Happy Valentine’s Day!
I have a little present for you.
I wanted to share with you what I like to give as a wedding gift when an LDS couple gets married. I put together this FHE manual for newlyweds, a collection of talks and articles about topics that are important for married couples to study and discuss and understand. There are some really great talks in there!
I print it out, hole punch it and put it in a 3-ring binder. I print out the title page (above) and write a personal note to them about how these messages can bless their marriage and have blessed mine. I usually get one of those binders with a clear plastic pocket on the front cover, slide in the title page, and tie up the whole thing with a pretty bow.
You can download the title page by clicking on the picture of it above, and you can download the whole manual (as an 80-page .pdf file) by clicking on the table of contents below. When you click on either one, you will probably get a dialogue box that pops up asking if you want to save the file. When you click Save, it will download to your computer. Then you can open it and print it.
Anyway, I think it makes a great wedding gift, but I also think it would be a great Valentine’s gift to your husband, and something that would definitely strengthen your marriage if you study it and discuss it together. All of the talks are by prophets, apostles, general authorities, and general auxiliary leaders. (All are cut-and-pasted from lds.org or BYU devotionals or Women’s Conference talks.) Even now, I can still think of more talks I love that I wish I had included, so feel free to print out your favorites, hole-punch them, and add them to the binder. I love the doctrines and principles that are taught in these talks. I hope you will too.
“Marriage brings greater possibilities for happiness than does any other human relationship. Yet some married couples fall short of their full potential. They let their romance become rusty, take each other for granted, allow other interests or clouds of neglect to obscure the vision of what their marriage really could be. Marriages would be happier if nurtured more carefully. . . . . When you as husband and wife recognize the divine design in your union—when you feel deeply that God has brought you to each other—your vision will be expanded and your understanding enhanced.”– Elder Russell M. Nelson
Emily
February 13, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Fantastic!
Jocelyn Christensen
February 14, 2012 at 5:33 am
This manual is awesome! Thank you, Stephanie! Happy Valentine’s Day!!!
Julie
February 14, 2012 at 6:41 am
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!! I have been pondering what to get a certain couple who are getting married soon! This is PERFECT! I am so excited!
Amanda D
February 14, 2012 at 9:32 am
Wow, thank you!
Jessica G.
February 14, 2012 at 11:45 am
This idea? Awesome. As are you.
Angie
February 14, 2012 at 2:06 pm
This is so great. Thank you!
Chocolate on my Cranium
February 14, 2012 at 5:41 pm
I was going to say awesome too but apparently that is an overused adjective right now. =)
How about amazing, wonderful, thoughtful, perfect?
Christina
February 14, 2012 at 9:20 pm
What a fantastic idea. Thanks for sharing!
AllisonK
February 14, 2012 at 11:14 pm
What a great idea! I will have to remember this the next time we get invited to a wedding.
Lisa Thomas
February 15, 2012 at 5:56 pm
You are amazing!!! Thanks so much for the fabulous book!!!
(Now to get more ink so I can print it out!)
Jocelyn Christensen
February 15, 2012 at 7:17 pm
Hey Stephanie – Do you have a button somewhere?
Bonnie
February 15, 2012 at 8:56 pm
Thank you!
becky
February 17, 2012 at 10:33 am
I have always wanted to do this- print out articles from the Ensign about marriage that are so needed and give in a book for a gift. That ‘s so cool that you did!
Corine
February 26, 2012 at 10:11 am
This is AWESOME! I have a binder that I have made for myself that is similar to this… I never thought to share it.
You are a great example; THANK YOU! 
I can hardly wait to add this to my cool Home and Family binder collection!
Corine