Marriages are taken for granted. After the honeymoon period is over, couples co-exist. Most of the time without any charm in their married life. Everything becomes a routine- eating, sleeping, everything becomes highly predictable and dull. If kids arrive in the life of a married couple, which they invariably do, the attention shifts more to upbringing of the children.

What happened to the early romance? Why does a marriage kill a perfect romance? Why do people break-up and divorce each other so soon after the marriage? What happens in the period of their married life that brings it to either a dull existence or an end?

The very first change that can be noticed is care. Yes, before marriage, a partner is more worried about how to take care of the other partner. After marriage, it is the other way round. Why are you not paying any attention to my needs? Why do you not care for me? Why are you acting so selfishly? Why is your work more important than me? Why can you not wash the dishes

alone? Yes, I agree that you need a holiday badly, but where is the money? Accusations of different types fly around and make a hell of what was heavenly togetherness earlier.

Keeping one's married life happy is very essential. Complaining about the partner will not help, but understanding each other's needs and trying to fulfill them will. Partners need to go back in life and look for that spark that kindled the love in the first place. What did you admire in your partner before marriage? Do you still admire that or not? What did you like before, that you hate now? Reflect. Go back and think. Bring that charm back. Complimenting each other for the smallest act, expressing happiness of living together, letting the partner know how much you value her/him and so many small things that make the other partner happy must be done daily.

Why ignore your husband or wife and feel envious about other couples. Why not create a happy life that others envy? Why not make the other partner feel needed and good at all the times. Why not forgive even a big blunder? Why not put yourself in your partner's shoes and think about the life he/she is living. Why not bring the romance back by going for candle-light dinners, or watching the sunset together? Let the sun set, but keep your marriage happy.

Have you ever thought of sending ecards or e-greetings to each other everyday? They cost nothing most of the times, but for a minute. But imagine the joy of the recipient. Why not make your partner happy with such cards daily? Give it a thought.

Related links: The author, C.D.Mohatta writes on motivation, management, love, holidays etc. His text messages can be found in

free wallpapers. The author also writes for greeting cards and fun quiz cards.

By choosing flowers that are in season, you are allowing yourself to be in tune with nature. Of course, by realizing and following the seasons, you are also able to get the freshest and least expensive flowers, so everyone wins.

For fall and winter weddings

For the cooler months, you will be able to find appropriate, warmly colored flowers. Fall flowers include chrysanthemums, dahlias, gerber daisies, hydrangeas, roses, sunflowers and zinnias. Gerber daises come in a variety of colors, so you'll be able to match whatever color scheme you end up choosing.

Winter weddings can opt for forsythia, hydrangea, tulips, and roses. For a fun idea, why not try bunches of white roses at a winter wedding? These would look beautiful against darker bridesmaid dresses, while an accent of a few red roses would be perfect in the bride's bouquet.

For spring and summer weddings

Although it may seem that all flowers should be available in the spring and summer, this is not necessarily true. Many flower growers are in different parts of the world, and their seasons can be very different.

For a spring wedding, you may want to choose flowers such as daffodils, forsythia, gerber daisies, hyacinth, iris, lilac, pansy, foxglove, peony, snapdragons, roses, star of Bethlehem, tulips, or violets. The selection is much larger in the warmer months, but this is also prime time for weddings, so you may be faced with shortages.

In the summer, weddings with lilies, daisies, geraniums, pansies, roses, violets and zinnias make for beautiful settings. Try to incorporate a few into the overall design to add texture and depth to the decorating scheme.

Flowers can make for a beautiful, natural touch to any wedding plans. Finding ones that are in season will help to ensure that you are getting the freshest varieties without any artificial help from chemicals or colorings.

Some advice for ordering flowers though, you will want to make your plans well in advance of your wedding. Not only will this save you troubles in planning, but it also allows you enough time to change your arrangements if there's a particular flower shortage for the year, or if you just happen to change your mind.

Sit down with a florist to see what they suggest. Many times, they can create beautiful arrangements without the cost that you might incur by doing it on your own.

