Cultural Differences in Communication
Lynn Visson makes the following statements in her book, ‘Wedded Strangers’:
“The body language of Russians and Americans are different. Russians stand closer than Americans. They look directly and unwaveringly into your eyes.”
“Russians are long winded. Americans are short and to the point. Russians think that giving a short answer is impolite, as if they had not given the matter enough consideration. Americans think a long answer is impolite, as if they are boring the other person and wasting their time.”
At our wedding, my wife wanted me to give a long-winded toast to her parents. I was to tell them of the story of how we met. I was to thank her parents and her ancestors for bringing life to her. I was to make a toast to all of her relatives and friends.
We were married in America. Her parents, friends, and relatives were not in attendance. I explained to my wife that in America, the custom was that other people made toasts to the wedding couple. They did not toast each other.
We had some Russian friends in attendance who made toasts in Russian to us. My best man tried to make a toast in Russian that no one understood. The Americans didn’t understand the Russian. And his Russian pronunciation was so bad that the Russians didn’t understand him either.
However, none of that satisfied my wife who would accept no substitute to a long-winded toast to her from me.

John has been successfully married to a Belarussian wife for over five years. He has traveled extensively through Russia and other CIS countries. He will tell you why you should consider Russian women, how to meet them, how to bring your special woman home, and how to survive married life.
http://www.russian-luv.com/westernmen.html


Diamond Wedding Engagement Rings: The Facts
The average diamond engagement ring costs as much as several notebook computers, or possibly a small car, yet many men know next to nothing about how to make sure they don't get ripped off when it comes time to tie the knot. Luckily, although there is much to know about diamonds there are only a few things you need to remember, and I'm about to tell you what they are.
While the finer points can be a bit tedious and the scales slightly odd there are really only a few things to keep in mind. To begin, you should know the shape of the diamond you want. Looking down on the stone from the top, the "square" diamonds are "princess cut" and the round ones are "round" or "brilliant". A teardrop shape is known as a "pear" cut, "emerald" cut is octagonal, usually oblong, while "Marquise" is an oval with pointed ends. "Oval" and "Heart" cuts are precisely what they sound like. There are other cuts as well, but these are the most common.
After deciding on a shape it's time to get your hands dirty with the technical stuff. I recommend looking at only GIA certified diamonds so you can be sure of the quality and compare different diamonds (and different prices) more easily.
Cut is the most difficult to understand of the factors determining quality but don't get too hung up on it. If the diamond is too tall or too wide the light will refract differently, but if you look at a few diamonds it will become apparent to you what the shape should be, and anything that looks close to "normal" should be fine, no matter what the jeweler tells you.
Diamonds usually have imperfections inside of them. These are called "inclusions" and are measured on a scale of "very, very slight" to full-blown "inclusion". All you need to know: SI1 or SI2 represent the best value. The "slight inclusion" rating means the imperfections are obvious under magnification, but still impossible to see with the naked eye.
We often think of diamonds as colorless, but in fact many of them are not. Some are valued for their unique color, such as the fictional "Pink Panther" diamond of movie fame. All you need to know: Diamond coloration is measured on a scale of D to Z with D being completely colorless. The best value is usually F, G or H. F will always appear colorless to the naked eye (just not the diamond-measuring scope thingy), G is very difficult to tell and H is just slightly less colorless (but still difficult to tell).
You will notice I did not discuss "Carat". This measurement has nothing to do with quality, just weight. That being said, it has a LOT of bearing to most girls hoping to wear one someday. If you are one of the many men who feel the need to push your ring budget in the direction of rock-size then keep in mind what you've read above. No matter the size of the stone your best value will always be a GIA certified SI1 G stone. Just make sure the cut isn't obviously too shallow or deep.
Oh, and price around. There are three classes of diamond dealers, the most expensive of which is represented by department stores like Fortunoff, which carry a lot of uncertified (read: low-quality) diamonds at prices near or at what a good quality rock costs. Price around, look on the web and visit your local jewelers.

Alex lives in Long Island, NY and consults for Gifts and Otherwise, an online retailer of cheap wedding favors and other wedding stuff.


The Path to Forever: Intimacy and a Lasting Marriage
For a marriage to survive and last until that dreamy "forever," intimacy must exist between the couple. What is intimacy anyway? This just does not pertain to the act of making love, but fulfilling each other's emotional needs. It entails enlightening conversations in between kisses and caresses.
A lot of marriage counselors chalk up the longevity of a marriage to how intimate the couple is. Here are some ways to achieve that intimacy for that ideal, almost magical marriage:
1. All work and no intimacy make a dull couple.
It is a given that after a crazy day at the office, the husband and wife both feel exhausted. But they must not let it get in the way of their relationship. They must allow for some quality time in and out of their love bed.
2. The husband must give what his wife wants: quality talk time.
Wives want to talk things out and express what is inside their hearts. The husband must grant her that as this is one way to achieve emotional intimacy.
3. The couple must still exert an effort to look attractive.
It does not mean that both must be “dressed up” all the time. But married couples must still try their best to look nice for their partners. This is one of the ways to start up the intimacy.
4. The couple must schedule dates.
Dating must not end at marriage. In fact, both should set a time to go out and have fun, just like before.
5. Husband and wife must continually unleash their romantic side.
Kisses, hugs, flowers, holding hands, stolen smacks...’the works’ - they do magic in a relationship.
6. Surprises are nice.
Sweet surprises always lead to intimacy. If the couple knows when to pull off these incredibly romantic stints, then that's a surefire way to attain a divorce-proof relationship.
7. Solving a problem before it gets blown out of proportion is important.
Intimacy loses its appeal once it gets "infected" by those conflicts that cripple the relationship. Conflicts should let a couple grow and not cause the downfall.
It is nice to earn that happily-ever-after plateau. But marriage is not as easy as a Disney fairytale had told everyone. Intimacy must be maintained long after the honeymoon is over to guarantee the husband and wife that yes, this marriage would last. That yes, forever is possible.

Joe & Emily Season are experts when it comes to relationships and marriage. Along with their lifetime of experience working with their own relationships they have helped many people in their lives find happiness. Sign up for their free exciting new ezine at www.seasonedloved.org.