A long, successful, happy marriage is the goal of every bride and groom. However, a happy marriage doesn’t just happen: it must be created and nurtured. It takes a bit of work and it never hurts to discover some wonderful ways to enhance your marital relationship.

The following suggestions are the perfect opportunity to refresh your happy marriage toolbox. There might be a few secrets for a happy marriage that you haven’t tried yet. Hopefully, these ideas won’t be secrets for long.

  1. Make brief contact with your spouse throughout the day. It takes only a few seconds to let your partner know you’re thinking of them.
  • Place a two or three minute call to your spouse during your morning break.
  • Send a text message. Text messages are particularly fun because you can make a statement, ask a question, or make a plan simply by tapping in a quick message. For example, you could text, “Can’t wait to get home tonight,” “I’m cooking your favorite for dinner,” or “I love you!”
  • Send a quick email to just say “Hi.”
  1. Provide your spouse with something to look forward to. Whether it’s this weekend’s activities or a favorite dinner, talk about what you’ve planned just for your partner. It’s incredibly enjoyable for both of you when you take the time to think about what they would like and then make it happen.
  1. Occasional surprises work wonders. For example, plan a surprise weekend getaway, a romantic dinner at home, or flowers just to say, “I love you.”
  1. Make your relationship fun. An important aspect of lasting relationships is the capacity to enjoy each other’s company.
  • Be silly, tell jokes, and use self-deprecating humor once in a while. Have fun when you’re around each other.
  1. Talk about plans for activities you both want to do in the future. Sharing ideas and setting goals together bring you closer together and ensure you stay there – together.
  • It’s especially fun to plan to go out to lunch on Saturday to make decisions about your vacation plans and figure out together what you want to do.
  1. Create a special time each day when it’s just the two of you, really relating together. It could be that after work, the two of you prepare dinner together. Or when you sit down at the table to eat, you both are consciously present that “this” is your special time.
  • Go for a walk together in the evening or listen to your favorite music after dinner.
  • Daily responsibilities may make every day difficult, but connect with your spouse often.
  1. Be adventurous in your relationship. Learn something new together. When you have adventure, your relationship feels fresh and exciting. Try these ideas or develop your own based on your mutual interests:
  • Take a ballroom, hip-hop, or country-western dancing class.
  • Go vegan for a week.
  • Attend a lecture on “How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
  • Change your appearance from time to time, just to make it interesting. Get a new haircut or color. Wear a different style of clothing.

Couples who truly focus on their marriage have their own secrets to their relationships’ success. Surprising your spouse, creating special time together in each day and being adventurous in your relationship are some fantastic secrets to keep your passions alive. Strive to make your marriage the happiest that it can be.