mr. & mrs. making bank: depositing checks after the wedding day

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it's the day after your wedding, it was a huge success & you just said goodbye to all your friends & family.

now's your chance to get your hands on all those envelopes!

i was so overwhelmed & surprised by how generous people were. while we did receive a great amount of registry gifts, most people went the check route, which neither my hubs nor i complained about.

here was the tricky part. almost all of our guests made the checks out to mr. & mrs., but our bank only knew me by my maiden name.

we had opened a joint account prior to the wedding, but we couldn't change my name on the account until we had our marriage license. we ended up having to wait until we got back from our honeymoon, but wished we could have deposited sooner. it was less about us wanting the extra spending dough & more about our generous family & friends. don't you hate when you write a check & a person waits six and a half months to deposit?! it throws off your whole balance & if you're anything like me, you haven't balanced a checkbook since 2002. thank you electronic banking!

every bank & state has different rules, but here are a few helpful tips to get you started:

* talk to your mate & find out whether a joint account is right for you

* contact your bank before the big day to find out exactly what they require

* set aside time (about a half hour) to visit your bank together

* come prepared with your marriage license! (saturday mornings, early, are less crowded)

* deposit your checks like it's going out of style

any banking tips to share with future married couples?