A Venerable Tradition: The History of Marriage The history of marriage has its origins as least as far back as antiquity and evidence of marriage traditions and ceremonies have existed among people of almost all cultures. While today when we think of marriage our thoughts turn to notions of love and romance, this has not always been the case. Try Macy’s Bloomingdales, and the site IfTheGiftFits.com for some great ideas on how to share your blessings for the happy couple. Furniture items, although expensive, can offer many benefits for the couple over the long term. These can include china and crockery items, vases, and even leather furniture for the living room. This was actually the more common form of marriage ceremony at the time. The groom was expected to pay a penny; he received the bride in exchange. Once again, the bride becomes part of her new husband’s household. Alternatives to Marriage Some women, known as concubines, had sexual relationships with a married man. Does your family have any traditional ways of doing a marriage; other cultures have done this for years, it is their traditions. Believe it or not arranged marriages tend to last a lot longer than a marriage of love. One tends to believe that everything will be all polished and perfect for a marriage of love, however after that honeymoon stage the couple starts noticing things they never did. Happiness is the normal state of humanity. Look at a baby and watch it smile. The baby does not want anything in return, it is truly happy. For the next three days spend time looking for your moments of happiness. Each moment in your life kept filled with pleasure will help you to keep happiness in your marriage. What’s worse is that rather than sticking to the situation currently being disputed by the couple, both sides will dig up all the other grievances against the other side that they can remember – so adding fuel to the fire. This is why many couples with more serious issues than a dinner party ends up going to a marriage guidance professional who is not only trained, but more importantly in the marriage advice field, is unknown to either side!