The season for wedding planning is upon us. And that means engagement parties, bachelorette parties and bridal showers are high on any bride or bridesmaid to-do list. If you’re hosting a wedding shower this spring, brighten things up with oodles of flowers, punches of pastels and fun bridal shower themes that the bride-to-be will swoon over. Check out these 16 ways liven up the party for your favorite lady.
Citrus Accents
There’s no better time to add touches of citrus to your shower than spring. Pop lemons and limes on each place setting to give the tablescape some extra color. (Photo via Erin McGinn Photography / Style Me Pretty)
Oversized Balloon Arch
Go overboard with a balloon arch that’s wow-worthy. Hey, you only get married once! (via The House That Lars Built)
Donut + Candy Bar
Can’t get enough sweets? Us either. Pick up a few bags of candy and some boxes of donuts to DIY this dessert bar. Your shower just got *so* much sweeter. (via StudioDIY)
Tropical Theme
If you’re just too excited for summer to roll around, host a tropical-chic shower. Between the palm leaf pillows and scattered pineapples, your friends will be feeling so excited for your warm-weather wedding. (Photo via Megan Welker / 100 Layer Cake)
Paper Florals
This idea is full of opportunities to put your DIY skills to the test. Create this wall of paper florals and an amazing table runner for a bridal shower dinner and you won’t want to take it down. (Photo via Cameron Ingalls / Style Me Pretty)
6. Gilded Piñata ($43): You know we can’t say no to a piñata-packed party. Snag a few to create the bride’s monogram for an ultra-preppy look.
Let the Games Begin
Add a classic game to the mix and see which friend is the most competitive of them all. Write the rules on a chalkboard, hang it for your guests to see and let the games begin. (Photo via Connie Dai Photography / Grey likes Weddings)
Pastel + Geometric Accents
You can’t go wrong with all things pastel and geometric. Pick up a bright set of dishes and a table runner to match for the trendiest tablescape in town. (Photo via Anneli Marinovich / B.Loved Wedding)
Tassel Garlands Galore
Yep, there’s finally a way to put all of those tassel garlands to good use. Host a shower and hang them above the table to take the festivities to the next level. (Photo via Jacquelyne Mae Photography / Ruffled)
Pretty Pink + Orange
Talk about bright and cheery! Spring is the perfect time to throw a pretty-in-pink party. Add pops of orange for a beautiful complementary shade. (Photo via Jen Huang Photography / Modern Wedding)
Oversized Balloons + Mini Piñatas
Bring on the spring vibes with an outdoor bridal shower. Hang oversized balloons and mini piñatas in the wedding colors for a look guests will be obsessing over. (Photo via One Eleven Photography / 100 Layer Cake-let)
Pops of Neon
After a season of all things B+W, it’s time to break out the neon again. Achieve a super bright shower with vases, tissue paper DIYs and, of course, tassels. (Photo via Amanda Watson / Ruffled)
Bright + Modern
We’re sure you’ll be featuring a dessert table at your bash. Opt for spring-y sweets like fruit pops and dress up your table with your fave flowers. That’s how to make a dessert bar top notch. (Photo via Scott Clark Photo / 100 Layer Cake)
Pretty-in-Pink Signage
This bright sign adds a fun element to the room. Grab a roll of kraft paper and hand-letter this sign to show your friends and fam where to put the gifts for the bride. (Photo via Scott Clark Photo / 100 Layer Cake)
Champagne + Donuts Bar
A party isn’t complete without a bar cart, right? Deck yours out with donuts and mimosa fixings and get the party started. (Photo via Scott Clark Photo / 100 Layer Cake)
Natural Wood Accents
Opt for a more natural feel with wood accents. Then, liven things up with candles and flowers to give off a boho-girly vibe. (Photo via Moss and Isaac / Ruffled)
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