First and foremost, even more important than the actual wedding event itself is your marriage and pledge to each other. It is normal to stress about planning your once-in-a-lifetime wedding—after all you''ve been dreaming about this day for years—it''s also important to keep everything in perspective and remember what truly is most important. The wedding event is one special moment in your life, a marriage lasts the rest of your lifetime—filled with many more special moments.

During your engagement, find time to discuss important marriage topics such as children, finances, living situations, life outlooks, careers, etc., and find time to enjoy each other''s company without discussing wedding details. In fact, don''t go it alone, leave it to the experts.

With such a high divorce rate in the United States, counseling should be seriously considered and a priority for all couples before tying the knot. But why you ask? Your feelings for each other are so strong and your parents probably never needed counseling? Why should you?

More than 55,000 weddings are expected in Chicagoland in 2009 says The Wedding Report (theweddingreport.com). Statistics state that more than half of these marriages will end in divorce so on the day of your wedding, you have a 50/50 chance of survival. Not one bride married her prince thinking it would end in divorce. It can happen to anyone. It is wise to do everything you can to avoid the "cut" and spend the rest of your life building a strong relationship with the love of your life. It won''t be easy—the euphoria of planning a wedding won''t always be there and serious life issues get in the way—so why not arm yourself with the best tools and advice possible so you can have a successful marriage?

Courtesy of www.weddingguidechicago.com