Monday, July 12, 2010

name, last

I've been married for a month and I still have no idea what to do about my name. Here's where I am:

I like Kirk's name because it's unique and would therefore make me unique. If I ever want to be famous (duh I want to be famous), I would monopolize the name on Google!

I like my name because it's somewhat common. I have a certain amount of anonymity. I never appear in Google searches because there's some writer who has my name, an artist.. I am buried in the depths of Google!

My name is alliterative. His is not.

I have two sets of double letters in my first and last names!

If I were to take his name and have two middle names (original middle and maiden), my initials would be C.N.C.N. Which is cool.

I work in the same small industry as his father. So far I fly under the radar of that, but if I use his last name, the associations would be constant (and possibly problematic).

I want people to know we're married. I like the unification of one name.

I don't want to be Mrs. Kirk Lastname. I know it's traditional etiquette, but it really bothers me. It's devoid of all personal identity and therefore icky to me.

Was changing your name an instant decision for you or something you agonized over?

Friday, July 2, 2010

new blog!

After the wedding planning blog, there comes the lifestyle blog.

I've started a new blog to cover all of my married life adventures. I will continue my wedding recaps here, but if you're interested in non-wedding me, head over to There Comes a Yes!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

honeymoon tips

Whether you're going to the desert, Europe, or just the next town over for your honeymoon, I have a few tips to make your trip fantabulous.

1. Tell people you're on your honeymoon.

We almost didn't do this. When we arrived at our hotel, it was still three hours before their usual check-in time. We had been traveling for six hours; we felt super gross and just wanted to get in a room. So Ribs very politely mentioned to the woman at the front desk that we were on our honeymoon and if there was any flexibility, we'd appreciate it. She told him he should always note if it's a honeymoon or anniversary (FYI!), gave us a card for two free cocktails at the bar, and asked us to wait a little longer.

We waited about twenty minutes with our cocktails in hand when the woman came back and said we had been upgraded to a suite and the room was ready. Booyah!

2. A point and shoot can take good pictures.

I don't have a DSLR camera. Instead, I own a Leica D-Lux which is really just a designer version of a Panasonic Lumix (same manufacturer, different badge). It's a fantastic little camera with some manual settings.

All I do is turn off the flash and mostly use its "aperture priority" setting. I don't have to worry about exposure in this mode, but I do get some control.
actioncomp2

If you have Photoshop or download a trial of it, you can download the Pioneer Woman actions. I used the 70s action on all of my photos for that dusty, vintage look. I did not manually alter the pictures beyond what the action did!

3. Your phone takes good pictures too.

I forgot my camera sometimes, so we took a lot of pictures using our iphones. All you need to make the pictures look stellar is an app called Camerabag. My favorite filters are Helga, Colorcross, and Instant (a Polaroid imposter).
phonecomparison

4. Be Seriously Lazy.


I'm impressed by the go-getter type of honeymooners, but personally, the lack of a schedule was so refreshing. Planning a wedding and having a full time job is a struggle. So doing absolutely nothing with your new spouse, starting happy hour at 11 a.m. because dammit you can -- beyond the best thing ever.


Those are my tips for a well-documented, well-rested honeymoon! What would be your tips for soon-to-be honeymooners?