Congratulations!! You’re tying the knot – taking the plunge – getting hitched!

Marriage is one of the most exciting things you can do in life and also one of the most serious. Now you actually have to get your act together and become the person your spouse thinks you are. Yes, I’m sure you’re both madly in love, but it takes a bit more than that to establish a solid relationship. Getting married means something a little different to everyone, and we all have our own rules and expectations that we’ll live by – hopefully happily ever after. But we all need to do a little homework before we can truly feel ready to offer the best of ourselves to another person.

And I’m so thrilled for you, because modern life is very challenging, so if you’ve gotten this far in your relationship you’re doing great! You’ve probably already figured out a lot about the big day. The dress, the cake, the ring, and all the little details along the way down the aisle. I’m sure you’re totally ready to take this first step, but what about after you say the I do’s? How do you actually plan a marriage? “As long as you both shall live” is a mighty long time, and it can be hard to envision that far down the road. Especially when you might not have any idea where you’re going.

Marriage is an important Rite of Passage that helps us define our intimate and public relationships. But it is so much more than that. Your marriage is also sacred. It is a glorious endeavor from which one is never quite the same. You become more than one. You become more than just two. You become part of a deep and binding contract that multiplies what you individually brought to the relationship. A Sacred Relationship is an opportunity for transformation in which we are inspired to see the divine in another person, as well as within ourselves, and to experience oneness through the union of two. It is an agreement between two people to create an amazing way of life together and to share their love, service, and abundance with their families, friends, and communities.

I think of marriage as a powerful pathway to personal evolution on physical, mental, and spiritual levels. Marriage sets us on a course of caring for “the other” and requires us to make a serious commitment to something beyond ourselves. The magic of marriage is that it gives you a built-in teacher that lives with you everyday. Pointing out your faults, annoying you with their thoughtlessness, showing you how to be vulnerable. And you do the same for them. It requires you to open yourself to giving and receiving love. That can be difficult at times because we all have our little flaws (and big ones too), and marriage offers not only a safe place to land but opportunities for growth as well. It is a powerful agreement between two souls that are ready for evolution, how far you go is up to both of you.

Sacred relationships are about using intimacy to awaken to a deeper level of ourselves. Sometimes we think of love in terms of what we get out of it. Security, identity, attention. But the secret to a long lasting marriage is to give, give and give. When we can see our outer purpose as being of service to our partner and our marriage (but not a servant per se) then we will receive what we seek – satisfaction and connection. Ultimately, marriage is a path that allows us to devote ourselves to something bigger than ourselves and therefore have the chance to experience the divine in everything – in your partner, in your neighbors, in your work. And that is a gift that you can’t put on your registry.

Would you like to start off with a solid foundation for your marriage? Check out my pre-marital online course and start working on your happily ever after today.