Having a second plan is always a good idea in any part of wedding planning.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Start

Making your own wedding cake can be a great way to cut down on the overall budget of a wedding. It will take time and effort, but a well-intentioned aunt or cousin might love to take on the challenge for you.

Choosing the cake

Just like when you have a professional make your cake for you, enlisting some relative help also needs a plan. You can go to many books of weddings cakes for more intricate guidelines or just look at pictures in magazines. Try to find something simple, but also something that you think would be perfect for your wedding's theme.

When you think that you're found what you like, try to determine how many tiers it has and what decorations you want to add. With these things in mind, you can begin to plan out the building of your wedding cake.

Making plans

Looking at the picture of the cake that you'd like, try to break it down in your mind. Figure out the number of tiers it has (perhaps you need more or less) so that you can determine how many baking pans you will need. After that, you will want to see how many tubes of icing or jars of frosting you will need to complete the decorations. A lot of the time, you may find that ordering a traditional cake is the same expense.

If you're determined to make your cake, the best suggestion is to make a trial one. Even if it's just one layer, you want to try out your plan to see if the one that you have chosen can be recreated.

Bake a layer of the cake (any old cake mix will do, but you may want to go with the name brands for your wedding) and set it aside to cool. You want to make sure that the cake is completely cooled before putting any icing on it because warm cake will cause the icing to melt.

Apply the icing with a pastry spatula like you might apply spackle on a wall. Take your time to smooth out all the areas. Pretend like this is the real cake and see what it looks like. If you're impressed (and of course, after you're tasted it), then go ahead and get the ingredients to make an entire cake.

Your wedding cake will be best if you make it the day before so that everything has time to settle and no one has to rush around to bake on the day of. Set aside a special room or area so that it will remained untouched and out of the way. You may even want someone to transport it to its final location first thing in the morning to avoid any rushing about.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Start

In addition to choosing a stunning dress, you will also want to find some nice accents to go along with it. In many cases, this would be jewelry and a veil, but can include many other accoutrements.

The jewels

For each particular style of wedding gown, you need to choose particular styles of jewelry. And since you can't wear your gown into jewelry stores, you will want to wear a shirt with the same color as your dress as well as the same neckline. This is the best way to capture the right look.

Starting with the earrings, you can look to your hair style to determine how to dress them up. If you have a shorter style or you're looking to pull your hair up for the wedding day, you will want to pick longer earrings that extend towards your neck. If you want something simpler, then diamond or rhinestone studs can be equally beautiful.

The neck is the focal point for most brides, so you can really dazzle them here. Look at your dress to see if you have a lot of detail or not. If you do, you will want to choose a necklace that's a little less extravagant. If you don't follow this advice, you will have multiple looks competing with one another and it can create a very confused and scattered look.

For a simple dress with a deep neckline, you should be looking at larger pendants or a more complicated style. Pearls always seem to work, but try on different lengths to make sure that they complement the entire look.

Here comes the veil

While many modern brides are opting to not have a veil, they still remain a mainstay for wedding attire. Veils today can come with rhinestones and tiaras built in and can make a dramatic statement as the bride enters the church.

What you want to keep in mind though is that the more complicated the veil, the less you want to do for your jewelry. It's another case of the competing looks and balancing the overall effect of the details. You don't want to have so many things going on that people forget to look at your face.

The best advice is to find one feature or one accessory that you love and make that the most complicated thing that you wear. Whether it's a tiara or lovely diamond earrings, choose only one. Your pictures will thank you.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Start

If a bride tells you that she's not worried about fitting into her wedding dress, then she is probably lying. While the stress of planning a wedding can cause a lot of women to forget about eating, others find comfort in nibbling a little more or can't find time to exercise.

The result is a wedding dress that needs to be taken out, rather than in at the final fitting. And every bride fears this.

Keeping your dress

When it comes to staying in shape, you need to think of a few things before weighing yourself constantly. First of all, your health is number one at this time. You are under a lot of pressure, so you need to make sure that your body is able to handle it well.

To do this, you will want to find some way to incorporate exercise into your life. Of course, you might laugh and wonder where you'll ever find the time, but know that you should. Even if it's just fifteen minutes a day, you need to walk, run, bike, whatever.

