A healthy and satisfying marriage is the result of much more than a stroke of good fortune, or a conscious commitment to stay together no matter what. Studies have found that romantic love is often just a memory by the wedding or within the first year of marriage. Creating an intimate, fulfilling, and stable marriage requires thought, communication, planning, and true commitment. The window of opportunity in which to build the foundation of such a relationship would ideally take place within the first two years of marriage. (A curriculum resource)