10 Science-Backed Secrets to a Happy Marriage

It turns out happily ever after can also translate to healthier ever after as married couples enjoy all types of physical and mental health benefits. Studies show marriage can help protect against heart disease and stroke and that those who say “I do” have lower levels of cortisol (aka the stress hormone). Married people even have a […]

Sex and Relationship Advice: Healing After an Affair

A reader struggling in her marriage asked our sex and relationship columnist Cara Sullivan a really awesome, really honest question. Cara went straight to the best sex and relationship expert she knows, the incredible Laura Berman, LCSW, PhD., an assistant clinical professor of OB/GYN & Psychiatry at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the host […]

Local Couple Shares Secret to 74 Years of Happy Marriage

When Jack Sklar moved to Lillian Wallach’s block in Brooklyn almost 80 years ago, he made quite a first impression. “I said, ‘Oh my God, that guy is for me,’” Lil recalls, and she told her mother she’d found the boy she would marry. Her mom didn’t take it too seriously — they were both […]

Between the Pages: Books With Fascinating Fictional Marriages

The most intriguing stories of marriage don’t always happen under the covers, but rather, between them. In many ways, the arc of a marriage parallels that of a compelling novel — it begins with a meeting, climaxes with a coupling and ends with, well, an end — whether because of death or a fight over […]

‘I Do’ Take Two: Remarried Couples Share Their Wedding Stories

The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray — it’s a time-honored idiom. From cancelled flights to well-intentioned gifts, things don’t always go as planned. And sadly, sometimes marriages are included among the litany. But when two people are lucky enough to find happiness again, tying the knot for a second time can […]

Couples Counseling Before the Wedding? Why Experts Say Yes!

We’ve all seen those hard-to-watch (yet hard-to-look-away) “Bridezilla” moments on wedding reality TV. Brides and grooms freaking out on film over everything from escalating wedding costs to where to strategically seat certain family members to battles over linen colors may make for good TV. But, in real life, these types of serious breakdowns in communication […]

Not-So-Perfect Weddings: Stories From Our Readers

My father needed to be at the county clerk’s office in beautiful South Bend, Indiana by 4 p.m. to pick up his marriage license. The only problem — he had forgotten the pearl necklace he was giving my mom as a wedding present. After doubling back to Chicago for the necklace, he tried to make up […]

What Celebrities Can Teach Us About Prenups

When late-night comedian David Letterman was asked why it took him so long to marry his girlfriend of 23 years, he joked, “We wanted to make sure we had the prenup just right.” The quip alludes to the sometimes-prickly process of entering a marriage while simultaneously creating a plan for its potential demise. A prenuptial […]