You have made it through the stress and excitement of the wedding and now you are headed to an exotic escape or local adventure. So much anticipation fills your moments as you travel. Are you ready?
Song of Solomon 6:3a “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;”
I remember the anticipation as we raced out of the church. We were so excited to start our life together. When we arrived at our destination, we laughed and enjoyed the moment until the excitement was replaced with overwhelming exhaustion and we both crashed. After we took some time to rest and relax things were so much better. We were not prepared for the feelings and everything that surrounded the time after the wedding. Let me encourage you to be patient with each other and find time to rest. Things are so much better if you have had time to process all that has happened the last few days prior as well as earlier that day.
Now you are on your honeymoon and get to enjoy your time together with no other focus but each other. You have given up independence to be together and many things are going to change. If you have not had time before, this is the time to talk about everything. I’ve heard several new couples comment how horrible their honeymoon was. I research what caused such a horrible experience and found several fascinating details. The number one issue was the shower or bathroom etiquette. Things like he used all the hot water, she squeezes the toothpaste from the middle, She streaked the mirror, and she used my razor. These all may seem silly, but arguments are started over less. What really made it horrible was that they expected a state of perfection, because they didn’t want to ruin it they harbored the frustrations and didn’t say anything. The location may have been incredible, the setting perfect, but because of the little things their relationship started broken.
So what now: Talk to friends, pastor, etc and plan your honeymoon so you have time to learn about each other. Relax! If there are things that frustrate you while on your honeymoon, talk about it. By talking about it you are not going to ruin your time together, but may find it even better. Brain-storm ideas, figure out how to fix the problem and respect the needs of each other. If hot water is an issue, maybe take a shower together. If the razor is the issue, get two razors. The important thing is to talk issues through. By not saying anything many frustrations will not only take the joy away from your honeymoon, but may create conflicts that tear down your marriage if you let it. There are things that each of you do as individuals that you may never have thought about. When you are now a couple habits become evident, but this is the same person you fell in love with before. Now that you are a couple the things you do are going to be exaggerated in your mind. Do not be offended by what your spouse does. Talk about it when you are newly married. Build skills so that you can be open to one another. Work together as you have children. Smile and laugh together. Re-invent your marriage every so often. By opening these conversations up early, you will be that old married couple that everyone is shocked to hear how long you have been married.
Keep that love and appreciation fresh! You don’t have to be the “typical” old married couple.
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