Get Happy Guide For Military Brides and Grooms

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I have my own wishes for military brides. I want the sun to shine generously upon them. I want grooms to laugh out loud like this is the happiest day of their lives. I want every single member of the wedding party to have the best hair day ever.

Most of all, I want all the people at the wedding who can legally wear a uniform to don their uniform. Even the bride.

Because I hazard that nothing is going to have such a strong effect on a young military marriage than the military itself. That’s why we are always writing about it on SpouseBuzz.

In case you are so busy with the honeymoon that you haven’t got time to read every word we have written on marriage for military brides and grooms, I’ve pulled together a cheat sheet s to make the first five years of marriage the beginning of happily ever after.

 US Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Lisa R. Strickland US Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Lisa R. Strickland


1) Must Do Checklist (for after the honeymoon).


Military brides and grooms need to think of the first three months of military marriage as a scavenger hunt. Find a list of the ten things you need to do right now (like get on DEERS and find out what DEERS is) here and get busy!

2) Perfect directions for  ‘How To Get an ID Card.’


Your military ID card will get you on base without your service member, help you access your military medical care and allow you to shop at the commissary and exchange (among other wonderful benefits). Find the step by step guide here.

3) Best advice you'll ever hear.


There are things we all wish someone had told us back when we were military brides and grooms.  Amy Bushatz, our managing editor at SpouseBuzz, whittles this list to just five things, beginning with the fact that the Army never ever does what it says it is going to do.

4) Confessions of a really new military wife.


Being a military girlfriend or boyfriend or partner is one thing. But swallowing the whole military marri-chilada is quite another. Here is a new Army wife’s take on the quirks of the first year of military marriage—including how military brides and grooms have to learn to shower with their phones.

5) If you must deploy...


I hate to bring this up, but there is a place in the Bible that says if a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war because he is supposed to be free to “bring happiness to the wife he has married.” That sounds right doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, that isn’t one of the rules the military goes by. If you and your service member take on a deployment in the first year of marriage, here is the info you need.  And let us know how it is going.

6) If you move right away...


Along with deployments, Permanent Change of Station Moves (where movers come and pack up everything you own and move it half way across the country) are a big part of military life. Unlike our civilian pals, military brides and grooms will probably move two or even three times in the first five years of marriage. Find the best tips for your first move here and here.

7) Please, please learn from our money mistakes!


A steady paycheck like the one provided by the military is a beautiful thing. But it is so easy to get into debt during those first years of marriage. Here is what we wish we knew when we were military brides and grooms that you could benefit from right now.

8) Newlywed After 40


Not all military brides and grooms are 21 years old and just starting out in life. Lots of us find our true love when we are well into our 30s or 40s. Find a totally different perspective on new marriage here.   (And let us just say, "YAY YOU!"  Finding true love is an amazing gift.

9) How your new military life will surprise you.


We can get all serious about how the military will affect your relationship, but really there are so many good and funny parts to it. Our Spouse Experience audience put together this list of things they loved during their first year of marriage—including how their Marines strip down as they walk through the house.  If you are a male spouse, the things that will surprise you might be found here.

10) Now it's your turn!


Nothing we like better at SpouseBuzz than readers who want to be our writers. Submit your story to us right here.  We are curious!

Also look into our new favorite book about military spouses: Stories Around the Table (Elva Resa October 2014). Some of our SpouseBuzz writers have shared their stories in this collection that will make you laugh and cry and get ready for your own magnificent journey.

So happy wedding, Military Bride and Groom. We all wish you the best today and every day. You may now kiss the bride--and sign up now for our Military.com Spouse and Family Insider newsletter.

 

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