Blog
The journey to the wedding day may be a winding one. I’m happy to share some tips and tricks along the way. I continually offer ways to strengthen your relationship, and provide additional resources & tools. Scroll on down, and click on a post that interests you. The comments are always open, and I would love to know what you think!
How to Talk about Money in Your Relationship?
Money is the number one reason why people get divorced in this country. It’s such an emotional subject, and most of us are never taught how to handle our money, never mind, discuss it. So, how do you talk about FINANCES relationship?
Choosing My Partner Every Day
In a recent premarital counseling session, I brainstormed ways to build connection and schedule regular date nights with one of my couples. Then the groom turned to me and asked, "How do I make sure that she chooses me every day?"
GUEST POST: Marriage and Finances
Marriage usually means romance, not finances, right? Maybe not. After all, you already know your spouse-to-be has a million dollar smile, but will that charm extend to his or her finances and bills after marriage?
What is Wedding Yoga?
Wedding planning and the actual wedding day itself can be stressful. The ancient practice of yoga is known for bringing calm and focus to the body and mind through breath and movement. Don't believe me?
5 Reasons to do Premarital Counseling
The reasons couples come to me for premarital counseling are as diverse as the couples themselves. It pleases me to report that most couples do not reach out because they have major problems, although though some do. More often than not, they want to strengthen the relationship they already have, as they plan for the future.
Here are the top reasons that couples like YOU may benefit from premarital counseling!
Appreciation and the 5 Love Languages
Just as all of us were starting to shelter-at-home, Amy Shack Egan of Modern Rebel asked me to join her on Instagram Live to talk 'emotional wellness' in our current crisis. Amy posed 5 questions, but with limited time together, I was only able to offer limited responses. Two weeks ago, I wrote about Respecting Boundaries. Today, I answer the question, "What are small ways to show appreciation for your partner during this time?" However, when I think appreciation, I first think of Gary Chapman's 5 Love Languages.
Respecting Boundaries in our Current Crisis (part 1)
On Friday, I got an email from one of my PM Counseling couples with their agenda for the next session. I usually see "Family Relationships" or "Finances," but what I got was "Respecting boundaries during isolation." So when wedding planner, Amy Shack Egan from Modern Rebel asked me to join her on Instagram LiveStream to talk about couple's wellness and her first question was "For couples working from home - what are small ways to draw boundaries + be intentional about alone time?" I was totally ready!
Zen Weddings: Creating Expectations
Before each and every counseling session, I ask my couples for an agenda of what they may want to cover. Usually they pick one of The Big Issues off the list, but sometimes they go rogue.
Building Community
We live in a growing world that’s growing smaller every day due to the ease of communication through social media. But those connections while miraculous and easy, don’t usually result in true friendships. In building community. In my pre-marital counseling program, we discuss topics that tend to trip couples up in their marriage. Talking through social activities and time spent together in and out of the relationship is on that list.
Put a Ring on It - an event for newly engaged couples 9/12/17
A Little Bit EACH day
In an effort to keep my small apartment clean, I constantly read articles with tips that always suggest doing a little bit every day. Taking care of incoming mail as you enter your home so it doesn't clutter, sweeping and mopping on a certain day each week and cleaning all dishes in the kitchen sink before you go to sleep. But why not think the same way with our relationships?
The Zen Bride Workshop
GUEST POST: Giving Contest
When I asked NY Money Coach, Carrie Birgbauer for her thoughts on money in a relationship, she sent me two great blog posts. I couldn't choose which was best, so I decided to post both. Here's a link to the first one, and the second is below
Building Strong Relationships: MONEY
I am taking the next 7 weeks to go through the reasons why people get divorced. In all of my materials and on the website, I use similar wording. Do I use the word 'divorce' to scare pre-wedding couples a bit? Hell, yes! While the '50% of all marriages end in divorce' may be a huge overestimate, we cannot discount the high rate of divorce in this country.
GUEST POST: Letting Go
The following is a guest post by Carrie Birgbauer. We were introduced by a mutual friend and finally met up over great coffee up in the Heights. We talked about living in the Bay, yoga, getting married and up town living. She's my go-to gal for any couples to need expert money advice. The post was written in June of this year, before Carrie tied the knot with her now husband. Enjoy!