After the Wedding: Will Love be Enough to Keep You Together?

During the wedding planning process with all of the excitement from choosing wedding rings to the honeymoon destination, it's easy to think about the things that brought you and your partner to this moment.

It could be that from the first minute you met each other there was a connection. Or that each time you were together, you felt butterflies of excitement. Then again, perhaps it was the fact that holding hands was as natural as breathing or that you can recall the first kiss you shared like it was yesterday.

Part of what makes romance and courtship so exciting is its unpredictability; you are never absolutely sure how things will turn out on the first, second or even third date. The other part is the excitement of the challenge: is he or she the right one, the one you have been looking for? And when you both answer "Yes" to that question and decide to marry, everything changes. Then the question becomes: how can we keep the romance and love alive?

From the moment you exchange wedding rings you face a different type of challenge; that of keeping the heart you've won. Starting a journal about where you were when the proposal of marriage was made and accepted, along with all of the moments you have shared with your soon-to-be lifetime partner is a good place to begin.

When you return home after the honeymoon, give yourselves a month or two and then revisit where you had your first date. Take time to relive those moments that brought you together and made the two of you inseparable. It's just as important to make time to create new memories for the years to come.

Love is by far the strongest emotion for its many variations of expressions. However because it is an emotion, its intensity varies; one day it can be as overwhelming as a hurricane and the next, as subtle as a breeze. And it's a good thing that this is the case because it would be difficult for anyone to get anything done if this emotion remained at a fever-pitch constantly.

On the other hand, love is an emotion that survives best when it's nurtured and not taken for granted: love can wither away for lack of attention. As you exchange wedding vows, a good one to include is: to promise to continue to explore the mystery of your partner.

For certain, even when you celebrate your 25th wedding anniversary you will still be able to discover something new about your partner. The most important thing for couples to remember is to resist the temptation to believe that wedding bands alone are a guarantee of the love you need to keep you together.

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