Advice sent from a true gentlemen and happily married man! This is for you boys

• Always put the toilet seat down
• Place dirty clothes in the hamper/laundry bag instead of the floor
• Carefully choose the side of bed you sleep on your first night after marriage…..you will spend the next 30 years sleeping on that side
• If a household repair needs to be done, save time, money pain and suffering by paying someone else to fix it
• When asked if her shoes match her outfit, always answer with the question “How do you like them?”. She already knows the answer, she wants to prove you don’t.
• If she asks if an outfit makes her look fat, immediately respond with faking an injury and getting out of the room.
• If she is upset, go ahead and say you’re sorry. You can figure out later what you did.
• When she experiments with new recipes that don’t work, use adjectives such as interesting, exotic, “once in a lifetime” taste. If that doesn’t work, fake an injury and get out of the room
• Finally, always remember when Mom is happy, everyone in the house is happy!!

What is more advice from grooms or newlywed men to share on how to stay married and enjoy every moment?!

Chicago is a city that you can’t turn the corner without having a picturesque backdrop.  Whether it is the city skyline and lights or the subway and newsstands shown in these fabulous engagement session photos from SB Childs Photography, each photo has a personality of its own! You can tell that Casey and Blain weren’t afraid to venture all over the city to ensure great photos.

I LOVE these city shots and for all of you brides who live in Chicago, I hope you all are taking advantage of what a wonderfully diverse city we live in and start getting creative with your photo shoot locations!

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Source: SB Childs Photography

I love seeing photographers who are constantly coming up with new creative ways to use technology with their photos.  I especially think Save the Date’s have come a long way, and this short video from Thomas Marlow stands out as such a fun and innovative idea for an old concept!    Watch as his photos are put in motion and to music to let upcoming guests know to save the date. He takes what is usually a still photo and adds movement with a fun message  Also, he sent me a fabulous engagement session that is full of life and laughter as the couple is playfully baking cookies.  I love how the kitchen starts out clean and ends extremely messy – that is the best way to bake cookies I think!

Enjoy the photo videos, I did!

Allison & Jared are Getting Married!! Save the Date!! Engagement Photo-Shoot. from Thomas Marlow on Vimeo.

Amy & Abe – Love & Cookies – Engagement Session from Thomas Marlow on Vimeo.

Our top ten list of how to stay happily married for 25 years, and plan to stay that way another 50………….

1.  Marry the right person. Sounds obvious, but we knew without a doubt that God intended us to be together.  We had no doubts when we got married, and we have no doubts now that we married the right person.  Real love doesn’t stop or quit.

2.  Put God first. We can’t imagine the highs and lows of marriage (and these are inevitable) without God as the reason for our existence, our finding each other, and our purpose here on earth.

3.  Be nice. This just says it all.  Just be nice.  Your husband/wife is your partner for life, your best friend, your soulmate, and the love of your life.  Treat him/her better than you would treat the most important person on earth.

4.  Don’t expect them to meet all your needs. Even though your spouse is all those things (or should be) in number 3, that doesn’t mean their sole purpose is to meet every one of your needs.  Have your own friends, hobbies, interests, and activities.  These are all good and it’s okay to pursue them.

5.  Accept each other for the person they are, just as you expect them to accept you. As you grow older, you change a bit and things that were endearing when you first dated, now seem to be utterly annoying.    (It’s funny how that happens.)  Talk about it, decide what’s worth worrying about together, and accept the rest.  We were opposites when we married and those differences have balanced our relationship, so don’t upset that balance.  Give each other room for growth.

6.  Push the cart. My husband likes going to the grocery store, but hates pushing the cart.  I hate going to the grocery store, the only part I like is pushing the cart.  (See above, opposites attract!)  So we go together, and I push the cart.  Pick up the slack for each other, if there’s something you hate doing, ask for help, and vice versa.  Compromise can be fun if you are willing to put forth the effort.

7.  Laugh. Find the funny.  With four kids, there is always funny.  Find it.  This is SO important.  Do silly things to make each other laugh.

8.  Let them know that they are, and always will be, the only one. And remind them often.  There is no room in a marriage for flirtations with the opposite sex, and we don’t feel that there is such a thing as “harmless flirtation.”  Have only eyes for each other.  This is really easy when you marry the right person. 

9.  Once in awhile, do something you hate just to make them happy. Yes, this includes the grocery store, but what sticks in my mind is dragging my husband to Broadway musicals.  This is my favorite activity and he started out hating it.  I remember seeing Riverdance, which neither of us was too thrilled about it, actually.   We got home and when the kids asked “How was it?” my husband performed his very own little Irish dance recital in the kitchen -straight arms, rapid kicks, – the works!  I laughed so hard (see #7) that I fell to the floor.  The lesson?  He did something he didn’t want to do to please me, made me laugh hysterically with his instant replay at home, and that is what I’ll always remember about that night, even though the show itself is a distant memory.   P.S.  He actually likes most of the musicals now!

10.  Love each other out loud. Say “I love you.”  Give compliments and mean them.  Pull them up when they need it.  Brag about them in public.  Let them know, and remind them often, that they are the love of your life.  Be grateful every day for each other!

**I am so grateful for all of the GREAT marriage advice offered to all of Bubbly’s upcoming brides** Keep the top ten lists coming!!