
Maybe you and your fiancé first met at a cafe, or maybe you’re just a couple of coffee fanatics who both love sipping the drink wherever and whenever. Either way, a coffee-themed wedding is just the thing to perk up your big day. Sharing your love of joe will not only keep guests happy, it will also keep their dancing shoes on all night long. So get ready to channel the vibe of your home coffee bar or your fave go-to cafe for a one-of-a-kind wedding. We’ve gathered some buzz-worthy ways to incorporate the beverage into your celebration of love.
1. Coffee Cart: A coffee cart offers your wedding guests espresso, lattes, hot chocolate and more by a well-trained barista. And who wouldn’t want that? (via Aim and Arrow Photographers)
2. Basket of Beans: Display your rings on a bed of beans for the ring bearer to (carefully) hold. (via Tracy Giles Photography)
3. Shots of Coffee: An adorable way to share espresso with your guests, these shots are served straight up on a pretty platter. This brunch-themed wedding is a must-see if you’re planning a morning or afternoon affair. (via Becca Rillo Photography)
4. Self-Serve Coffee Bar: Set up a yummy self-serve bar surrounded by sweets and treats. We are loving the DIY chalkboard and newspaper bar signage here. (via Kristen Julia Photography)
5. Coffee Bean Invitation: Start the coffee conversation right away with an invite full of your favorite roast. (via Wedding Wire)
6. Coffee Lovers Postage Stamp: Sign, seal and deliver your invite with a cute, punny coffee stamp. (via Zazzle)
7. Coffee + Donuts: Pretty much the best combo ever invented, coffee + donuts are the perfect midnight snack for your dance-machine guests. (via Intimate Weddings)
8. Custom Coffee Cups: Stamp your wedding logo on the coffee cups for an extra special touch. (via Forged in the North Photography)
9. Coffee-Inspired Dessert Bar: A great way to perk up later is with coffee-infused desserts like mocha mousse, coffee toffee and tiramisu cheesecake. They’ll keep you and your guests buzzing all night long. (via Adam Ong Photography)
10. Eclectic Mugs: If you’re looking for a more mismatched, vintage look for your DIY wedding, this coffee pallet is just the thing. It could also make a super cute photo booth backdrop. (via Sara Beth Photography)
11. Instant Mocha Mix: Your guests will love these DIY favors full of sprinkles, marshmallows and delicious coffee, chocolatey goodness. (via Something Turquoise)
12. Cold Brew Favors: Cold-brew coffee is taking the coffee world by storm, and for good reason too. A bottle of this nutty, delish beverage would make a great favor, especially in the warmer months. (via Kelly Williams Photographer)
13. Coffee Bean Favors: After a day of fun, tears and laughter, send everyone off with your favorite blend. They’ll for sure need it the next morning. (via Logan Cole Wedding Co.)
14. Custom Wedding Mug: Whether you serve your guests coffee in personalized mugs or have them waiting on their way out, the mug is sure to add their memorable experience. (via Benjamin Edwards Photography)
How will you incorporate the caffeinated beverage into your special day? Let us know in the comments below!
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures