Wedding News
Why You Should Care About Marriage In America
Why You Should Care About Marriage In America
- FOXNews.com
One of the best things we can do for our country is to strengthen and support marriage. National Marriage Week USA is a powerful new initiative that aims to do just that.
Some Americans see marriage as something they can go in and out of if it becomes unrewarding or difficult; some see it as unnecessary to their lives. But deep down, most people wish they could have a rewarding lifelong commitment with their spouse. Marriage, by its very nature, is intended to be a covenant relationship, not consumer relationship. In the midst of many external challenges, we forget how marriage can benefit our personal lives. We are losing our determination and the skills to keep our marriages healthy and strong.
This is a major reason for a new initiative called National Marriage Week USA. The initiative will runs this year from February 7 - 14. Surprisingly, several other countries, including the UK, Germany, the
If you hadn’t heard about it, the week leading up to Valentine’s Day has had some U.S. attention since 2002 by those in the marriage education field. But a new initiative in 2010 seeks to build a broader collaboration and to elevate marriage to the national attention it deserves.
Marriage is in crisis. A new Marriage Index released in October, 2009 reports that in 1970 nearly 80 percent of all adult Americans were married; today that has dropped to 57 percent. The Marriage Index also reports that today 40 percent of all American children are born out of wedlock, with 70 percent of babies in African-American families born without a married mother and father.
Why should we care? Because marriage is the best way to overcome poverty, and it is proven as the best circumstance for raising children. Research overwhelmingly shows that lack of marriage or divorce impoverishes women and children. In addition, boys reared apart from their father are twice as more likely to spend time in prison by age 32 as those who were raised in a married home headed by their own mother and father. Teenage girls who are raised by their own father are much more likely to resist the advances of boys or young men who do not have their best interests at heart. In fact, 35 percent of adolescent girls whose father left before the age of six became pregnant, compared to just 5 percent of girls who were raised by their mother and father. Research also overwhelmingly makes the case that married folks live longer, enjoy better health, greater personal happiness, more well adjusted children, and greater financial stability. (All research references can be found at www.nationalmarriageweekUSA.org)
Americans must start to credit anew the personal, social and cultural value of marriage. In April 2008, economists reported that it costs U.S. taxpayers a whopping $112 billion a year for divorce and unwed childbearing. In these devastating economic times, Americans of all stripes and persuasions need to put on their activist boots and get to work to re-build a culture that values traditional marriage and learns again, as many from earlier generations did, how to become responsible and thriving married people.
It can be discouraging to hear this generation’s stories about failed politicians and formerly revered athletes like Tiger Woods. But there are many positive, untold stories from the heroic work done daily by scores of marriage educators about unions restored and families put back on track. It’s also true that folks need help, but they don’t always know where to get it.
National Marriage Week USA seeks to strengthen individual marriages, reduce the divorce rate, and build a stronger marriage culture. If we can accomplish those goals we will also help reduce poverty and strength our children. Together we can make more impact than working alone. We want folks across the country to recommit to work on their own marriages, to mobilize their community to get on board and to work together to host special marriage conferences and events, launch a marriage class or home group, or stir create or news coverage on the local level.
Every other skill in this country has a school—literally a facility of bricks and mortar. But not marriage. Religious institutions are possibly the greatest avenue to become a natural “school” for marriage. Church leaders understand that marriages within the church may be hurting just as much as those outside of the church. But only 28 percent of churches in America offer even one marriage course, so local congregations can be a powerful first place to start a new concerted effort to strengthen marriage. Church leaders can get started by listening to a one-hour Webinar by leading pastors and social scientists to get practical advice on how to help at www.nationalmarriageweekUSA.org. Right now National Marriage Week USA is putting forth the call for a marriage ministry in every congregation in America.
There are stresses and challenges in the midst of raising children, maintaining jobs and paying the bills. But throughout my nearly 30 years of marriage, I’ve experienced something personally profound and have observed it countless times in others—when couples commit to work through their issues, learn about themselves and make changes to become more the person they need to be…then there is comfort, companionship, and greater financial stability on the other side of the conflict. There is no better way to go into old age than with the person with whom you have weathered life’s storms – the one who has been a witness to your life’s journey.
Americans need to stop thinking of marriage as a consumer relationship—if we don’t, we’ll always want a refund or an exchange because there is no perfect product. But when we view marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman unto death, not as a throwaway consumer relationship, the chances are enormously higher for personal growth, better health, greater happiness, a longer life, and greater well being for our children.
Sheila Weber is the executive director of National Marriage Week USA and the “Let’s Strengthen Marriage” campaign. To work on your own marriage, help others, or make a difference in your community— get information, research, and resources at www.nationalmarriageweekUSA.org. You can “Post an Event” and sort the list by state to find an event near your home. You can also click Join the Campaign and “Tell Us What You’re Doing,” and read creative examples of what others are doing around the nation.
