Everyone tells you marriage is hard, but no one tells you what to do about it. At age thirty-four, Jo Piazza got her romantic-comedy ending when she met the man of her dreams on a boat in the Galápagos Islands and was engaged three months later. But before long, Jo found herself riddled with questions. How do you make a marriage work in a world where you no longer need to be married? How does an independent, strong-willed feminist become someone’s partner—all the time? In the tradition of writers such as Nora Ephron and Elizabeth Gilbert, award-winning journalist and nationally bestselling author Jo Piazza writes a provocative memoir of a real first year of marriage that will forever change the way we look at matrimony. A travel editor constantly on the move, Jo journeys to twenty countries on five continents to figure out what modern marriage means. Throughout this stunning, funny, warm, and wise personal narrative, she gleans wisdom from matrilineal tribeswomen, French ladies who lunch, Orthodox Jewish moms, Swedish stay-at-home dads, polygamous warriors, and Dutch prostitutes. Written with refreshing candor, elegant prose, astute reporting, and hilarious insight into the human psyche, How to Be Married offers an honest portrait of an utterly charming couple. When life throws more at them than they ever expected—a terrifying health diagnosis, sick parents to care for, unemployment—they ultimately create a fresh understanding of what it means to be equal partners during the good and bad times. Through their journey, they reveal a framework that will help the rest of us keep our marriages strong, from engagement into the newlywed years and beyond.

Your therapist told you that marriage was no laughing matter, but standup comedian and podcaster Dustin Nickerson begs to differ. Join Dustin as he draws on experiences from his incredibly average life to share tips for appreciating the uniqueness of every marriage. Through storytelling and brutally honest disclosures, Dustin brings his highly relatable brand of humor to the challenges couples may face, including eating healthy (versus being happy), parenting (building crucial survival skills), finances (bill collectors, anyone?), and church attendance (Melissa's purse holds enough mints and fidget toys to entertain the kids and Dustin). Go beyond the formulas and charts of conventional marriage advice as you dig deep into your one-of-a-kind relationship. In this book written for actual married humans by an actual married human, Dustin shares: Why laughter in your marriage is essential--even in the hard times Why in marriage, unlike on Southwest, your baggage does not fly free An approach to problem-solving (we're talking money, kids, and in-laws) that brings you closer Why you should never put Scattergories on your wedding registry Praise for How to Be Married (to Melissa): "How to Be Married (to Melissa) feels like you're having a conversation with a guy who has legitimate experience and expertise in my favorite things: faith, marriage, and comedy. In a culture full of 'fake it till you make it' people, Dustin is the real deal when it comes to all three categories." --Trey Kennedy, comedian

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 I was trying to be humane, by creating a different awful situation, by telling my new husband to divorce me. I didn’t want to ruin his life. #2 The wedding is often the most important thing in a woman’s life, eclipsing all of her accomplishments. And while we’ve made great strides in America to not be obsessed with weddings, we’re still a society that loves them. #3 I had been dating the wrong men for 34 years when I met my prince on a sightseeing boat in the Galápagos Islands. I was working as the managing editor for Yahoo!’s travel Web site. Nick also worked in journalism, the serious business kind that sent him to the Galápagos to write about the stability of Ecuador’s tourism plans. I was there to write about how to take wonderful selfies with baby sea lions. #4 I was engaged to Nick just three months after we met. I was terrified to leave New York, my home of thirteen years, for San Francisco to live with Nick before our wedding.