Exercise creates stress resistance. You've heard the expression of blowing off steam by going out for a run, well it works. Not only are you creating a great distraction for your body and mind, but you're also strengthening your body for any added pressure.

Of course, burning calories is always nice.

Watching the nibbles

Mindlessly nibbling is the quickest way to gain weight. And even though you don't have the time to prepare the healthiest of meals, you may want to consider healthier choices. Finding salads with low-fat dressing is good, but overall, they're not very filling. You can actually go to the drive-thru and get a burger; it just shouldn't be the biggest one on the menu. Choose the plain hamburger and a salad—it's a quick and filling meal.

You will want to watch the sweets for a while. These can cause you to want to eat more and that's the last thing that you want.

When you're having your fittings for your wedding dress, you will want to be honest about what you can wear. Just because you want to wear a size six dress doesn't mean that your size ten body is going to magically shrink to accommodate you. Be realistic about what you're going to be able to wear and tell the person who is altering the dress if something is too tight.

You don't want to be an uncomfortable bride now, do you?

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Start

Who hasn't thought of getting married in Las Vegas at some point or another? Whether it's the glitz and the glamor of the city or just the fun environment, you might want to take that and put it into your own wedding.

And you won't have to run off and elope to do it either. Bring everyone with you.

Blue suede shoes?

No, you don't have to have the groom dress up as Elvis to have a traditional Vegas wedding—although that's not a bad idea.

You can start off the wedding plans with an invitation that looks like a deck of cards. This is an indication of the fun, relaxed atmosphere of the wedding. You may even want to drop in a few real cards just for good measure.

Take the theme even further by naming all of the tables by the various hotels and casinos in Vegas—the Flamingo, Bellagio, and the Golden Nugget are just a few. You can have favors that are Vegas inspired—cards, poker chips, etc.

You may want to make the ceremony look like one of the strip's wedding chapels. Put up a sign that says "Chapel of Love" or something like that.

And yes, there's more

One of the neatest ways to capture your Vegas wedding is to find someone who can create a cake in the shape of your favorite Vegas building. Why not have a cake in the shape of the Sphinx at the Luxor hotel? Or perhaps you want something more clichéd—like the old boy Elvis himself.

Although the groom may not want to dress up like Elvis, you may want to incorporate red and black into your overall color scheme. These are the colors of Vegas, after all. Perhaps you can even set up small slot machines or card tables for the night. Hire a few blackjack dealers and you're sure to have some impressed and satisfied guests.

Food is easy for a Vegas wedding because buffet is the way to go in the casinos. Set up a similar food sampling, and people will forget that they're not in Vegas, but at your wedding.

And of course, a lounge singer is always nice, but not necessary.

Having a Vegas themed wedding is all about having fun. Perhaps you were engaged in Vegas or just want to capture its essence, either way, get creative and let the night be one you can bet on.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Sta

The newest trend in weddings is to get out of town—literally. Destination weddings are the latest rage because the couple gets to exchange their vows in private or with just a select few friends.

Here's how to do it.

Getting on a plane

A destination wedding isn't a destination wedding unless you're off to somewhere exotic and remote. You might pick a tropical island like Hawaii or somewhere in Bali. Perhaps the rugged mountains of the Pacific Northwest or the deserts of Australia call to you. This is your dream, pick exactly what you want.

Realize that the farther that you go, the less people will want to or be able to come with you. And this might be exactly what you're looking for--just a simple wedding with you and your soon-to-be spouse.

In either case, you will still want to send out announcements of your wedding date so that your friends and family will know. In many cases, you can get married at the destination wedding, and then have a reception when you get home.

Why these are popular

Destination weddings take away a lot of the traditional planning of the traditional wedding. There aren't the crowds of people to meet and greet. There aren't the floral and cake and decoration meetings. In most cases, these resorts will do everything for you so you get to relax and enjoy your day.

And the pictures that you will have from this wedding day. How many others can say that they were married in front of a waterfall or the setting sun on the ocean? It's the scenery that brings people to destination weddings because it's unlike anything that they could have created in their hometown.

