“You’re a bride”, you should keep saying that to yourself and savour the taste of it each and every time. You are a bride. Which means you should be on cloud number seven, and nothing can bring you down. So this is not us bursting your happy bubble, this is us safeguarding your bubble, better yet expanding it! If you and your groom-to-be kept the following list in mind before tying the knot, and gave it some thought, you can clamber up to cloud number nine.

  1. Things between both of you will change, which is a good thing. Why would you want you your life to be the same? Not better, not stronger, not more mature? Everything changes and nothing stays the same, so always work on your marriage and seek the best version of it. That’s the change you should pick and pursue for your marriage.
  1. Love is an action word. So yes, your husband will need to hear your love declaration every now and then, but he will also want to see your actions speaking of how much you love him, and you will want the same. So no matter how busy you are, make it your everyday goal to remind both of you how much you love each other.
  1. You’re not reaching the end…this is the beginning. Marriage is the beginning of a new chapter of your relationship. It is not the end of the road; it’s the first step of a brand new road.
  1. You will have chronic conflict. Who doesn’t? Research exposes that all couples in long-term relationships will have 2-3 recurring conflicts that will go the distance in the relationship. So, learning how to process conflict well, and at times, agreeing to disagree is critical.
  1. You will have to learn to attack the problem, not your spouse. Because the problem is not him, and definitely not you. It’s easy to assign blame and use that as ammunition to win a fight. Marriage isn’t about being right; it’s about being a team. Always remember that.
  1. You will have to master the art of compromising. From ordering dinner to renovating the kitchen, you won’t believe the small things that you can argue about. It’s impossible for both of you to be 100% happy with every situation, but it’s important to pick battles and take turns in making decisions.
  1. Don’t talk badly about your spouse. Yes, he will drive you crazy, and you’ll want to vent that out, but think of a better way to do it than to run your mouth to other people. This is the person you promised to love and share your life with, so why would you want anyone to think badly of him?
  1. Copilot your life together. It’s not what he decides or what you decide; it is what you both decide. It’s to learn how to share everything, to split tasks, to complete each other. He can wash the dishes while you cook, or whatever, just always be on the same team.
  1. It’s okay to have separate interests. No matter how much you think you’re alike, marriage will prove you wrong. Time will show you how different you are, and that’s just fine, in fact it is exciting and you will take the rest of your life to discover new things about your spouse.
  1. Remember to have fun. Because that’s why you’re getting married. Forget about being responsible and settling down. We get married because we want to be happy, and share this happiness with someone we love, so always remember that, and make it your life’s ultimate goal to have fun.

And now we can pronounce you man and wife.