I know a couple that has been married for fifty years. When they first tied the knot, they must have tied it well and double knotted it because they are more in love now than they ever were. I just had to ask what their secret is since I have been married twice myself and I’m hoping this one will last forever. What I learned is actually no secret at all. In fact, it is common knowledge that most of us tend to forget or take for granted from time to time.

John and Mary were poor when they married back in the fifties. He worked his heart out in the automobile industry and she waited tables deep into the night shift. They saved their money diligently and started a family. They encountered many difficulties over the years but the one thing they held true to was their love for each other. John told me that the secret to his marital longevity was simple. Whenever he tried to imagine what his life would be like if his Mary were suddenly gone it would scare him so bad that he knew he could not bear it. Mary told me just about the same thing. She looks at their friends who are married and thanks God every day that her John is not like the other husbands who stay out late at night and put their marriages second.

Imagine that you were going to get married. What would be, in your mind, the perfect place for such an occasion to take place? For many people asked this very question, the first thing that pops in their mind is a church. Occasionally some people answer with a location that is considered to be romantic, yet some think it is unorthodox. The location in which they think of is a beach. Think about it, how many times can you say that you have attended a wedding on a beach? Not very often is it?

The location of a beach causes other questions to arise as well. It often leaves people wondering to themselves what some ideas for beach wedding favors are, as well as if they should also invest in some summer wedding favors to go along with the theme. Both themes pretty much coincide together because when one thinks of a beach, they generally think of the summertime as well. The trick is to find things which actually fit with the surroundings.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a wedding on the beach? The way you see actors do it in movies, leaves so much to be yearned for. It seems to be the perfect casual location, which can double as a formal setting as well. No doubt about it, a beautiful beach practically screams romance. Maybe this is the reason why we always see beach front weddings on movies and on television shows.

The irony about these types of scenes is that we rarely ever see any beach wedding favors or any summer wedding favors. This can sometimes make one conclude that even though these weddings take place on a beach, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is bright and warm outside. As strange as it may seem, even stranger things have been done before. Could you imagine trying to stand at the altar in the middle of the winter time? Of course not, well at least not outside. You could however picture standing at the altar in the winter, if the altar were indoors.

Writing your own wedding vows can be a wonderful way to express openly how you feel about your spouse to be. It is a declaration of love, your hopes, and dreams of your future together, and a statement of your commitment to one another. Unique wedding vows can be poetic, sincerely written admissions of love that are sometimes hard to get through without shedding a tear or two and in general getting all choked up. Most of all, they can be a beautiful thing for all who witness them. Seeing two people who are madly in love with one another exchange-wedding vows captures your heart and makes you smile.

However, they can be very difficult to write. If you have ever tried to write what you feel down on paper or type those feelings into a word processor, then you already know how difficult it can be. If you have not tried this yet, you do not have to be getting married to discover how much fun and how challenging this can be.

The average time of day for most weddings is one o’clock in the afternoon. There is nothing wrong with getting married at one o’clock in the afternoon, if you are an average kind of couple. However, if you are not average, you may want to consider saying your nuptials at a more romantic time of day. Another very popular time to sanctify your faith in one another is at sunset. Pulling in a close third is a fresh and renewing sunrise. To start the day rejoicing in the one you love is always a great idea.

Sunsets are wondrous affairs when shared with the one you love. As you look forward to a lifetime of sunsets together, why not kick your marriage off right and begin with a romantic sunset wedding. This can be particularly gratifying if you are on a beach, by a lake, or even in the mountains.

Having a family member take photos as well as a professional photographer can be flirting with disaster. However, it can also be a blessing in disguise as it will not only keep the pros on their toes but you never know where that one great shot is going to come from. The trick is to make sure to have a reliable and responsible member of your family taking the extra photos and to have a candid conversation of what you expect from their behavior. Most families have a natural or someone who just seems to take great pictures.

Make sure your amateur family member photographer has plenty of film and a firm understanding that they are not to compete with or get in the way of the professionals for which you paid top dollar. Ask them to be as discreet as possible and let everyone know that they can cooperate with your Jr. P man so that it is easier for them to get that lucky shot.

Do you remember as a small child, watching The Little Mermaid or even Beauty and the Beast? As enchanting as these childhood movies were and still are, they had some familiarities. Everyone knows that the Little Mermaid finds love, and of all places it is not under the sea, just like the main character in Beauty and the Beast.

Both of the main characters in these movies meet their very own personal prince charming. Now you know how the plots play out, they fall into forbidden love of sorts, and get married. Now since there are weddings in these two films, how come we never see any bridal shower favors or wedding shower favors? Were these two strikingly and breathtakingly beautiful princesses deprived of a bridal shower? It seems as though old Walt Disney over looked a couple of things while putting these films together.

As time seems to slip thought your fingers, you can not help but wonder where all these years have gone. It seems like just yesterday you were fast asleep in your bed, and your biggest worry was whether of not the boogie man really was in your closet. Those were the days weren’t they?

The days of infamous youth and oodles of energy seem to be a distant memory. Alas, at least your memories are still up to par, although at times it makes you wonder if indeed it is actually memories rather then your imagination. You can still see her, your blushing bride. It doesn’t seem like this is your golden years, your fiftieth wedding anniversary. You can still remember your first walk down the isle, and even what wedding guest favors were handed out at your reception to go along with your wedding party favors. It is amazing how all of these years have come to pass, and yet your feelings are still as strong as they were the day you first met her.

Dedicated to my brother and his wife, who are no longer with us now.

There is a long moment in time as a you, the groom, waits at the alter. This moment seems to be suspended in time. It floats there before him, making him dizzy with anticipation. He is so much in love and on this day, the day they will promise to be together forever, he has only caught glimpses of her. Then suddenly, the moment is broken as she appears at the back of the chapel, holding her proud and beaming father’s arm. She begins to glide over the flower petals toward him and he catches his breathe, he has to because the angelic way she appears in her wedding dress has taken his breathe away.

Your near future Father-in-law gives you a last look that says you had better not hurt his daughter but you do not notice, because you are still enraptured by her beauty, her confidence, her elegant radiance. Suddenly, those decisions that seemed so important just a few weeks before, like whether to get wedding favors or unique wedding favors, are meaningless. They are so far away from you now, like a distant memory, wisping away in a breeze, that you barely remember them.

Remember your college days? The good times which you shared with your friends during those long lost yester-years still replay frequently through your head. Remember all of your friends? How they aspired more then anything to have the picture perfect family and a career to die for after graduation. Those were the days weren’t they?

How many friends of yours actually planned out their weddings while in school? Surely there was talk amongst the female student body of what flowers they would want, or even what type of bridal shower and bridal shower favors they would want. After all college days meant that you had little to worry about except your next exam, so surely there was spare time for you and your friends to talk amongst yourselves and even discuss your futures. It is common knowledge that a woman’s favorite flower is often incorporated in some way into her wedding shower favors, so sometimes it pays to listen and pay attention to your classmates daydreams.