Falling in love? That’s the easy part. But once the honeymoon dust settles, how do you nurture a loving and lasting relationship? What’s the glue that holds it all together? What’s the best love advice you ever heard? Well here, you’ll learn the marriage mantra Kyra Sedgwick shared with Angie Harmon, why actor Eric Dane considers himself so lucky in love, and the secret to Blake Lively’s happy marriage to Ryan Reynolds and much more.
“You’ve got to be good to each other … it really comes back to respect. I was raised in a very Catholic, Italian family and it was all about respect. Don’t talk badly about [your partner] the second they walk out the door; really preserve your relationship and be good to each other. Treat it like gold.” — Giuliana Rancic
“Have a short memory and a lot of forgiveness. Especially us girls who don’t forget a thing. Move on …” — Gabrielle Reece
“[My mom told me] to always be loyal and treat someone how you want to be treated. Find someone that you can love and that’s going to be your best friend.” — Paris Hilton
“Take your time. Love is gonna come. Don’t force it. Don’t try to make it happen. Relax, take your time, and you’ll know when it’s there. My mom gave me that advice.” — Victor Cruz
“There’s no perfect relationship. All relationships are work. If you put in the work, you’ll reap the rewards.” — Jesse Metcalfe
“All you can do is be honest and real with him as you get to know each other. Deciding not to play games is the best way to go because it keeps things simple: If he messes it up by playing around with your heart, you’ll know he doesn’t deserve you.” — Taylor Swift
“The best advice I’ve ever been given is being handed a Bible. That’s the blueprint for marriage that we go by, and that’s what our marriage is grounded in. We also have other married couples who are examples in our lives. My parents have been married over 40 years, and both sets of grandparents for over 65 years. When you see couples in long-term relationships and you see them go through good times and bad times, you realize it’s about being committed enough and loving your partner enough to hang in there regardless.” — Candace Cameron Bure
“My mom always used to say, “You can’t say I love you before you can say I.” And I think that sort of makes sense.” — Mindy Kaling
“From my mom and dad, because they’re happily married for a long time: Just listen. Listen to him. I’m so independent and driven and stubborn. Just let him talk. It’s about not being so stubborn and having to win every argument. My parents set a great example. They love each other and take care of each other so much.” — Erin Andrews
“The best love advice I’ve ever received is probably, ‘I’m not leaving the relationship; I’m just leaving the house.'” — Joe Manganiello
“It’s kind of cheesy, but my mama, who you all have seen on the show, says to cook for your man. She’s Southern, so when he comes home, be pullin’ a pie out of the oven. That’s always been her advice, and you know what? It works. Your man wants to see you in the kitchen, puttin’ some love into some food; it works for Eric, that’s for sure.” — Jessie James
“I don’t depend on one area of my life to make me happy. It’s really important for me to love and nourish my friends and family and to make sure that I never get influenced by a guy. I’ve wanted to be in a strong headspace for years, and I really wasn’t. Before, I was so young and easily influenced, and I’d feel insecure. You want someone to add to your life, not to complete you, if that makes sense. I’m lucky because he’s more of a best friend than anything else.” — Selena Gomez
“My mom told me, “It shouldn’t be that difficult.” My parents had their moments for sure, but the majority of their relationship has been really great. It shouldn’t be that much work to make love work.” — Anthony Carrino
“Always be honest.” — John Colaneri
“Love advice is like life advice, so there are so many elements of that. I think humor, patience, admiration are really important love elements. Love and respect. You have to respect the person that you’re going to love, and you have to be confident in yourself and love yourself.” — Zac Posen
“I think the best love advice I’ve ever received is really about understanding that communication is key, of course, but also that there’s not one perfect person for you. You kind of have to accept what are the things that are negotiable for you and what are not.” — Dita Von Teese
“Don’t ever spend more than three weeks apart. Two and a half weeks, maybe three, was the longest we ever did.” — Alyson Hannigan
“Just go with your gut and communicate.” — Andy Cohen
“Love is a decision, not just an emotion. It is selfless, and a commitment.” — Lydia McLaughlin
“Pay attention to the girl, instead of myself. A bunch of people [told me that]. It’s terrible. I’m very into myself, so people are always like, “Pay attention to the other person. Don’t ever separate yourself.” It’s a good lesson. I’m learning. I’m doing good.” — Jonathan Cheban
“Don’t lie to your partner. Ultimately the expression on your face gives you away, and they feel betrayed by the lie. If this is the person you’re going to be with—forever and ever, for better or worse—they will love you for all of your good and all of your bad. They’ll love you for you. So open communication is key. I have no secrets and no skeletons in my closet with my husband, and I love that. I feel comfortable and at ease with myself when I’m around him. I love the woman that I’ve become with him.” — Vanessa Lachey
