A Guide to the First Year of Marriage.... and Beyond

Shanah Rishonah: Build Your Dream

Mazel tov! The engagement was glorious, the wedding was a joy. Now comes that magical, mysterious, and crucial time, shanah rishonah, the first year of marriage, when two separate people learn to become one beautiful new entity, to create the strong, enduring and happy home they long to build.

Guess what? It's not always easy.

He's punctual and orderly, you're a creative free spirit. Your family sat down to a full dinner every night, his mom orders takeout. He says one thing - and you hear another. You were destined for each other from before you were born, but how do two such different people learn to live together in harmony?

In From Me to We: A guide to the first year of marriage... and beyond more than 50 wise, wonderful and experienced women (and some men too!) share their memories of shanah rishonah, the lessons learned, the adventures and misadventures of that unforgettable first year of marriage. It's all here: realistic, and unrealistic, expectations; how to communicate so that your spouse really hears you; how to fight right; starting out married life in Eretz Yisrael; dealing with mothers-in-law; what happens when you're expecting during the first year, and what happens when you're not. Here are stories, a good dose of humor, plenty of practical advice, and a deep understanding of every kallah's hopes and fears, doubts and dreams.

In your shanah rishonah you leave "kallah la-la-land" to something so much richer - a shared life, a bayis ne'man b'Yisrael. This book will help make that journey into the joyful and exciting adventure it should be.

By Shifrah Devorah Witt Ma, MFA (Author)