Seven tips for lasting wedded bliss

Winter will soon be over - hurrah! But the new seasons don’t just bring sunnier days; many of us can prepare for a shower of wedding invites too.

Of course, as brides and grooms are frequently reminded, it’s once the party’s over and the newlyweds have waltzed off into the sunshine that the hard work of maintaining a marriage really begins.

In the UK, the average marriage is expected to last 32 years, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which is three long decades of arguing over whose turn it is to do the washing up.

And that’s only if you make it that far. The ONS’ figures estimate that 42% of marriages end in divorce, with 34% expected to end by their 20th wedding anniversary, and only 16% lasting until the diamond 60th wedding anniversary.

So how can husbands and wives-to-be ensure their marriage goes the distance? There’s probably no simple answer, but for starters, Mary Banham-Hall - a lawyer and mediator with more than three decades’ experience, and author of new book Love Lose Live: Divorce Is A Rollercoaster - offers up these top tips for couples tying the knot...

TALK ABOUT HAVING 
CHILDREN

Do you want any - if so, when. Never assume your partner feels the same way as you do, or merrily think that if you disagree, the problem will go away. It probably won’t. Babies can make or break your relationship. You need to start in the same place.

HAVE THE MONEY CHAT

Are you both debt averse or is just one of you? Think how you will run your finances. Even if you have separate accounts, if one saves and the other spends, it causes friction. Talk this through carefully. Who will pay what? Try and make it feel fair, so you each have about the same level of disposable income. Anticipating problems helps you avoid them.

DECIDE WHERE TO LIVE

Town or country, old or new, garden or decked courtyard, high-maintenance or easy life? It’s best to try and work out a lifestyle you both like, as if you hate gardening you won’t want to spend hours a week doing it. But if the big outdoors is essential to your happiness, then a 10th-floor luxury flat will be torture. These things matter on a daily basis more than you think.

CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Make sure you can resolve disagreements and problems without having highly charged emotional rows. Each of you should feel able to express your feelings and beliefs without being ridiculed or attacked. Learn to listen to each other, not just think what you’re going to say when you argue back and try to make the other person do what you want. Sometimes you should do what they want.

SET SOME HOUSE RULES

Both of you need to feel comfortable with how you live, and neither of you has a right to impose your rules on the other. This must be a fair and mutually respectful negotiation. For example, if you both work, then household tasks should be fairly shared. If one does the lion’s share while the other relaxes, this can be very destructive to your relationship. Silent resentment is a marriage wrecker.

CLASHING DEMANDS

You probably both have relatives who you want to spend time with, but you must start to put your new family unit first. However, combine this with being supportive and understanding of each other’s family ties and be fair. Don’t cut one family off. This can breed resentment and be destructive.

WEDDING V MARRIAGE

The wedding is just one very special day, it’s precious, and you’ll remember it forever, but the marriage is the nuts and bolts of life and you want it to last forever. You need to invest even more time and money in nurturing your marriage year in year out than you did the wedding. It costs little or nothing to go for a walk together, and talking and listening are better for you than a new bike or handbag.