Wives' Words

When I'm starting something new, when I don’t know what to do or if I’m just scared to death, I always find it comforting to hear other people’s experiences. Knowing that I’m not alone, and that other people have gone through what I’m experiencing, and survived, often gives me that edge to move forward and to excel. That’s exactly why I talked to many veteran wives and included their words of wisdom in my book, "Help! I'm a Newlywed...What Do I Do Now?" I love hearing other people’s perspectives and often finding great advice in the process.

I’ve decided to share some of that here at The Newlywed Life. The “Wives’ Words” below are pulled from my book, however, moving forward I will continue to interview more wives who can share some of their experiences with you. If you have any questions that you would like answered please do let me know.

What did you expect the first year of marriage to be like?

“I thought the first year was supposed to be the ‘honeymoon’ phase where everything was lovey-dovey. The honeymoon phase ended after the honeymoon!” —Nancy, married two years

“I thought the first year would be no different than living together. NOT TRUE. Marriage is a living institution and you have no idea what to expect until you are in it.” —Rachel, married 12 years

“I expected it to be good and bad because each relationship goes through phases. I honestly didn't expect it to be as rough as it was though the first year. … I was looking for more of a ‘fairy tale’ type first year and that was very unrealistic.” —Monica, married three years

“I thought we would have a lot more fun than we actually did. It was work from the start.” —Hope, married 14 years

“I knew that the first year of marriage would be filled with fun moments and hard adjustments. I was wise enough to know that it would be a time of testing but foolish enough to believe that I could endure it.” —Angela, married 16 years

“I expected my marriage to be very easy. My husband and I dated for five years prior to getting married and lived together most of that time, so I thought being married was going to be a breeze. Whoever said if you live with a person, if you marry them things would be the same…not so.” —Quisa, married 1 year

“I thought we would instantly have this solid partnership/marriage because we communicated very well. We eventually built a solid partnership/marriage, but it took much work and continues to take more work than I ever thought it would.” —Ndidi, married six years

Winks & Smiles,
Wifey