“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love, Sarah |
Sarah & Nate
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