- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee Blog
I’m not going to pretend that I know the secrets of a happy marriage, especially considering I’m not even married yet. But, Real Simple featured 6 couples who have been married for at least 50 years. Each of them shared secrets about what they do to make their marriage work. Some of them made me laugh and some of them made my heart smile.
The first couple is Betty and Louis:
They’ve been married for 60 years and first got married when they were 20 years old. Their car broke down as they left the wedding, but that has not impacted their marriage at all! Some of the secrets they shared were:
“We don’t read newspapers at breakfast. We talk to each other.”
“My mother and daddy got along like peaches and cream. You see that sort of example and try to do what they do.”
“We married young, but we were grounded. To make it work, you need to have a good head on your shoulders—which even some 35 years olds don’t have.”
Next up, Ayako and Harold:
They met when they were 17 and 19, respectively. He didn’t speak a lick of Japanese and she English, but he knew that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen and he had to make it work somehow. My favorite secret of theirs was:
“Let her go shopping. More than once, I’ve left a garage sale and gone to get my truck to carry all her antiques home. But true to Japanese tradition, we tolerate and accept every part of each other’s personalities.”
June & Bill:
Bill dated June’s sister before dating her, but they realized they were a better match, and her sister agreed. The funniest quote of the bunch came from June and Bill:
“We don’t get in each other’s way. I don’t challenge what Bill spends. And he knows not to touch my computer.”
“She always liked my legs, so I still wear shorts!”
Imogene & Elmer Edwards:
When Elmer was one and Imogene was 2 weeks old, he yelled, “I want that baby!” His love for her continued in elementary school, where he proposed to her with a ring from a Cracker Jack box. But they didn’t get a real chance to date until Imogene was in college. This couple is adorably sweet. Their secrets were:
“Never stop courting. We always try to see each other the way we did in our early days, even though I sure look different from that girl he married!”
“Elmer always takes my hand and leads me across the parking lot like I’m his girl and he’s taking care of me.”
“I take Imogene’s hand and help her walk because otherwise she’s liable to fall down.”
For those of you that are married, what are some of your secrets? If you’re not married, what do you think might be the secrets to making marriage work?
aww! I just read this article, got the mag in the mail this week. My fav was the last couple but all are so so so sweet!! I think the most important aspect is respect and for sure laughing a lot!
I love love! These are the sweetest thoughts and tips and I can’t wait to share them with my Mister.
Feel young to give advice, too! But I’d say the advice I take to heart most is to not have unrealistic expectations of what love is. Everyone expresses their love differently. Learn to pick up your SO’s ways that he/she expresses love and cherish them… don’t expect your SO to love you like other people love other people 
My mother always says… “never go to bed angry”… simple, but true!
I totally agree with Pengy. I think the biggest thing we’ve learned over the years (been together five, married four months) is that love isn’t a fairy tale, and our expectations should adjust accordingly.
For example, I used to get miffed that the hubs would never do the “just because” notes or gifts when we first started dating, whereas I would do them all the time. I’ve come to realize that his way of showing love for me is to provide a roof over my head and splurge on things for our home that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford if he didn’t work as hard as he did. Things like the Shark steam mop? Yep, he loves me It sounds stupid, but it’s how we roll.
I’m going to come out and say it:
Sometimes going to bed angry works better for us.
If we get into fights, it’s usually about something stupid that’s escalated because of stress and/or lack of sleep. We’ve found that for us, going to bed mid-fight and waking up refreshed puts a new perspective on the fight, and we usually laugh and conceed the next morning, saying we were both at fault and let’s just drop it. Most things aren’t worth fighting over anyway.
These are so sweet! And such good advice (especially the “let her go shopping” part! ).
What a nice post. It’s nice to see people like this because it keeps that sense of hope that we all have. The way divorce rates are nowadays, sometimes it is hard to stay optimistic about marriage, but people like this always give me the ‘warm fuzzies’ and keep my optimism high.
What a sweet article!
My FI has what I call “the leading hand”. Whenever we walk aross the street or in a parking lot and we happen to be holding hands, he’ll subtly lead me or stop me from moving forward if he thinks something isn’t right.
I always say, the leading hand has never led me astray.
I LOVE this. The first couple reminds me of my grandparents, who have been married for 56 years now. Lovely!
We met a couple who had been married for over 30 years and they said the secret to their marriage was going dancing…he goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and she goes Mondays and Wednesdays I thought that was cute
My mom always says the secret to a good marriage is laughter. I love the advice couple that have been together a long time give.
Aww, those are so cute!
I’ve only been married for four months, but I think that mutual respect is a huge part of what makes marriage work.
My mom has a good friend who’s been married for a very long time and even folks in my mom’s generation are always asking them what their secret is.
They say “Make each other laugh everyday”.
ahh, i love this! we need more couples like this to be visible
I agree with Mrs Chapstick, dont make it a habit but yeah going to bed mad sometimes is the only way you go to bed lol
Then you wake up with a new perspective and can talk about the next day what may have REALLY been bothering you. Or if you were just cranky, then you can drop it altogether.
I do love stories like this though, it’s always simple pieces of advice too like “Let her go shopping”. Need to buy that magazine and highlight that part for hubs lol
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, Dallas Age and Occupation: 28, Special Projects Coordinator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity Trader Engagement Date: March 19, 2009 Wedding Date: April 2010 Venue: Marie Gabrielle, Dallas About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
Latest Gallery Pics