NewlyWeds-UK

Last Saturday was a perfect day for a wedding - so 'well done you' if you got married yourself. The day started in a really relaxed way with a trip to the hairdresser and a read through the latest gossipy magazines - and that was just the Vicar (me) - I have no idea what the Bride did! read more »

This weekend a very significant wedding will take place at our tiny local church. Every wedding is significant to the happy couple of course but this is the first wedding to take place in this hundred-year-old church. So their Marriage certificate is Entry number 1, Book 1. (There are 2 churches in the Parish and everyone else has opted for the bigger venue) read more »

I got in touch with an 'old flame' today. I wouldn't usually recommend this as it can be the cause of people wallowing in nostalgia about their lost youth and feeling discontented with their current partner. You see it on soap operas all the time! But today I thought I'd take a risk... read more »

Yesterday I was at York Minster to watch the Consecration of 3 new Church of England Bishops - two of them to my home diocese of Manchester. During the service I was struck by the similarity to a wedding. Not really surprising as the Bible refers to the Church as the Bride of Christ... read more »

If you are reading this because you are planning a wedding then according to the Office of National Statistics you are in the minority as fewer people choose to tie the knot. And everyone has their own version of why that should be the case. read more »

What is it that creates a happy person and hopefully a happy marriage? What is the secret ingredient?

Well according to the downbeat newspaper reports on the tenth anniversary of the invention of Viagra it's dawning on people that happiness has nothing to do with membership (sorry Bishop couldn't resist that) but everything to do with belonging.
Every survey seems to agree that having a solid network of loving family and friends around us is the top ingredient to happiness. read more »

According to a quote on my 2008 Family Organiser Calender, the four most important words in any marriage are "I'll do the dishes".

If you have a dishwasher that's clearly not too difficult. However, according to a survey in a Californian University, men who help with the chores are more likely to be 'rewarded' with a more pro-active sex life.

I always wonder how much people get paid to organise surveys and collect data that anyone with an ounce of common sense could work out in the time it takes to mop the kitchen floor! read more »

Well 'V' day has been and gone. How was it for you? Did Royal Mail send a van with all your post, or did you just get one heartfelt missive? If you didn't get any expressions of undying love then log onto www.fathersloveletter.com for a message that will blow your socks off! read more »

Cleopatra used it to seduce Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony,The Queen of Sheba gave it as a gift to King Solomon and a woman famously poured it over the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair as an act of utter devotion. Whew! And you thought Lavender was something your granny used! read more »

Husbands and wives who constantly bicker might actually live longer! Scientists claim that couples who are prone to the odd marital row are healthier than those who bottle up their tensions. read more »