The Marriage Blog Week in Review: April 30 – May 4

It’s the weekend and we’re spending the weekend handling yard work, repairing a damaged fence so that we can keep our dogs contained and sharing the responsibility of looking after our daughter who came down with a bout of stomach flu. Marriage is a great deal about sharing responsibility, sharing commitment, sharing good times and sharing bad. So let’s take a look at our Marriage Blog week in review: Monday, April 30 Negotiation is the Key to a Successful Relationship and whether you are struggling with financial problems, chores or making decisions about what to have for dinner. When one … Continue reading

Is May an Unlucky Month to Get Married?

Have you ever heard that May is an unlucky month to get married? We talked about May Day earlier today and we’ve still got Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day coming this month. May is both a spring and a summer month depending on where you are located. June may be the most popular month for marriage (the month being named for Juno, Roman goddess of marriage and wife to Jupiter), but I know many people who wed in May. In fact, one lovely couple that happens to be very good friends of mine are celebrating seventeen years of marriage … Continue reading

When in Rome …

Do you think that divorce, prenuptial agreements and living together are just a modern invention? Turns out that all of these existed in Ancient Rome and oh, and politically advantageous marriages? Yep, they happened there too. As it turns out, if you wanted to seek an office in the Roman political structure, you were best off arranging marriages for your children to increase your political alliances. The name for marriage was matrimonium (the root of matrimonial) and the root of that word is mater – or mother. Providing children was the principle requirement behind a couple entering into matrimonium. Marriages … Continue reading

Wedding Traditions, Symbolism & Superstition

Weddings are fun. Or they should be. We’ve talked about wedding superstitions before, but did you know that many parts of the actual ceremony and the set up are directly related to historical ideals and superstitions? For example, did you know: Traditionally, a groom would kidnap his bride and hold her with his left arm? This would keep his right arm and sword arm free to battle other suitors. Today, modern brides walk down the aisle to join their groom, but they still stand on the groom’s left Marriages and weddings were a diplomatic means of ending strife between two … Continue reading

Marriage Laws: Massachusetts & Connecticut

With the wedding season fast approaching, I wanted to spend this month talking about the marriage laws throughout the country. Yesterday, we tackled Maine and New Hampshire. Today, we’re going to continue our journey through New England to Massachusetts and Connecticut. I love New England in the fall; by the way, it’s a beautiful place to host a wedding with the spectacular color of the turning leaves and more. But we’ll save that for another blog, for now, let’s take a look at obtaining a wedding license and marriage laws in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Massachusetts is the single state in the … Continue reading

Friday the 13th – TGIFT

What’s TGIFT and why do I use it? Because on days like to day I still say TGIF or Thank God it’s Friday, but I add the Thirteenth. TGIFT pushes away the fear of Friday the 13th and I’ve enjoyed this day most of my life. Instead of the bad luck you often hear about associated with this day, I’ve had good luck. Some of my luckier Friday the 13ths included a trip to a bingo night with my grandmother where I won a $1,000 and another where I received an award. The History Behind the Fear So what does … Continue reading