A move toward ancient culture tradition is also in vogue. Many couples are being married by the native priests and ministers in the traditional ways of the tribes that live there. In Hawaii, you can be married in the Polynesian tradition, with a hula dance and everything.

Being able to invite only those people that you love is a great way to enter into married life together. The settings are intimate and private, so you can just enjoy each other.

Destination weddings can be expensive weddings for your family to attend, so you may want to turn on a video camera when the actual vows are exchanged. Then go on your honeymoon, enjoy yourself, and go back home to celebrate with your family.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Start

If images of white dresses are dancing in your head, then you must have been recently engaged. Of course, many women have had an image of their wedding in their head since the time they were born, but will the real life live up to your dream?

Capturing a personality

Although it may seem that all wedding dresses are alike, there are many ways to capture individual styles. White may be the traditional wedding gown color, but more brides are choosing off-white or a light cream as an alternative. This can show your fashion consciousness, while still remaining true to the traditional coloring.

If you're a bit more vibrant and outgoing, you may want to do something daring at your wedding. This thought may be accentuated if you are looking to do a themed wedding as well. Try a different color altogether. Do something wild like red or purple. While they might not be the standards, they will definitely liven up a wedding photo.

And if you're looking for a theme for your wedding, you will want to study related dresses to the time period or culture. If you're looking for something that is renaissance inspired, then you may want to look in costume shops for styles that can be turned into wedding gowns.

Using your body type

If you're looking for something that is flattering, then you're going to need to try on a lot of dresses before you do. But this is a good thing. Many times, brides find that their dream dress doesn't always look like the dream in their head.

For women who are shorter in stature, you may want to select a gown with longer lines and seams. Although your high heels will help to create a taller look, the cleaner and simpler the dress, the more it will elongate you. You should pick something that doesn't have a lot of detailing because it may cause the eyes to look at one particular area rather than you as a whole image.

For the taller woman who is looking to create a less lengthy style, you will want to find a dress with more detail toward the bottom of the dress. This helps to draw the eye away from the height.

All in all, whatever dress makes you feel beautiful is the one that is right for you. So, don't let convention or tradition stand in the way of your dream. Short or long, detailed or not, your wedding dress should reflect everything that you are feeling on your wedding day.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Start

So you've tasted the offerings of the caterer and you've selected your main menu options. What about drinks?

What's on tap

Much like selecting the menu options, you will need to factor in what kinds of drinks everyone would like to drink. The easiest way to take care of this is to offer a full service bar. In this way, guests can have mixed drinks of all varieties or they can stick to wine and beer.

You want to plan this option out carefully as you may end up paying more than you would like. Check with the provider as to how many drinks each guest can have, or can expect from the supply that will be brought. In most cases, there is no limit.

A word of advice: Don't ever have a cash bar. Making your guests pay for their drinks when they may also have paid for their outfits and transportation is just a lot to ask.

What to choose for everyone

In terms of wine and beer, tastes and varieties are enormous—how does someone choose?

The best advice is to select four to five different kinds of beer with each one having enough to fill everyone's glass. This may surprise you, but sometimes all of your guests will like the same thing and you may want to make sure that they can have it.

As for wine, you may want to have at least one of each a red varietal and a white varietal. This ensures a milder and more acidic selection. A way to make sure that everyone is happy is to find blends of each of these wines. By blends, this means to find a red that includes a merlot, syrah, and pinot noir, while the white might include a chardonnay, reisling, and zinfandel.

These can be tricky to find, but they are crowd pleasers.

Champagne for toasts

Toasts are just not toasts without a little glass (or two) of champagne. It's common sense to make sure that the new couple and their wedding party have the very finest in champagne (as determined by the budget), while the rest of the guests have another variety. In many reception halls or catering services, the champagne for the wedding party is provided.

Of course, there will also be designated drivers at the wedding, so you will also want to have water, sodas, coffee, and juices available as well. When you're planned it thoroughly, everyone will be well-watered throughout the evening.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Start

I'll repeat that. Never get married because you're in love.

Sounds crazy?

It's not.

Let me tell you why.

