No one ever told me how to be a wife. Of course I read a few books leading up to the wedding, and we attended marriage counseling, but how to actually BE a wife was never discussed. Obviously, I was encouraged to be supportive, willing to compromise, etc. But how do you BE a wife? I've been married for 5 months, and I believe the first 2 months I wondered if I was doing this … [Read more...]
4 Ways “Hard Times” Can Strengthen Your Marriage
Last week I celebrated my 3 month wedding anniversary. I don't know about anyone else's marriage, but it seems like as soon as we said "I do", hard times surfaced. Neither one of us had car issues while engaged, but didn't those suckers want to start breaking down one month into our marriage. On top of that, my job situation became unreliable, causing me to go into extreme … [Read more...]
4 Ways to Incorporate His & Her Family During the Holidays
Let me start off by saying I am the poster child for blended families. Both of my parents remarried when I was young, causing my family to quadruple. But now that I’m newly married, it’s officially out of control. I’ve been stressing out about how we’re going to see all 5 sides of the family during our first holiday season as a married couple. I think I’ve got it figured it … [Read more...]
6 Mistakes Newlyweds Make During Their First Year Of Marriage
by Charli Penn-Watkins We learn as we go. Marriage works that way. No matter how painful the lessons, we appreciate the wisdom that follows them. Our marriage will turn two this year, and the other night over dinner Man and I had a great conversation about our successes and failures from year one. This is a list of some of the mistakes we made that we've seen or heard of … [Read more...]
Everybody Won’t Be Happy Because You Are Happy
One of the biggest letdowns after getting married is realizing that everybody isn't happy that you are happily married. The bachelor and bachelorette parties, the showers, the beautiful wedding, and the laughter-filled reception make the fantasy of getting married come alive. All seems well after the honeymoon "“that is until people start getting in your business and causing … [Read more...]
Wedded Bliss: Barbara + Stanley
What do you do after ten years together, one son and countless hurdles jumped? You tie the knot, that's what you do! Barbara and Stanley Bellot wanted their son, Ken, to have a strong image of a loving family and they just knew the time was right. After ten years of dating, Stanley talked to Barbara's mother, telling her he was ready to marry her daughter, something he … [Read more...]
Wedded Bliss: Aretha + James
How many of you married your high school sweetheart like Aretha Franklin (not the singer!) and her new husband, James Emanuel? The two have been inseparable since high school, and finally got hitched in a beautiful New York ceremony worthy of royalty. Of planning their big day, Aretha says: "This is a bit cliche, but every single part of our wedding day was super … [Read more...]
First Comes Love, Then Comes Baby….Then Comes Marriage?
by Tara Pringle Jefferson One of my favorite pictures from my wedding day three years ago is the one with me, my new husband - and our six-month-old daughter. About two years into our relationship, I found out I was pregnant. We had talked about getting married but we hadn't set a date. But at the point we saw that "Positive" on the pregnancy test? It was go … [Read more...]
Letter to a Newlywed Me
by Tara Pringle Jefferson Dear Tara, Congratulations on the wedding! It was beautiful - I know you were pretty much blind the whole day because you didn't have time to put your contacts in, but trust me, everything was goregous. You made a beautiful bride, and now it's time to tell you how to become a beautiful wife. I know, I know - you think you have it all … [Read more...]