What To Do After You Say 'I Do'

What To Do After You Say ‘I Do’

A former colleague of mine, Elicia, moved to London a little more than 4 years ago. She’d fallen in love with a handsome and dapper young British man, Carl, and after 5 years of dating, they’d decided to make it official.

When Keith and I joined them for dinner in London (on my trip around the world in search of the secret to a happy marriage), we wanted to know all the details of their engagement, the wedding plans and we asked them to spare no details.

They will be married at the end of this summer on the Amalfi Coast. Carl hasn’t seen the wedding dress but Elicia proudly showed me pictures on her iPhone and shared the story of how she chose an American designer by happenstance and so she’d just received the dress in the mail from the US. It’s gorgeous.

We learned about Carl’s meticulously planned proposal. Last December, on Elicia’s birthday, he gave her a gift and a clue for a future “surprise.” Every week for the next 6 months, Carl gave her a new clue – 26 in total. The only caveat is she could not get a new clue until she figured out the one most recently given.

In June, she guessed the second-to-final clue so the time had come. Carl gave her a handmade note early one morning that said, “Let’s go!” And with that, he told her she had 1 hour to quickly pack to be gone for 4 or 7 days (days 5-7, she’d later learned, were contingent upon what would happen on day 4).

At the airport, Carl spoke with the female ticket agent and explained what he was trying to do, and because most women are romantics, she defied security protocol and allowed him to take Elicia to the plane without her being aware of where they were going. A few hours later, they arrived in Naples.

On the 4th [and possibly final] day, Carl suggested they drive up the coast to Capri. It was here, overlooking the azure waters below, that he popped the question on bended knee. And because he’d planned this day down to the most minute detail, he also captured the proposal on videotape.

All this talk about Carl’s proposal made me think about all the work and effort Keith put into his proposal to me. And then I wondered how many people put the same amount of time, energy, meticulous planning and effort into creating a marriage that will stand the test of time.

Question: Before you were married, did you spend more time planning the wedding or planning for a happy and successful marriage? Did you prepare for what you would do after you said ‘I do’?

If you’re happily married and haven’t taken the time to join the Club, make sure to join us today. It takes only seconds and, of course, it’s completely free. Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

Comments: With more than 45,000 Happy Wives Club members already actively engaged on our Facebook page, what better place to share your thoughts? Join me there and let’s continue the conversation: Happy Wives Club Facebook

Bio
Latest Posts

Fawn Weaver

Founder at Happy Wives Club

Fawn Weaver is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage, adopting the same name as the Club she founded in 2010. The Happy Wives Club community has grown to include more than 1 million women in over 110 countries around the world. She’s an investor in real estate, tech sector and lifestyle brands. When she’s not writing or working, she's happily doting over her husband of twelve years, Keith (and sometimes manages to do all three simultaneously).