Ever been to a single's bar? Mosey on over to the one nearest you and watch what happens. When a man approaches a woman in a singles' bar – or a woman approaches a man – they each know exactly one thing about the other: how they look. She's attracted to him, he's attracted to her. And that physical chemistry forms the basis of whatever relationship may or may not develop. Now, they may think they're in love. But in fact, they are simply infatuated with each other.

Here's one to remember: Chemistry ignites the fire, but character keeps it burning. Chemistry – physical attraction – is not something to be ignored. But a deeply loving relationship based on mutual respect cannot stand on chemistry alone. That can only happen with someone whose character you can value and appreciate.

The best way (actually, the only way) to have a lasting relationship is to really look at the quality of the person you're dating. That means being on the lookout for specific character traits, both positive and negative. The top four qualities to look for are humility, kindness, responsibility and happiness.

Humility. What is humility? Well, it is not being a doormat. Letting people walk all over you is not necessarily a sign of humility. It's a sign of weakness.

Humble people are not weak. Humble people want to do the right thing rather than their thing, and that takes a lot of confidence and inner strength.

Someone who is humble will put values above convenience.

They can accept criticism without being defensive, because they're committed to personal growth rather than to comfort.

A humble person will not get angry easily, because they don't feel that anybody owes them anything. That's the reason they also tend not to be materialistic.

Now, you may think that the above description applies only to angels. And it would be a mistake to narrow your search down to someone who has mastered all of the above qualities that go along with humility. Nobody's perfect. But you should look for someone who values humility and is striving to achieve it. At the very least, ask yourself if the person you're dating is arrogant. You definitely do not want to marry an arrogant person who feels that people owe him or her the world.

Kindness. Kindness is more than just being a nice person. If you ask most engaged couples if their intended spouse is kind, they'll probably say yes. But the divorce rate is over 50%. If everybody is so kind, then why is the divorce rate so high? Because although people think that they're kind, they really lack a depth of kindness.

So, what's kindness? Being a kind person means being a giver, someone who's committed to giving pleasure and minimizing other people's pain. If two people like this get married, they are much less likely to suffer serious problems in their relationship. That's because each one is dedicated to the other's well-being.

How do you know if someone is truly a kind person? Look at how they treat the other people in their lives. How do they treat their parents, siblings and grandparents? Do they feel a sense of gratitude to their parents? If not, what makes you think they'll feel any sort of gratitude towards you after you're married?

Watch how they treat the "little people" towards whom they have no obligations – waiters, busboys, doormen, secretaries. How do they treat their employees? What's their business reputation like? Are they ruthless?

Does the person you're dating do volunteer work? If not, do they give charity? If the answer to both questions is no, that isn't a good sign.

Do they drive courteously? What happens when they drink, when they lose control a little bit? How do they act?

Take note of the answers to these questions. Write them down so that you'll have a whole picture in front of you when you need to make a decision about whether or not to continue a relationship.

Responsibility. First thing, ask yourself: Is this person irresponsible? If the answer is yes, be careful. You do not want to marry an irresponsible person. If your first, off the cuff answer is no, then check them out.

Do they have a stable work history? Do they have stable friendships? Do they have long-term friendships, or do they need to move around a lot?

Ask yourself: Can you rely on this person? Do you feel safe and secure with them? Another good question is to ask yourself is if you can trust what the other person says. Do they stand behind what they say? Do they live up to their commitments?

Happiness. You might be stumped on that one. Since when is happiness a character trait?

That all depends on how you define happiness. A happy person is someone who is basically content, who focuses on what they have, not on what they don't have.

Life has no guarantees. Anyone can be dealt a hard blow. But a person who is internally happy will be able to get past life's obstacles, whereas someone who is constantly focused on the negative will have a much harder time. And you want to be married to someone who can smile at life.

So remember: Never get married just because you're in love - focus on character, not on chemistry. Look for a quality person to share your life with, someone humble, kind, responsible and happy. You deserve no less!

David LeVine, the director of Warm Wisdom Press, works on publishing projects that bring more happiness into the world.

Creating a romantic and comfortable setting for your guests is as important as your vows. Most of your guests are people that you love and admire, so you want to show gratitude for their presence with a lovely time.

Flowers that can go anywhere

In the first stages of planning a wedding, you may be concerned about where you need flowers. And this is a good question to ask.

So let's start with the itinerary for most wedding days and you can determine what applies to you. Most of the wedding days start with the bride and bridesmaids going off to the salon for beauty time while the groom and his groomsmen enjoy a more lax day.

At this point, the flowers should be arriving to decorate the chapel or the church where you two will be married. Flowers can be placed on the pews or alongside the seats, in vases at the altar, and at the entryway. These will need to be larger arrangements as determined by the size of the church. If you have too small of flowers, no one will be able to see them.

During the ceremony, you will need bouquets for each of the bridesmaids, as well as the bride. Small corsages are nice for the mothers of the couple, as well as grandmothers. Next in line are the boutonnières for the groom and his groomsmen, as well as fathers and grandfathers.

The reception hall can be lined with flowers as well—on tables and around buffet areas or appetizer arrangements.

Decorating in nature

Most wedding use flowers as the mainstay of their decoration plan, but what if you are looking to be outside for your vows? Are flowers necessary then?

In many cases, a beautiful setting has no need for extraneous flowers or ornamentation. Of course, the wedding party will still need something to carry, but it's really much simpler this way.

In terms of other decorations that are well-liked, candles are the next most popular things at receptions and wedding ceremonies. Pick a color that complements the other used colors, and then light multiple candles (safely please). The overall effect is breathtaking.

When decorating your wedding and you reception, you can use anything that suits you. Flowers and candles seem to be the most popular, but don't feel that you need to have them. Some receptions are now incorporating rock gardens and small water fountains into the design.

So however you want to decorate is up to you.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course now by clicking Your Special Day from Star

This is your big day and you want everything to be absolutely perfect, so the invitation is the best way to send the right impression to your guests. You want to show the theme of your wedding as well as give important details, so there's a lot to consider.

Setting the tone

If you're a fun loving person, then there's no need to pick a stodgy old wedding invitation. And why would you? You want to show your guests the real you (and that includes both soon-to-be spouses) as well as what they can expect for the events of the afternoon or evening.

Decide with your fiancé or fiancée what the overall theme of the wedding will be. If you're stumped on that, perhaps you can choose more than one idea and figure out invitations for each. A lot of couples will actually choose a theme from the invitation, rather than the other way around.

Not only are the pictures or illustrations on the invitation a way to show guests the colors and the atmosphere, but the wording can be a sign as well. By choosing casual phrases like 'May 28' instead of the '28th of May in the Year of Our Lord,' you can signal to the recipient that your reception and ceremony may be a little less formal.

Buying or making?

Of course, you may have looked in various bridal magazines or at print shops for wedding ideas, but this doesn't necessarily mean that you have to purchase them. A lot of couples decide that they want to make their own and add another personal touch to their wedding affair.

But for the busy couple, having your invitations made to order is the best course of action. By looking at samples and choosing the wording that you would like, the invitations will be personalized (even the envelopes can be printed for your convenience), so all you have to do is buy stamps and find the nearest mailbox.

If you have a little more time and patience, then you may want to consider creating your own wedding invitation. You will find that this process takes a bit longer than you think, but the results are tremendous.

Sit down with that book of samples for the printed invitations and see if there are any that you like, and can duplicate. Many times you can even use a home computer to do the printing for you.

Amy Spade is an expert on planning weddings, and she has written an amazing totally free minicourse on how to make sure that you have the day of your dreams, and avoid wedding day disaster! Get the free course "Your Special Day from Start to Finish" now at at

Getting married can change your finances for the better or for the worse.

If you're going to get married, the last thing that you want to think about is the potential for divorce. However, when it comes to personal finance, getting married is a major step that can have good - or disastrous - consequences, depending on how it is handled. Divorces are usually very difficult for all parties involved. Therefore, you should try to make sure that you know exactly who will get what before you marry. That way, if you ever do go through a divorce, there is already a pre-existing agreement to fall back on, and the divorce proceedings can be finished as quickly as possible.

Before you get married (though this does not need to be used as a determination of whether or not you should marry) you should sit down and go through all of your personal finances. You need to find out how much money you currently have, compare the living expenses that you will have as a couple, and determine what your combined income will be.

After you have determined what you will have after you get married, you should also think about what you and your future spouse will want to have later on. For instance, if you're planning on having children, this should be factored into your financial plans - since you need a lot of money in order to make sure that you will have enough to raise your child.

It's not necessary that you have a signed prenuptial agreement in most cases, though you might want to if you want to be completely safe. However, talking things over before you get married will help you know what to expect if things don't work out, and will give your finances some direction.

Other decisions that you should make include whether or not you will have a joint bank account. This will have to do with how well you trust and know your future spouse. While it is traditional to share a bank account, most couples find it easier to keep separate bank accounts, or to have separate bank accounts and a smaller, shared account for home expenses.

No matter what you decide, it's important to realize that getting married will have a major effect on your personal finances. Therefore, you should always make sure that you have a good idea of what will happen before you tie the knot.

Jakob Jelling is the founder of Visit his website for the latest on personal finance, debt elimination, budgeting, credit cards and real estate.

Holy matrimony the wedding, a special day in two peoples lives where they get to exchange vows pledging their undying love for one another.

Infinity together forever.

Love honour and obey through sickness and in health are just a few promises that you verbally sign a contract to with the words I will and I do.

But do you?

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, so get it right. Divorce rates are quite high where grounds for parting of the ways are due to infidelity, and following strongly behind we have high up on the list for ending a marriage, is the day in question itself where you were prompted by a man of the cloth at the altar to take this man or woman to be your lawful wedded husband/wife. How could this be cited in a divorce court you may well ask?

The reason being is your partner does not see you today as the person he/she married yesterday.

At the time of courtship when all the wooing was done, everyone one of us would take care in our appearance. How we would dress to impress, hair styled to perfection, and you would never find a hole in the sock or stockings of your girlfriend/boyfriend. But then the inevitable happens when the gold band is placed on the finger, we incline to let our image and appearance go, it is now that the partner sees you as an intruder/impostor in his/her life.

He/she feels let down as this is not the person they pledged to stay with for the rest of their lives therefore a great excuse for divorce proceedings. There will be times when we can not be dressed up to the nines due to work commitments, like holding down a busy job or being a full time mum and dad. But you owe it to yourself and that of your partner to keep the marriage alive and if that means being flavour of the month, then so be it.

You need to dedicate a little spare time to yourself so you can make an effort to go back to the days of your courtship, try to do this at least once a month.

Watch the reaction from your husband/wife when you enter the room as your old self. You will find your partner will have no problem living with this stranger for another month as long as he/she can look forward to this regular rendezvous

Spice up the occasion with some flattering underwear like in the days gone by, not with your Wee Willie Winkie favourite nightgown. Add a little sparkle to the evening with a glass of champagne or sip it from a slipper, what ever takes your fancy. Remember this is your night where memories will come flooding back, and rest assured the memories will be all good. Should there have been any bad then there would have been no ceremony.

Find the time to start loving again, you will love yourself for it and so will your husband/wife.

Wishing all a true mega life and health on your wedding day.

Wedding ceremonies abroad are simplified with the right help and guidance. See my wedding page at you may find some useful tips.

There are many different styles of wedding dresses, almost as many styles of wedding dresses as there are shapes of women. No two women are shaped the same and that is why it is so important to get wedding dresses tailored to fit the bride. This often costs more money but it is well worth it if you want to look your best as you walk down the aisle. This should be the goal of all wedding dresses, to highlight all of the brides best features and attributes.

The styles of wedding dresses change with the seasons but there are a few classic styles that will never get old or go out of style. The classic A line dress is one of the wedding dresses. Of all the wedding dresses on the market today A line wedding dresses are the best. These wedding dresses look good on any woman, no matter what she looks like and what she weighs. It is the A line wedding dresses that flatter every woman alike. This cannot be said for any other of the wedding dresses out there.

When you first go shopping for wedding dresses you will want to have a sit down with the bridal consultant at the bridal boutique. He or she will be able to give you some helpful advice about which of the wedding dresses will flatter you the most. These consultants are so useful when you are looking at wedding dresses.

You should also try on all kinds of different wedding dresses just to make sure that you choose the perfect one. You need to try all of these wedding dresses to find the one that is the most comfortable and the one that will make you feel the most like a queen. That is what wedding dresses need to do, make you feel like one of a kind because that is what you are and that is why your husband to be loves you so much.

The wedding dresses that you try on can be of any color. White is the most common color of wedding dresses but there is no reason that you have to stick with it. If you want a bright red wedding dress then you should have it that is your right as a bride. If the wedding dresses you are trying on are not what you are looking for you should let your bridal consultant know. This consultant will go through all of the wedding dresses in their boutique in order to try to find the one that you will like. They can also show you some wedding dresses from their catalogs. If you see some that you think you might like your boutique should be able to order in these wedding dresses.

Your bridal boutique should be able to deal with all of your concerns with wedding dresses. If they are not then you might want to think about looking for wedding dresses elsewhere.

Terry Langford is the owner of Wedding Dress Central (http://www.weddingdresscentral.com) Her site is a great resource for finding wedding dresses of all sizes and budgets.

It is good to get some solid financial-based marriage advice before taking the plunge. The engagement ring is only the first of many big expenses. When considering money management just before and after marriage, there are some basic questions that you may want to ask:

Q. Is a prenuptial agreement necessary?

A. Legally speaking, marriage splits your combined assets and liabilities right down the middle. Everything gets shared. Therefore, a prenuptial agreement is sometimes very necessary, particularly when a married man or woman has assets or liabilities that will greatly exceed that of his or her spouse. To make a decision that is right for the both of you, consult with a financial planner who is familiar with the marriage laws in your state.

Q. What about opening a joint bank account?

A. Since all your money will in essence be merged together, opening a joint bank account can make paying bills much simpler. This is particularly true of bills for things that you own and share as a married couple, such as a house or insurance. However, it is also a good idea to budget some spending money to put into your own personal accounts.

Q. What is the average wedding cost?

A. Marriage preparation can be really hectic and stressful, depending on how fancy you want to get. Add the stress of trying to stick to a wedding budget, and you could be in for a rocky beginning. The average wedding cost is more than $15,000. This may be comfortable for you, or maybe not. Set a realistic budget taking into account your debts and your income.

Q. My spouse is a spender and I'm a saver. Will we ever agree?

A. A good marriage is about finding balance; but most of all, it is about survival. That means being less selfish, being willing to negotiate and to compromise. If you find yourself at odds about your spending habits, get premarital counseling. Couple counseling can open the lines of communication. In the long-run, good communication is the key to successful financial and family planning.

Read more marriage and finance articles at - View our marriage and finance resource directory at

It's important to plan for your financial future beforehand so you have idea of what to expect. Once you get married, most newlyweds' open a joint checking/saving accounts

Below is a list of 4 easy steps to take when determining your financial future.

Step 1-Determine your net worth

Net worth is the difference between assets and liabilities. Make a list to figure out your net worth, make a list of all the things that you own and assign approximate values to each one. Then make a list of all your debts. Subtract these two numbers and you will have your net worth.

Step 2- Family accounting

You will need to decide who is going to manage your accounting. Is one partner going to manage the finances or will this be a shared responsibility? Are you going to choose to handle the finances independently, if not you will need to create a system of whose going to pay the bills.

Step 3- Set goals

Statistics are showing that 95% of senior citizens can't afford to retire. Set goals and start saving for your future today. Create short-term goals and long-term goals. Make sure when you set your goals that you are actually striving for them so they should be adjusted to your spending lifestyle

Step 4- Plan for adjusting your finances once married

Many couples get married without having a financial plan in mind. It's very important to discuss your financial situation before tying the knot that way everything is out in the open. If you don't want to deal with thinking of financial strategies get help from a financial planner for any needed advice.

Read more marriage and finance articles at - View our marriage and finance resource directory at