“I’ve been in a couple of long-term relationships, and there’s one thing I’ve learned: Never stop dating! That might sound weird, but it’s so important to actually DATE your husband or wife… Go on a hike in the morning before work, or take your partner grocery shopping with you. It’s the time together that’s more important than anything else.” — Khloe Kardashian
“Before I discovered the concept of the 5 love languages, a bit of advice I was given was to become a student of my wife and to take time to learn what makes her feel loved. I soon learned that what makes her feel loved may not always be the thing I want to do because it may not come natural to me. But learning to love her in the way that makes her feel loved is a greater demonstration of my love for her, because I’ve chosen to do it with a goal of pleasing her.” — Dr. Gary Chapman
“My mom always told me, “Whatever happens, will happen” or ‘Whatever is supposed to happen, will happen.” I’ve learned you’ll know when you find the right person. When I found the right person, I knew it immediately.” — Katrina Bowden
“Someone gave me the Love Languages book, and that has been the best book I’ve ever read about relationships and has helped me the most.” — Kristin Cavallari
“Don’t get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that’s it, they get divorced. I go, ‘Wait a minute! Oh my gosh, you guys! Calm down! You’ll forget in three days what you were fighting about. I promise. So just let it marinate a little bit—that’s my best love advice.” — Kelly Ripa
“When I was about 15, [my grandmother] said something I will always remember: ‘Love comes before money.’ I will never let anything like greed come between us when it comes to love. She was married to my grandfather for 70 years. It’s very hard to have a long-term relationship and if you’re not sure, it’s not going to last. Make sure that you truly love.” — Adriana de Moura
“Treat a woman how you’d want someone to treat your mom.” — Mario Lopez
“‘Think about how much you’d miss that if he were gone tomorrow.’ This is my senior producer’s advice in my ear during our news show if I’m grumbling about my hubby, whether about his habit of leaving dirty clothes around, or the way he goes into la la land while I’m talking with him, or that he wakes me up being loud overnight. How true! Heaven forbid, but if something ever happens to our loved ones, oh how we’d long for them to be back, and their little aggravating habits would be something cherished.
“On the other hand the best love advice I’ve ever given is: Gals, don’t marry someone for their looks. Sooner or later we all age and start to droop. Don’t marry someone for their position and don’t marry someone for money. Money comes and goes, and since when is that love? Marry someone because they make you laugh. Humor is always sexy. Besides, it’s awfully hard to get mad at someone while they’re making you laugh.” — Robin Meade
“I think it’s trying to see through the other’s eyes and allowing yourself to be selfless. I think that’s when you have a balanced give-and-take to keep a good foundation.” — Desiree Hartsock
“Have fun. Especially while you’re still young, you gotta keep the spark up. Even when things get boring, just remember to have fun.” — Jessica Sanchez
“If you’re looking for love, focus on something you love to do and work hard. Love will find you. Basically, love yourself before you love anyone else. A lot of girls have such insecurities nowadays that you have to be comfortable with who you are before you can really have a good relationship with someone else.” — Sasha Pieterse
“Well, it’s one of the oldest. It really is paradoxical, but it’s true: You just can’t go to bed mad. You have to make up, because there’s only one alternative, and that alternative is not being together. So, my husband and I always decide we might as well make up, whether we agree to disagree or not. We understand we are individuals and that together we’re unbelievably powerful and that we have a family that is the most important thing, and that I wouldn’t trade him for the world. So, love is about give and take, and love is about understanding that you’re individuals and together as a couple, you’re the strongest there ever is if you’re in the right couple.” — Heather Thomson
“Maya Angelou’s quote: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'” — Drew Scott
“Never stop inspiring and surprising the person you love and allow them to do the same for you.” — Jonathan Scott
“I was going to say, ‘It’s work, relationships take work,’ but that makes it sound like relationships are hard, that they’re work. Rebecca and I have always gotten along really well. We’ve always had a really strong connection. I’m the last guy that should be giving people advice on love, that’s for sure. But I have a great marriage. I just got lucky, I guess.” — Eric Dane
“Kyra Sedgwick told me, ‘Keep your heart where your feet are’ and that’s incredibly difficult to do. It takes a lot of concentration. You’ve got to be conscientious of each other.” — Angie Harmon
“‘It’s much better to understand than to be understood,’ from my mom.” — Cara Santana
“Be friends first. In other relationships, if something came up I would call my girlfriends or my sister, and say, ‘Hey, this is what he did – what should I do?’ Whereas with him, we were friends for two years before we were ever dating. And I treat him like my girlfriend. I’m like, ‘Hey, this happened. It upset me. This is how I feel. What do I do?’ He does the same for me. He treats me like his best buddy.” — Blake Lively
