👤 What Does It Mean to Put Your Spouse First?

🛡️ 5 Ways to Protect Your Marriage

📍 The Difference in Realistic and Unrealistic Expectations in Marriage

🏡 Myths About Living Together

😉 Free Date Night: Truth or Dare (With a Flair!)

7 ways to reduce your risk for divorce before marriage

Engaged couples spend endless amounts of time planning for their special day. In the excitement of wedding showers, choosing the flowers and the cake, and finding the perfect dress, some wonder if they can make it work. They don’t necessarily question their love for each other, although some actually do. It’s more about wondering if they can reduce their risk for divorce.

Most scholars agree that couples marrying today face a substantial risk of divorce. Many couples, however, don’t realize that certain factors increase their risk.

Individual Characteristics Linked with Higher Rates of Divorce:

• Marrying at a young age (younger than 22)
• Getting less education
• Having parents who divorced or never married
• Being a more reactive personality to stress and emotion
• Having a prior marriage that ended
• Prior to marrying, having sex with or cohabiting with someone other than your mate
• Having a very low income or being in poverty

tips for newlyweds for a happy, healthy marriage

The bride-to-be shared that it was only two weeks, four days and six hours until the wedding. Her eyes sparkled as she talked, and everyone could tell she was head over heels in love. Many brides who have gone before her know that feeling so well. They also know that starry-eyed love is not all you need to carry you through the marriage journey.

What kind of advice would newlyweds give to engaged couples?

• Research shows that money is one of the least important factors couples consider when preparing for marriage.

• Adjusting to having someone else around and having to consider their thoughts, feelings, likes and dislikes is a huge change.

• Learning how to do the marriage dance without stepping on each other’s toes is a skill that takes time to master.

• Coming together should make you better as an individual and better as a team.

• Finally, keep expectations realistic.

A great start for your marriage takes at least as much prep time as you put into your wedding day. These couples have high hopes for a long-lasting, healthy marriage. If that is your goal, make it a point to start investing now in your relationship.

The return on your investment will be worth it!