Week 2
"The Honeymoon is over" is very cliche. It really doesn't have to do with the literal honeymoon being over. Just the point in your marriage where the high of being newlyweds has worn off. You certainly aren't there yet, but the literal honeymoon is over. Reality sets in. You are married. No more distractions (planning for the wedding, wedding day, honeymoon). Now for the next good part - marriage.
Whitney and I had a great honeymoon. Gatlinburg, TN is not a glamour location by any means, but it was great just to get away with her like that. It took 7 years after our honeymoon for us to get away for longer than a couple days. Because of that, we really appreciated our honeymoon. In your situation, your honeymoon could end up being the last big getaway you two have for a little while. Kids could be coming sooner than later.
Another thing to prepare for as you return to normalcy is how to support your wife in the days following wedding and honeymoon. Every wife is different. Some have wedding hangover/withdrawal. Others are just relieved all went well and they can move on with the next thing. In the early days after the honeymoon, it would be good to remind your bride that you are SO happy to have her. Show Lindsy an act of love without being surrounded by the glitz and glamour of a beautiful wedding/reception and a tropical vacation. Think of a way to bless her in the days following the honeymoon. Give her something small, but special, related to her love language. The ordinary setting of your home is where your marriage will be built and the most memories are made. This is where you will do your finest work...and likely your biggest blunders. Try to start off on a good note.
The wedding is exhausting, but awesome! The honeymoon is amazing. Then the next step - marriage - really begins. Being married to Whitney has been the greatest gift God has given me. Enjoy your gift!
It is easy to fall in love
It takes work to plan a wedding
It takes a lifetime to build a marriage
Week 1
The wedding is a very magical day...even for the groom. As you already know, the most important job a groom has is to make sure his bride finds some peace. You know how Lindsy finds her peace, so do whatever you can to help her find it.
But after you help her find some peace, you get some great things out of the wedding day too. When I got married, one of the most memorable parts of the wedding was when the first bridesmaid came down the aisle. It was Madi...probably about 12 years old at the time. She had braces, was incredibly tiny, and was probably very unsure of herself as she hit lead off. But when I saw her, I knew that her sister was going to be here soon enough. That is why that moment stands out to me. Whitney came down the aisle shortly after Madi to a song played by her friend on the violin. It might be cliche, but that was my favorite part of the wedding day. When I hear that song now, the approach of my bride is so clear in my mind. It takes me right back to that glorious moment.
Soak up every moment of that view. There will be plenty of cameras taking pictures of it. You will get some good ones from your photographer. Probably at quite a price. But the priceless picture is the one you take in your head. Take a good one. It will last a lifetime!
Falling in love was easy
Planning for a wedding was tough
Building a marriage takes a lifetime
I really, really wanted to come up with a personalized wedding gift. After going back and forth on some different options, I decided to give you a personal blog about some of the things I have learned as a husband. I chose the name Marriage Snacks for obvious reasons. Not that I completely understand that inside joke, but I think it is a pretty cool name. This blog will feature weekly snacks/antidotes on marriage.
So I give you 52 weeks of this marriage blog. I don't know all that I will put in here yet, but it will be a combination of my own experiences, tips from books I have read, videos, songs, pictures, and quotes. By no means is this an attempt to share with you how perfect of a husband I am. I've learned some things over the years, but I do plenty of things wrong too. I will share some of my victories and some of my defeats over the next year. The whole purpose is to give you a gift of encouragement for you and your marriage during the first 12 months. Lindsy is welcome to read it, but I am gearing my thoughts toward a husband perspective.
I don't really get to do it much, but I enjoy writing. Giving newly weds some marriage tips and well wishes in a card is a nice and common gesture. But often cards are here today and gone tomorrow. These tips will remain online for whenever it seems necessary...
Love you brother! I wish you and Lindsy the best!
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