Faith and Finances in the Christian Marriage
Last year when we witnessed first hand the economy decline, marriages were tested on new levels. Christian marriages were also tested and some ended in divorce because of the finances. How does a husband and wife hold on to their faith when it seems as if their finances are becoming less and less. They are praying, yet they do not see a change in their situation.
What is a husband or wife to do when one spouse is continuing to hold on to their faith, yet the other spouse’s faith has been shaken. Now not only is the marriage dealing with the financial issues but now they will be dealing with shaken faith which impacts the marriage on a different level. How does a couple hold on when it appears what they are doing is not working?
Join Dr. Taffy and Rev. Angela
Sign up here for the call in information: http://financesandfaith.eventbrite.com/
Event created by Dr. Taffy Wagner
National Marriage Week
Money and Marriage Teleseminars during National Marriage Week
February 7 – 14, 2010
Join us for a week of seminars to enhance and encourage Marriage within the Community.
Sunday, February 7, 2010 – Superbowl Sunday – No seminar this night but encouraging couples to get together with friends and watch the game.
Monday, February 8, 2010 – Faith and Finances with Rev. Angela Butts
Desc: Christian Marriages often struggle in the area of finances which can lead to denial, division and divorce. Join us as we discuss steps to focus on your finances and establish a financial foundation that can encourage your faith and lead to financial success.
To reserve your space for this seminar – http://financesandfaith.eventbrite.com/
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 – Romance and Finances with Mary Chatman, CEO of Love Life Designs, LLC
Desc: Romance does not have to decline because finances are tight. Join Mary Chatman, CEO of Love Life Designs and learn ways to be romantic regardless of your financial status.
To reserve your space for this seminar – http://romanceandfinance.eventbrite.com/
Wednesday, February 10, 2010 – Black Marriage and Money Panel – Dr. Harold Arnold, Talayah Stovall and Christine Pembleton
Desc: Money is a “taboo” subject. Marriage is not popular within the black community. Join us tonight as we discuss how Black Marriage and Money can be successful and at the same time change the studies and have more couples prepared for Black Marriage and Money.
To reserve your space for this seminar – http://blackmarriageandmoney.eventbrite.com/
Thursday, February 11, 2010 – Money Management Skills for the Entrepreneur Wife with Teisha
Desc: Wives that are entrepreneurs wear many hats. What does being an entrepreneur wife mean and how can it impact family finances? Join me as I interview Teisha Houston, CEO of The Business Coach for Moms about being an entrepreneur wife and what money means to her family and yours.
Register here: http://entrepeneurwifeandmoney.eventbrite.com/
Friday, February 12, 2010 – Money and Marriage is a Lifestyle with Dr. Taffy Wagner, Suzanne Mayo and Lavonia Perryman of
Desc: Recapping the week of seminars. We have had discussions about faith and finance, romance and finance, preparing for money and marriage, money management skills for the entrepreneur. Discussing how these different roles should equip married couples to leave a financial legacy for their families.
Register here: http://moneyandmarriagelifestyle.eventbrite.com/
Saturday, February 13, 2010 – Valentine’s Day Weekend
No seminar but encouraging married couples to celebrate their love not just today but everyday.
Dr. Taffy Wagner is the creator of this event.
Eco-conscious Wedding Libation
It's easy to find your favorite foods and produce in an organic alternative, but what about your drinks and cocktails? Organic spirits and liquor are now finding their way into your wedding reception and we are here to provide tips, ideas, and services to enjoy eco-licious libations!
Beth Parentice launched ECO-BAR after years of creating and mixing cocktails for bars and entertaining at home with friends. The cocktails she created were among some of the hottest and most ordered drinks on the bar menu. She realized this was more than a passion, but a dream to bring ECO-BAR nationwide and share how we all can drink eco-consciously and enjoy trying unique and organic libations.
Eco-Bar will be featured in the upcoming April 2010 issue of BRIDES magazine.
Listen in on I Do Radio, February 6, 2010 at 10am PT/1pm ET to hear her interview.
Season 3 of I Do Radio
Join us starting February 6th @ 10am as we begin another great season of I Do Radio. Bringing you vendor interviews and wedding ceremony specific planning. I Do Radio has a great lineup for you.
An Inspirational First Lady
As we begin 2010, many people make resolutions. I see this video as an inspiration.
As we go through our lives this year, there are many times that we too, will be able to help the life of another.
As we go through our lives this year, there are many times that we too, will be able to help the life of another.
The Future of Bridesmaids
Found this picture on Erin Ever After to be quite interesting; the question posed as well. Is this the future of the bridesmaid? Are the days of matchy-matchy dresses gone by the way side, in are the days of self expression? What do you think?
Spring 2010 Inspiration!
By Truly Engaging
If Pantone the color boss says it… it must be true. As you may know, Turquoise has been declared the alpha color, the top tinge for 2010. Over the next few months, you’ll hear the word “trendy” wrapped tightly around this color but I think it’s forever stylish and a solid choice. Stunning whether you incorporate it as a main color or as an accent. Think tropical blue waters and warm, sunny days.
