Cloud Nine - Newlywed Bliss

Newlywed Bliss-Hype or Heavenly?

Everyone always talks about the joys of newlywed bliss but not so often muttered are words about how hard the first year of marriage really can be. There are so many details to figure out and adjustments to be made. Within a single moment you literally went from a totally autonomous being to someone who has pledged their life to another, meaning that all major decisions must be made by two! If that isn’t enough to knock someone a little off-kilter, nothing is. So if you are like most newly weds and struggling here and there with the adjustment, have no fear: you are NOT alone. Most brides secretly wonder, at least a few times, what the hype of newly wed bliss is all about.

The first year of marriage is incredible and exciting. It comes with so many new changes and so much love in the house. Drink it in; enjoy the romance and the freedom! But don’t be upset if there is an unsettling undercurrent here and then. Marriage is an adjustment; a state of constant compromise that comes with a huge learning curve. Some of the decisions will be hard to make but easy to carry out, such as whether or not to purchase a new home or what kind of financial plan you want to implement. Others will be easy to make but very difficult to carry out, such as how to divide household chores, deciding to have children, or agreeing on a daily spending limit. More likely than not, you will continually need to come back to the bargaining table and tweak your plans until you find a perfect balance that suits both your needs.

This is all part of the induction to adulthood and is actually one of the most exciting parts of marriage: while you may not have as much freedom in decision making, you always have someone to bounce ideas off of and to support you in every decision. It’s glorious, actually, to really realize that someone else cares as much about your happiness and stability as you do. So don’t be afraid if it seems surprisingly difficult at first, in time you will come to love the partnership you build through the first few tough decisions you face in your newly wed years. Do it right, relishing in your love and taking the tough decisions as they come, and you build a strong foundation to carry you through in the future.

A mother’s advice says it all: You may think life feels a little more restricted now that there are two of you, but these are the best years of your life. Sure, you will be faced with decisions that are tough. You may even have a few big disagreements, but you’ll work through it. You have no children, no real obligations and great jobs. Drink it in, soak it up, travel, explore and live in the freedom of your love. Each phase of marriage offers a different kind of spectacular. All the old married folk talk about newly wed bliss because this time is literally only about YOU. No other time in life will that be true. Enjoy it, don’t fear it. One day, you too will tell your daughter that these years will be the best, happiest and most blissful moments of her life.


Photo courtesy of Profinish Design