Media Room: Quotes from Reviewers of I Do! I Do! The Marriage Vow Workbook

~ Harville Hendrix, Ph.D., author of New York Times bestseller Getting the Love You Want: A Guide for Couples and cocreator of Imago Relationship Therapy

This thoughtful, comprehensive, and creative workbook will add sparkle and depth to the engagement period for every couple lucky enough to use it. Engagement is a unique and very special time in a couple’s life. This book is the perfect tool to make it even more special. What the couple will learn using this book will last for their entire marriage.

~ Susan Page, bestselling author of If I’m So Wonderful, Why Am I Still Single?

When Bruce and Shonnie chose to become married, they made conscious choices about their wedding weekend, their marriage vows, and how they would live their lives based on their souls' commitments to one another. In doing so, they created a loving, fulfilling, and enduring relationship in which they are LIVING their vows--encouraging each other to live boldly, authentically, compassionately, and courageously. In I Do! I Do! The Marriage Vow Workbook, they offer their lived wisdom to couples who wish to follow a similar path.

~ Lance Secretan, Ph.D., award-winning author (ONE: The Art and Practice of
Conscious Leadership), speaker, coach, and advisor to leaders

Mindful that we are all children of God, authors Shonnie Lavender and Bruce Mulkey have consciously crafted I Do! I Do! The Marriage Vow Workbook as a valuable resource for every couple who wishes to enter a committed relationship, regardless of age, ethnic origin, spiritual faith, or sexual orientation. Throughout the book Shonnie and Bruce share the wisdom they've gained as they met the challenges of their three-decade age difference and built the framework for their loving, soulful marriage. I highly recommend The Marriage Vow Workbook for all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, as well as all others, who want to write their own distinctive wedding vows and abide by these commitments throughout their lives together.

~ Harry Knox, Director of Human Rights Campaign Religion and Faith Program

As a psychologist who works with couples, I intend to use I Do! I Do! The Marriage Vow Workbook with my clients who are about to get married and also with those in couples therapy. Often folks in a relationship are unhappy because they have gotten off course or drifted from their initial vision for living together joyfully. They begin looking for a way out or for a way back to the magic that once held them together in a sacred commitment. Whether couples want to create a commitment or make a recommitment, it takes a thoughtful, step-by-step process that looks exactly like the one so beautifully designed and guided by Shonnie and Bruce in The Marriage Vow Workbook.

~ John E. Hoover, Ph.D., psychologist

"YES, YES!" is our response to I Do! I Do! The Marriage Vow Workbook by Mulkey and Lavender. . . . I Do! I Do! is a thought-provoking and uncompromising message for couples who want to create a conscious, committed relationship. Whether marriage is in the future, has already happened, or may never happen, this workbook is a means to move relationships more toward the good for which we all yearn.

~ Helen Bruch Pearson, Candler School of Theology, Emory University (Ret.)
and Luther E. Smith, Jr., Ph.D., Professor of Church and Community,
Candler School of Theology, Emory University

Shonnie and Bruce have truly created this workbook out of their own powerful and inspiring relationship. I Do! I Do! The Marriage Vow Workbook is a must-do for thoughtful couples who want to prepare well for a marriage that will last a lifetime.

~ Ken and Elizabeth Loyd Kinnett, founders of
Back to Bliss™ Relationship Workshops

Thank you so much for creating this workbook. Using it to write our marriage vows has been a wonderful experience for us. Not only has it helped us to produce vows that really fit, it has encouraged us to consciously address some issues in our relationship as well as develop a compelling vision for our future. We're both deeply grateful for your work.

~ Allison Jordan and Gil Holmes

The Marriage Vow Workbook is a spiritual tool for creating joyful and loving marriages which, in turn, promote peace in the world. . . . We give this useful and transformative workbook five stars and recommend it highly to all who embark on this sacred journey.

~ Mary Page Sims and The Rt. Rev. Bennett J. Sims, Bishop of the
Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, 1971-1983

As a minister who officiates at seventy to eighty weddings each year, and as one who truly believes in committed love, I know how helpful this book will be. First-time marriages or second- and third-time-arounders will find this guide wonderfully helpful in designing just the right words for celebrating their love. A big Yes! to Mulkey and Lavender for enhancing one of the most powerful and important experiences a couple can have together.

~ Rev. Howard Hanger, Founder and Minister of Ritual & Celebration,
Jubilee! Community Church, Asheville, NC

Couples who engage this book fully will come out of the process knowing their partners, themselves, and their relationship more deeply. The questions posed here, the context offered, and the stories shared will do nothing less than enrich their lives. Bruce and Shonnie offer hard-won wisdom, encouragement, and guidance that we haven't found anywhere else.

~ Deanna LaMotte and David LaMotte, singer-songwriter and author of S.S. Bathtub, a book for children based on his song of the same name