I took the color boss’ suggestion and paired this yummy color with the likes of the new “classic” red…Tomato Puree. I used the design studio {although not exact} to convert Pantone’s Turquoise CMYK: 61,0,32,0 and Tomato Puree CMYK: 0,75,78,13.
I absolutely adore this high energy combination. So fun.
And behind every great color is a great neutral! These are the shades to set the stage for spring: Pink Champagne, Tuscany, Dried Herb and Eucalyptus as the ultimate grey. LOVE the neutrals for this spring!
Another lovely color for Spring 2010 is Fusion Coral {yay for coral~even though we’ve been admiring this one for a while}. Using the design studio {not exact~coral cmyk: 04,49,55,0 and tuscany cmyk: 0,20.31,25} I changed the colors on this damask Invitation from black and white to the Coral and Tuscany…
soft, warm yet energetic at the same time!
So what do you think… did Pantone hit that color nail right on the head?
When ‘the Dress’ Turns Into 5 or 6
Tom Bloom
SARAH NIANOURIS found the perfect wedding dress. Then she continued shopping.
Why, she can’t say. But she fell in love with another, then another, then another. She now had four sashaying, cascading, lace-adorned, bead-bedecked and — not to be ignored in an economic downturn — way-over-her-budget gowns. She wasn’t marrying enough times to wear them all.
“I know: psycho,” she said. But she has plenty of company. Multiple wedding-dress purchases, are a trend in the wedding industry, if the anecdotes mean anything.
Ms. Nianouris (now Mrs. Sollar), a real estate broker in Dayton, Ohio, considers herself “very frugal.” She had budgeted $1,000 for her dress. She spent $800 on her first pick, a Sarah Danielle, then bought an elaborate, tiered tulle-and-lace Mia Solano for $1,000. Then she opted for handmade, setting her back $550 on the deposit. “When I put it on, I wanted to throw up,” she said.
Then she bought the winner, an Amsale sample gown, for $699, with $300 in alterations. She sold the first two on PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com for a loss of $650. It was a long journey to the right dress, but “I couldn’t have been happier,” she said.
Not that Mrs. Sollar spent much by today’s wildly priced wedding-dress standards, where something from the couturier Monique Lhuillier’s Platinum Collection can sell for upward of $20,000.
Annie Hunter of Seattle, who works in marketing for a nonprofit organization, reached more than half that total when she bought four dresses for her August wedding. She bought two at a sample sale in Seattle for $3,800 combined. She bought a third dress, an Amsale, online for $3,000. “It had pockets,” she said. “I wanted pockets.” She wore it to a small wedding ceremony she and her bridegroom held in Mexico, but felt it was a bit too revealing for her formal wedding. The fourth, and final, dress she bought at a shop in Seattle, a Monique Lhuillier for $3,400.
“My husband paid for the first two, I paid for the third, and my mother paid for the fourth,” she said. “Everyone contributed to the madness.”
But Mrs. Hunter’s mother was her cautionary tale. “She thought I was nuts,” Mrs. Hunter said. “But she hated the way she had looked on her wedding day, and she wanted me to have a more positive experience, which I did.”
Josie Daga, the owner of PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, has labeled the phenomenon multiple-dress syndrome. “A two-dress wedding is old hat,” she said. “Easily 15 to 20 percent of our sellers are two-dress brides. But buying several dresses? This is new.”
Mrs. Daga points to dozens of brides who have shared their multiple-dress stories on her site, including a woman who bought seven dresses, and another who bought six.
“They are a little bit ashamed of it,” she said. “But with longer engagements and the excitement around the wedding industry, the dress is often the first thing they buy.”
And buy, and buy.
The phenomenon has not registered on the radar of the Wedding Report (theweddingreport.com), an online market research firm tracking all things wedding-related. “I’ll add it to our next survey,” said Shane McMurray, the firm’s chief executive.
Multiple wedding-dress purchases are part of what continues to be a high level of spending on weddings, a $40-billion-plus industry according to information from the Association of Certified Professional Wedding Consultants and a number of other industry groups.
Amber Schneider of Boston, who bought a mere two gowns, saw her wedding as a once-in-a-lifetime event.
“My husband and I will be paying this wedding off for years and years to come,” said Mrs. Schneider, a hospital social worker. “I felt guilty about it, but at the same time, I wanted to feel beautiful on my wedding day.”
It is a sentiment that has certainly helped the resale industry. Sales at the pre-owned dress site are “fabulous,” Mrs. Daga said.
“The recession has helped the business, because it’s crazy what a wedding dress costs,” she said. “If you can get a dress that looks essentially new, or sell your dress and get some money back, why wouldn’t you?”
The buyers put their money in a holding account provided by the Web site, so the sellers do not receive the money until the buying brides sign off on the dresses.
Whatever their reasons for buying in bulk, brides said love of a wedding dress, then ultimate rejection of it, did not reflect on their decision-making capabilities regarding a husband.
“Oh, no,” Mrs. Sollar said, laughing. “He’s different. I love him to death.”
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Josie Daga appeared on I Do Radio in February 2009 ==> Listen here
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