Marriage Advice: Tips for staying happily married

Go for premarital counselling: This helps to point out areas of vulnerability and strengths you have going in to the marriage. This way you can be intentional about change, accommodating one another and build on the positives.

See your spouse as a friend: When you strip away all the emotion and attraction feelings, do you like this person and want to spend time with him or her doing life? People can be very attracted to someone who would not make a good companion. Marital friendship is the building block of a strong marriage.

Don't make it a contract: Make marriage a covenant, not just a contract. Enter marriage with the idea that this is an unbreakable promise – that you will fight to stay together and work through your problems. Be committed to one another for the long haul.

Go for marriage counselling: Go for marital counseling if the relationship begins to become more negative than positive. Don't wait for years to get help.

Pray together: Pray for your relationship and each other. Prayer is underrated as a powerful weapon against divorce.

Be attentive: Pay attention to your partner on a daily basis. Dont’ take the person for granted.

Be positive: Say positive things to your partner daily. The power of praise can't be overstated in terms of the impact it has on a relationship. Criticism is the beginning of a downward spiral.