How to Cope with Wedding Planning Stress

Brides go through an enormous amount of stress while planning their wedding. Staying on top of the all the details involved in one magical day can be enough to make any sane woman feel insane at times. From booking venues and vendors, to whittling down the guest list, tracking response cards, and creating seating charts, the wedding “to do” list never seems to end. On top of this, you have responsibilities at work, need to maintain your friendships, and recognize the importance of keeping the romance alive in your relationship.

Sometimes it can just feel like too much. Don’t worry there’s help. You don’t have to continue feeling frazzled, frustrated, and short-fused. Follow the tips below to bring balance back into your life, so that when your wedding day arrives you walk down the aisle feeling refreshed, excited, and emotionally present.

  1. Schedule personal time. This means, quiet time just for you. Every week look at your planner and carve out at least one hour for you. Use this time to read a book, get a facial or massage,

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Preparation for Marriage Helps You Stay Married

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 2 weeks, you are well aware of the fact that Kim Kardashian has decided to end her 72 day marriage to Kris Humphries.  In an apology to her fans she stated that she got “caught up in the hoopla.”

As a psychologist specializing in premarital and newlywed counseling (and a past bride), I am well aware of the “hoopla” that comes with a planning a wedding.  Couples today are instantly flooded with information from wedding planning professionals and loving family members hoping to help them plan their “perfect day.”  Television networks reinforce the idea of having a “fairytale wedding” by highlighting dramatic brides and showcasing “platinum” weddings, and grooms, hoping to

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Important Question to Ask Before Marriage

Getting married is a very exciting time in life. From planning the perfect wedding and honeymoon, to imagining life together as newlyweds, there are a lot of things to look forward once the question has been popped.

As wonderful as your wedding day will be, it is important to remember that you must focus on your marriage that will follow. After all, your wedding will last just a few hours, but your marriage will hopefully last a lifetime.

For most couples, living happily ever after is possible, but getting there does require ongoing attention, effort, and self-exploration. One way to begin the process of safeguarding your marriage-to-be is to get in touch with the motivations and desires driving you to wed.

When working with premarital couples in my private practice I always start out by asking

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Benefits of a Healthy Marriage

Have you ever been angry with your spouse, felt hurt, frustrated, or disappointed and wondered, “Why am I married?” ??

There are a lot of great benefits that can come from being in a healthy marriage.  Men, women, children, and the community all benefit from couples who stay together and work to improve their relationship.

So, this week I’ve highlighted 10 of my favorite marriage benefits. Remember, working towards creating a healthy relationship with your spouse will

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Your Friends and Your Marriage


Friends are a vital part of life. Remember when you were little and you had that perfect best friend you shared all your personal stories with?

Take a minute to think about who that person is now?

Maybe it’s your partner, and that is great!, but we all need multiple outlets.  We need to know that there are a good group of people in our life who stand behind us, pushing us to be better, do better, aim higher, reach our potential, and fulfill our dreams.

Watch the clip below for a quick reminder about

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Marriage Planning, It’s Never Too Late

Your marriage is THE most important relationship in your life.

Research has found that a secure marriage allows us to feel safe enough to explore the world, take positive risks in our life, and reach  our goals.

No matter what stage your relationship is in, it is never too late (or too early) to talk about

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Your Marriage, Your Money

Money is one of the most common topics couples argue about.  From different spending habits and past debt, to deciding whether to join bank accounts or not, couples who learn to regularly discuss their finances and plan together have stronger marriages.

Watch the clip

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Wedding Planning Tips from Marriage Expert



The months leading up to your wedding day are a truly an exciting time. Right now you are likely filled with joy, anticipation, happiness, and overwhelm. Getting ready for one of the biggest days of your life requires a great deal of time, energy, planning, imagination, and resources. For many brides, the goal of an engagement is taking time to create the wedding of their dreams.

As perfect as your wedding day should be, I often see couples make the mistake of allowing the wedding planning to interfere with their relationship. Below are 5 tips for staying connected during your engagement.

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What You Can Learn from the Royal Wedding


Today the beautiful Catherine Middleton married her handsome Prince William. In a stunning, yet understated gown, she wed the man of her dreams in front of all the world. Billions watched as this sparkling couple vowed to “love, comfort, and honor” each other. It was a magical scene filled with tradition, hope, and romance.

As someone who truly loves weddings, I was inspired by the connection between this couple. Today they appeared genuinely excited and in tune with one another. Their day of romance, seemed to be the perfect start to a new life together.

Unfortunately, I often see couples lose track of the romance and hope they once had in their relationship. Too often life gets in the way of staying connected and passionate, and the romance starts to fizzle. Below are some great tips (inspired by Prince William and Princess Catherine) to help you infuse some ‘royal romance’ into your love life this week.

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New Marriage Success Secret

Successful Marriage SecretsIf you’re getting married, I know you want your new marriage to last. Getting married can bring so much joy and excitement to your life, but it can also bring worries.

All couples want to live happily ever after, but aren’t always sure how to get there.

The first few years of marriage will be an adjustment. As much as you enjoy life together, there will be some fine tuning to do. The more proactive you are in managing this adjustment period, the more successful your marriage will be.

This week’s Quick Love Tip highlights the importance of working on your relationship when things are going well.

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