Soon after a wedding, many couples decide to have kids.  The decision sometimes doesn’t come easy as one of the partners may want to have kids later in life.  The subject of having kids - when and how many - should definitely be discussed prior to the wedding.  You need to make sure you both share the same feelings on this important topic.

If one of you do not even want kids, and having kids is important to you, your significant other may not be as “significant” anymore.  But if you both do want kids,  you have to both agree on when.

Naming your child is also something you both have to come to an agreement on.  Many couples argue over what the names of their kids should be.  You may wish to name your child after your uncle Ben who you look up to, but your wife may want to name him after her grandfather who was a role model to her.

Therefore, it’s best to sit down and decide together.  My husband and I decided to write down 10 names that we both liked and compared our list.  If there was a match, that was the name.  If there was more than two matches, we’ll take a vote between all of our family members.  We thought it would be fun to get the entire family involved.

Did you and your significant other talk about kids before you got married?  And if you already have kids, how did you come up with the names(s) of your kid(s)?  Make a comment below or share it with Gagazine. (They are giving away a $50 Gift Card to Amazon.com and this is my shameless attempt at winning it).

With wedding costs soaring and everyone so focused on how they can save money on their weddings, is there really anything you should NOT save money on?

There sure is. In fact, I know of five of them.

1. Your one must-have item. This item varies by couple, but there’s undoubtedly one thing that you really want and if you don’t have that one thing you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life. For some people, this means being able to invite all 200 of their closest friends. For others, it may be a particular wedding dress. Go ahead and spend the money. You can find ways to save from other places.
2. Food and drink. There are many ways that you can save money on catering costs for your wedding guests. But the one thing that remains constant is that if you’re going to have a wedding reception, you must at least serve something. Your guests have taken the time to come and they’ve very likely brought you a present. Feeding them is really the least that you can do.
3. Gifts for your wedding party. The people in your wedding party have worked very hard to make sure that your wedding goes smoothly and is as perfect as you hoped it could be. They deserve to be recognized for this. You don’t have to buy expensive gifts for them, but you do have to get them something.
4. Information for out of town guests. Your out of town guests are spending a lot of money to be with you on your special day. They may have to buy air tickets, hotel rooms, and rental cars…all on top of your wedding gift. You don’t have to be responsible for paying these costs, but make sure that you make things as easy for them as possible. Take the time to put together a local information packet. Let them know the best hotels, how to get around town, and where all the good restaurants are. Your guests will really be flattered that you took the time to do this.
5. Thank you notes. Thank you notes simply need to be written. You cannot just say thank you at the reception. You cannot send an email. You cannot call them on the phone. It’s tacky. Thank you notes need to be hand written and sent in a timely manner. You don’t need to use expensive stationery, but you still need to send them. Your guests were kind enough to give you a present. You should be kind enough to give a proper thank you.

These are all small but important details that you cannot dismiss. You may be able to save money on some of them, but you cannot forgo them completely. They will make your guests happy. Happy guests give better presents.