To happiness, health and laughter in all your days.
I have NEVER been to a wedding where anyone toasted anything other than fluffy love stuff. Let's be honest, marriage isnt all sunshine and rainbows. It is definitely one of the greatest commitments and acts of love there is. That doesnt mean there isnt a thunderstorm or two before the rainbow. If you want to give the beaming bride and groom some advice, you might as well be real about it.
So, the next time you hear, To the bride and groom just remember what helpful advice could follow.
1. "may the odds forever be in your favor."
I dont care who you are, marriage takes work and commitment. It doesnt matter if youve been married 65 years or 5 years, the fact that you are still married says a lot about you and your spouse. At any point in time, that couple married for 65 years could have thrown in the towel and called it quits. Marriage is wonderful and grand when two people are committed to making it work and fighting for their love. The true love story is the one tangled with ups and downs, highs and lows, the good and the bad, and everything in between. As a newlywed, its easy to assume it will only be happiness, health and laughter. The rest of us know it's so much more.
2. "say goodbye to who you thought you were."
This isnt necessarily a bad thing. As a newlywed, you might think you know exactly who you are and who you are marrying. You dont. Marriage brings out a different side of you that you didnt know exists. The two single people that got engaged are different than the two engaged people that got married.
3. "buy stock in odor neutralizer."
Seriously, I thought I knew my husband before we got married, but you dont really know someone until youve been putting on make-up at the bathroom mirror while your husband victimizes the toilet. After 10 years of marriage, I still wish I had never been introduced to that part of him. And, guess what? Girls poop, too. You didnt really think she was just powdering her nose in there, did you?
4. "she doesnt really like sports."
Once you are married, you dont need to be on your best behavior anymore. While dating, she might have sat on the couch and rubbed your back while you watched Tiger Woods take an entire hour contemplating his putt. He might have sat through three hours of The Bachelor re-runs. Well, not anymore. Marriage is a safe zone, and you are able to let loose and be yourself. Not to say you werent before, but marriage gives you a little reassurance that its ok to disagree, and its even healthy to have separate likes and dislikes.
5. "congratulations. You will now know the true meaning of compromise."
Sure, youve compromised plenty of times before. Like that time you wanted to go to your friends Super Bowl party, and she wanted to go to her friends memorial for her dog. You compromised and spent a little time at both. It was hard, but you did what you had to do for your partner. Wrong. That was easy. Marriage means you have to compromise on bigger issues. Where you live, where you work, how you spend and dont spend your money. The other persons opinion matters just as much as your own. Blending two lives into one is hard business.
So, let's make a toast to the newlyweds as they prepare themselves for the reality of marriage. It is great, happy and even fun. However, its easy to forget that there is work involved in maintaining that marital bliss. Sometimes that truth is a little hard to swallow. But finding someone who makes you happy and wants to share his life with you in spite of it all? It's well worth it.
I have NEVER been to a wedding where anyone toasted anything other than fluffy love stuff. Let's be honest, marriage isnt all sunshine and rainbows. It is definitely one of the greatest commitments and acts of love there is. That doesnt mean there isnt a thunderstorm or two before the rainbow. If you want to give the beaming bride and groom some advice, you might as well be real about it.
So, the next time you hear, To the bride and groom just remember what helpful advice could follow.
1. "may the odds forever be in your favor."
I dont care who you are, marriage takes work and commitment. It doesnt matter if youve been married 65 years or 5 years, the fact that you are still married says a lot about you and your spouse. At any point in time, that couple married for 65 years could have thrown in the towel and called it quits. Marriage is wonderful and grand when two people are committed to making it work and fighting for their love. The true love story is the one tangled with ups and downs, highs and lows, the good and the bad, and everything in between. As a newlywed, its easy to assume it will only be happiness, health and laughter. The rest of us know it's so much more.
2. "say goodbye to who you thought you were."
This isnt necessarily a bad thing. As a newlywed, you might think you know exactly who you are and who you are marrying. You dont. Marriage brings out a different side of you that you didnt know exists. The two single people that got engaged are different than the two engaged people that got married.
3. "buy stock in odor neutralizer."
Seriously, I thought I knew my husband before we got married, but you dont really know someone until youve been putting on make-up at the bathroom mirror while your husband victimizes the toilet. After 10 years of marriage, I still wish I had never been introduced to that part of him. And, guess what? Girls poop, too. You didnt really think she was just powdering her nose in there, did you?
4. "she doesnt really like sports."
Once you are married, you dont need to be on your best behavior anymore. While dating, she might have sat on the couch and rubbed your back while you watched Tiger Woods take an entire hour contemplating his putt. He might have sat through three hours of The Bachelor re-runs. Well, not anymore. Marriage is a safe zone, and you are able to let loose and be yourself. Not to say you werent before, but marriage gives you a little reassurance that its ok to disagree, and its even healthy to have separate likes and dislikes.
5. "congratulations. You will now know the true meaning of compromise."
Sure, youve compromised plenty of times before. Like that time you wanted to go to your friends Super Bowl party, and she wanted to go to her friends memorial for her dog. You compromised and spent a little time at both. It was hard, but you did what you had to do for your partner. Wrong. That was easy. Marriage means you have to compromise on bigger issues. Where you live, where you work, how you spend and dont spend your money. The other persons opinion matters just as much as your own. Blending two lives into one is hard business.
So, let's make a toast to the newlyweds as they prepare themselves for the reality of marriage. It is great, happy and even fun. However, its easy to forget that there is work involved in maintaining that marital bliss. Sometimes that truth is a little hard to swallow. But finding someone who makes you happy and wants to share his life with you in spite of it all? It's well worth it.