We have created a Guide to assist in planning a wonderful wedding ceremony.  You are among a rapidly growing number of women who are Marrying Later in Life.  From the dress, etiquette, beauty tips, lifestyle changes,  your careers, homes, blending families, prenuptial agreements as well as other hot topics, we are here to answer your questions.  Join us and tell us your story and we will all share our solutions so we can build a community to make it easier to navigate with the challenges of Marrying Later in Life.

Having your bridal bouquet or posey made out of real flowers isn’t the only choice when deciding on what to hold in your hands as you walk down the aisle. Sentimental family heirlooms or traditional cultural customs will bring powerful symbolism and meaning to your wedding day ceremony. A family bible that has been passed down for years, a lacy handkerchief carrying your rosary beads or cross, or a treasured container filled with a family heirloom will hold tremendous meaning to you and your  background and traditions. As we are Irish, an old Irish custom is for the bride to carry a horseshoe for good luck. In our family, the horseshoe is tied with a ribbon that trails to the ground as the bride walks. Afterwards, it is always added to the front door of the couple’s home to keep their love alive!

Do you have a favorite symbol that you and Mr. Wonderful would like to include in your wedding day walk down the aisle? We would love to hear your thoughts!

Hugs,

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.com

We just became acquainted with a new web site called www.briderush.com. As one of us didn’t plan very far ahead for our wedding, knowing about such a wonderful web site such as Bride Rush, would have been an ideal resource had we needed last minute help in finding reputable venders to create our style.

Do hope everyone had a wonderful New Years! All the best for 2012.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Hugs, Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.com

Ladies,

Have you ever thought about how you take off your shoes? Is it always the same, or do you have a different pattern? Studying people’s dis-shoeing has always been a fascinating study for me. I always wondered if it had something to do with one’s personality. I have noticed my Mr. Wonderful’s unveiling, as well as other close friends when they visit us. The pattern is pretty much the same. Mr. W’s always has his shoes precisely  placed side by side by side. Even when he is tired, the precision is always the same. However that goes back to the profession he has chosen to follow. One that is very precise and non forgiving if he was in error.

I am attaching the way I always take off my shoes. Perhaps it is because I was a ballet dancer when I was younger, or  just a non thinking, artful way of disposing of my shoes. That may be because I am more left brained and at odds with my husbands precise placement of the furniture in our home. I am an angler and he is for establishing exact measurements on each side of a chair or picture. Granted I never thought much about it until I started observing people. Sort of like certain photographers that will remain a mystery at this point. In any event, it hasn’t stopped my curiosity to make it a point to feature shoes for our posts.

However with my Mr. Wonderful, it hasn’t impacted our relationship. Some issues to challenge are just not that important in the scheme of things. Precision versus a bit off balanced has not been an issue. There are bigger things to discuss.

Hugs and a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to all!

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaerinlife.com

Holidays…..blending families at this time is always the most challenging aspect of marrying later in life. Holidays are a time when memories and sensitivities run deep. Thus, adding new families into the mix can often cause scheduling challenges and hurt feelings as traditions change with new members to consider. Breathe…. There can be some hiccups, but with careful planning and sharing each families traditions, you can create your own new traditions with your extended families. The most important point is to see and listen to all the dynamics each new family member remembers most. Was it opening some gifts Christmas Eve? Attending church that night then sharing dinner together? A brunch on Christmas Day.  Be sensitive to their most cherished memories and try to incorporate them into your own version. Discuss all the options openly with Mr. Wonderful, and decide on a new tradition where everyone can be involved at one point over the holidays, without taking away their own memories.

One of us has a traditional Christmas Eve open house. It allows family members to share a moment with your family, then continue their own traditions. Our family tradition is church, then we host a Christmas Eve dinner for those children and families in town. It is usually every other year  we are all together for either Thanksgiving or Christmas. And as we are all realizing as the years pass, how quickly those years go!

Another new tradition we share with family close by, is making our celebrated Christmas nut blend together. It is a day long affair with the girls making the nuts, and the boys, hanging lights and watching football games. That way everyone has a good time and there are no Bickerson’s in the crowd, just laughter and the warmth and love the holiday brings just being together.

Hugs,

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.

Ladies,

It was a sad commentary for marriage vows and commitments the other day when we heard on the news that 10 years ago, 71 % of people cohabiting were married. Today it hovers around 50%. Thus marriages are declining in our society, giving way to people living together without the bond or the commitment of marriage. It reminded me of my husband’s comment the night we were married. Although he proposed to me shortly after we met, at the time, he knew that marriage was significantly more important to me than it was to him. However, the night we were married, and after the ceremony and partying had come to an end and we were safely back in our hotel room, he sat me down in our chair.  At that moment, he said  he didn’t realize how much more connected to me he felt through our commitment of marriage. We both felt an amazing bond of connection and protection for each other that neither one of us had felt with our first marriages. Marrying Later in Life gave us a bond and a commitment to each other, that went much deeper than we both imagined.

