We're Going to Be One Happy Family...Or Else!

 

A very unique book written by a nationally respected marriage and family therapist who has worked with couples and families for over 30 years. Learn why a mother bought 25 copies for EVERYONE in her family to get everyone on the same page during the most intense, public, family event. Learn more

Wedding Discounts for Marriage Preparation

 

Want to literally save hundreds on your wedding? Do good by your upcoming marriage and let vendors give you discounts for your efforts. See qualifying purchases and participating vendors!

Wedding Discount Program Details

GETTING married is cake compared to BEING married

 

We make time to eat, sleep and go to work. Somehow the most complex, life long relationships are assumed to magically work. We offer many options for marriage preparation for the secular, religious, the talkative personality, the laid back personality... Learn more

 

Number One Cause of Wedding Stress?

Hint: It's the people.

 

Why Do Others Care About My Wedding Plans?

One of the greatest myths around wedding is the notion that it's all about you! At face value yes, it is about you because you are the bride or groom and without your decision to marry, there would be no wedding. But that's as far as the "it's all about you" logical will get you. The rest is more complicated. Read More...

 

 

Wedding Planning with your Fiance: Stress, Priority Setting and Teamwork

 

When it's just the two of you, dating, life can be grand. It is truly the most self absorbed period of your relationship when there are no more worries than what movie to see or where to eat dinner. You can talk for hours about everything under the sun and you can fantasize about your future life together.

And then you get engaged. Read more...

 

 

Wedding Stress and Mistakes Made with Parents

 

Parents are a funny thing. You may expect them to be complete thrilled with your engagement and the wedding or maybe you think they won't really care much. Their actual reactions can run across the board and your own response to their reaction can also surprise you! Read more...

 

 

Wedding Stress and In-Laws

 

Announce your engagement and you immediately become an in-law.  Like it or not, you join a new family.  This truth, well known to every married couple on the planet, somehow hits every newly engaged couple like a meteorite striking from the sky.   You not only have your own (lovable but sometimes difficult) family to deal with, but you now have this other family, with their strange ways and demanding cast of characters.  And these two families of strangers somehow have to work together to plan a wedding.   It’s dealing with the families that brings many brides and grooms to their knees. Read more...

 

 

Wedding Stress with Siblings

 

Whether you love your siblings or lead different lives, weddings will bring up old emotions, potential jealousy as parents pay or more less attention to you or your wedding than they are to your siblings, and your fiance(e) may be perceived as an unwanted new family member. Read more...

 

Wedding Stress and Mistakes Made with Relatives

 

If you are lucky you are not only close to your relatives but they have great relationships with your parents and each other. Relatives can be like second parents, providing great emotional support as well as logistical support for your wedding. Sadly there seems to be few families that do not have some sort of cut off in the family. Read more...

 

Wedding Stress and Mistakes Made with the Wedding Party

 

Who to ask to be part of your wedding party can be extremely fast, easy and obvious, or it can be a wrenching, drama filled experience. If you're like me, you haven't been part of many weddings and don't even know what the wedding party roles are. Maybe you've been a bridesmaid in many weddings and have a lot of hard choices to make about who to invite or not.

One of the most striking mistakes I see time and again is the lack of clarity around who is being invited and what YOU expect of them and what THEY expect of their role. Read more...

 

Wedding Stress and Mistakes Made with Friends

 

One thing you learn the hard way is that wedding planning can be downright awful. You are forced to think about each of your friends and determine if they are "worthy" based on your budget and space restrictions. It is rarely fun, especially when who you spend the most time with may not be the people you are closest to and will be inviting to your big day. Figuring out who to invite brings up any past problems you've had with them, or guilt if you were part of their wedding but time has cooled your friendship. Read more...