healthy marriages

When a woman is set to get married, society assumes she'll ditch her maiden name for her partner's last name. However, this societal norm is a sacrifice that can impact the working woman's career.

We decided to get married approximately five weeks before actually getting married. For some, that seems fast. But we’d been ready for a very, very long time. Some people ask how you know you’re ready. It’s an important thing to ask. Here is how I knew I was 110% ready to marry my husband.

Understand that you don’t have to like all of each other’s friends. You will both have a friend—or perhaps a couple—who rub the other the wrong way. You, separately, know that your partner just doesn’t understand your friend. That’s okay. You don’t need to force the issue. Just go have one-on-one time with that friend and let it be that easy.

Keep that friend group diverse! You don’t just need lots of married friends. They’ll share the same kinds of stories you have and make you feel very insulated from your non-married friends. Yes, having couples friends is convenient, but having single friends is good for your soul. So even if it means stepping away from your beau for the night, do it to see your single friends.

You spend your date nights doing things like popping by gallery openings, making appearances at galas, and generally being a couple about town in high society. They aren’t spent one on one.