Wedding rings and marriage advice tend to go hand in hand.  People see a newly married couple and tend to share great insight into they keys to staying married.  Some are quirky and downright funny while others are sage and life changing.  To kick off our first installment of the Wedding Ring Wednesday series, I thought it would be helpful to hear some advice from a newly married couple.

It was a perfect woodland fairytale wedding complete with handcrafted rings that looked like branches frozen in time.  Capturing their wedding day bliss, you would never know that Suzy and Dave’s first meeting didn’t go very well.

Their second encounter was even more interesting when they accidentally hosted a Super Bowl Party together at Dave’s house.  Many of their guests were so won over by the great food and hospitality that they just assumed it had all been expertly planned out.

Six months after their first meeting, the bonded over the a mutual love of books, trivia, and Lord of the Rings movies on their first real date at the Tupelo Honey Cafe.  Dave started taking Suzy to the Airport for her work related trips in order to get to know her better.  His plan worked well . . and Dave started to plan a proposal.  He asked for her parents permission and had the whole day planned out.

Unfortunately, Suzy’s plans kept changing and Dave actually tried to propose about 9 times before it was just perfect.  He proposed in one of Suzy’s favorite places, the Biltmore Estates in January.  It was the perfect surprise and a great way to start the year.

Dave and Suzy’s wedding was a natural extension of who they are and what they value and believe.  With emphasis placed on God and their strong ties to family heritage, it was a beautiful ceremony.

After two months of marriage here is the advice they have for newly weds:

• Communication has been one of the hardest things to get used to. It’s not just the fact that we need to communicate, but also how we communicate. While we were dating and even engaged, we had enough separation that if I was upset, I could wait until he went home and withdraw into myself to figure out exactly what was so upsetting. Then we could talk it out the next time I saw him. I didn’t even realize that’s what I was needing. Now, he lives with me and that separation isn’t there to help me gather up my thoughts and figure out what’s wrong. Dave’s approach is a lot more head on. He doesn’t like letting anything sit until it’s resolved. So, his natural inclination is to not wait and hash everything out in the midst of the moment’s emotion. And that causes more tension because I need that moment to gather my thoughts and feelings together to even put the right words to how I’m feeling. All that being said, the first piece of advice is to be aware of your communication styles and be as understanding as you can be toward the other’s natural inclination. Neither style is better or worse. They are just different and we are still learning how to make the two mesh together peacefully.

• Don’t let anyone push into your time adjusting at home as a newlywed couple. There will be plenty of opportunity to do things with family and friends later, but right now is the time to focus on learning how to live with one another well. That doesn’t mean you have to skip out on all social interaction. Just be intentional on how many impromptu gatherings or visits from friends or family that you allow to take over your time.

• Nobody ever told me how much of a process it is to have your name changed. Make a list of all the places you will need to change your name with. From primary accounts to insignificant accounts, it’s a big process to get everything changed over. And no two places do it the same. Go ahead and make several copies of your new Drivers License and marriage certificate to mail out with all the different forms you will need to fill out.

Do you have newly wed advice?  Comment and share below!