Hugs,

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.com

Ladies,

We wanted to share a new Wedding show airing on WEtv, tomorrow, Sunday night, December 4th at 10PM PS/ES.

Called #IDoOver, the show is hosted by well known wedding planner Diann Valentine.Wildflower linens will be featuring their incredible table designs and wedding accessories, and my friend Cheryl Dent will be sharing her expertise from the  Celebrations website, for ideas on “saying I do again to getting married!”

Hugs,

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.com

My Mother always told me the key to a successful marriage is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner. So what does that entail for those of us about to marry or remarry again? How can we avoid not being one of the latest marriages hung out to dry once again?

Our best MLL advice is to spend time with just you. Love being with the person you are and your peculiarities, or what makes you unique. Understand the dynamics of what worked and what didn’t work in your past relationships. Explore those thoughts with a therapist.

Listen to your emotional self and understand the three aspects of chemistry we all have within. Intellectual, physical and spiritual. Decide where you fit in each area and how much of each you need in your daily life.

Ask your self why you want to get married again. Is it financial stability, fear of being alone, a new life or a parent for your children. We all have our own reasons, and they are solid ones if they are important to you.

Once you have answered these secrets of your self, you will begin to travel the road ahead to building a successful marriage.

Hugs,

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.com

It’s interesting. There are so many terms now for family situations. There are traditional families, single parent families, step families and now the new term of today, “Blended families.”

So you might ask, what exactly is a blended family and how is it different from a step family? The statistics state 65% of remarriages now consist of children from previous marriages. The term “blended families” smooths over the thoughts of the wicked step mother found in many fairy tails we all grew up with.

Of all the questions we dealt with when remarrying and joining families and those of our later in life brides, is how to balance and smoothly combine two or more families? One major event to think about is how the original family unit handled the breakup of their marriage. Was it  bitter and contentious, or a smooth talked about and understood parting. There is never really a smooth parting of parents with children no matter what the age. It still hurts. The children were first introduced to the trauma of divorce and living in two different homes with visitation rights for each parent. And now, you have decided to remarry and form a blended family, with everyone living happily ever after. It isn’t an easy task for you the parent or your children. However, the earlier you approach the decision of telling your children, and how you address them will make all the difference in their reaction and acceptance.  Go slowly through the process, and when planning your wedding include them as much as possible. Remember the good fortune that you and Mr. Wonderful have me,t and now want to celebrate a life together. Be patient and loving and with time your family will meld together.

Hugs,

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.com

No matter if this is your first or third wedding, from our experience the focal point is always THE DRESS and then…THE SHOES!

The consensus is those of us marrying later in life often choose a simpler, more elegant or sophisticated dress. Whether it be a cocktail dress or a flour length gown, popular colors are still white, off white or a light pastel. Often brides choose a dressy, feminine suit, a cocktail dress or a longer one they can redesign into a gown to wear again, which is what Elizabeth did. She also wore a veil that many wedding “etiquette experts” advise against because of our age. The beauty of our age is you can create any image you want of you, and what makes you feel beautiful and comfortable.

And then the shoes! Finding shoes that are perfect for your dress is another challenge and we found the solution! Natalia from

A Tus Pies and her designer Vera will custom make you a pair of shoes that are not only stylish and beautiful, but comfortable to match! It’s easy to do. Just email Vera your look and style or browse through their beautiful catalog to find your selection. “verasoules@hotmail.com“It takes about a month to custom make a pair so keep that in mind in your planning schedule! We will tell you more in future posts because there is one thing we love…and that’s our shoes!

Hugs,

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.com

We have both inherited children from our spouses whom we have helped with planning their weddings. And now, we are planning their baby showers! As both of Marsha’s step girls are 2 months apart in delivering baby boys, we decided to combine a separate shower for each into one. The twist is we are celebrating the new Dad’s and not the girls! At first the idea had a cold reception, as the new mother’s felt left out. An interesting thought, as I wonder how new Dad’s really feel throughout the whole new “baby” process. I would imagine left out. Especially when the new baby arrives!

In any event, we pursued and the shower is this Saturday. Now, everyone is excited and on board. Our invitations read “Mike, Fred and Steve are giving a couples shower to honor the new Dad’s and a generation of newer Dad’s to come! So, we are celebrating all the Dad’s for an evening of family, friendship and fun!

Our theme is based around teddy bears, with colors of blue and white, with heavy appetizers and fancy cocktails! There are always new ways to put a spin on old traditions, and that is why as a later in life bride, you can create a wedding that is just your style.

Cheers!

Elizabeth & Marsha

www.marryinglaterinlife.com