NR Holiday Gift Guide Series: For the New Wife
I'm all about intentional gift giving - giving the kind of gifts that you know will add meaning to a persons life and help them to live more intentionally. Every new wife is going through such a massive transition in almost every area of her life. What was once just her is now joined with someone else, and as beautiful and exciting as it is, it's not without it's challenges.
All of these gifts have been carefully chosen from personal experience so you know your sister, friend or roommate who just got married (or engaged!) would benefit greatly from these gifts this Christmas.
1. A Field Guide for Marriage
I love this journal set by Val Marie Paper. I've used her journals for years, and the simple design and format make them incredibly easy to use. The field guide helps you talk about areas of life and marriage that sometimes get glossed over. If you desire an intentional marriage and starting off unified, this is a great tool. GET IT HERE
2. Seasonal Meal Planning Journal
The SMP Journal is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can get for a new wife. Marriage can be a shock in more ways than one, and meal time is definitely no exception. I remember feeling so defeated and overwhelmed as I struggled to learn what foods my husband liked and exactly how much food he wanted! As much as meal planning can be simplified for the new wife, the better! GET IT HERE
Here's what one new wife had to say about her SMP:
“With my wedding quickly approaching last fall, and a husband with quite the appetite (who doesn’t like to eat the same thing more than a day or two in a row!) I knew I needed to make a plan for married life! We both work full time jobs outside of the home and had to be smart about our time and budget. I had printed a few things off Pinterest here and there but would lose them or forget to print them off - not effective! I stumbled upon Natasha’s Seasonal Meal Planning journal and it was pure gold when it came to planning, shopping and executing meals at home! We stuck to our plan, stayed on budget and wasted a whole lot less food! ”
3. Calendar
A shared calendar has been one of the best saving graces in our marriage. During the first year of our marriage, it seemed like we got in way too many tiffs over scheduling. It seems like such a small thing but in reality it can be really draining, especially as you join two schedules, two careers, two sets of desires for how to spend your time, etc. A calendar is a great gift to foster unity in a new marriage. This calendar from Riffle Paper Co. is a cute one! GET IT HERE
4. Catching Foxes
We read this book as a part of our pre-marital counseling. It's set up as a workbook with several weeks before the wedding and a few weeks of reading and discussion after the wedding. It's seriously so drenched in the gospel, I actually was a little surprised as I read the first chapter and felt like I was reading more about God than about practical marriage advice. That's because the book makes the very true point that if we aren't pursuing God above our spouse, our marriage will suffer. Though this book is written for engaged couples, it is an incredible resource for married couples of any length. GET IT HERE
5. Devotional + Goal Setter
One thing Jordan and I did together our first year was read a short devotional in the car each time we drove somewhere. It was a unique but perfect way for us to connect on some deeper issues that maybe we had previously felt too busy to talk about. We used a book from Family Life called Starting Your Marriage Right by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. GET IT HERE
I also highly recommend the Couples Mini Goal-Setting Guide from Cultivate What Matters. I have used the PowerSheets for 3 years now and my husband has been vocal about how awesome of a tool it has been for me. We talked a lot about wanting something for us as a couple to set a vision for our marriage and family, and they finally just released one! We can't wait to dig in next year. GET IT HERE
Want gift ideas from the rest of the series? Check out these other posts: