At the height of wedding season, professor Karl Pillemer shared the best advice elders he surveyed have to offer on a lasting union.

In our surveys of the life wisdom of the oldest Americans, I was particularly interested in their advice about finding a life partner and staying married. Many of the elders we talked with in the Legacy Project had been married for 30, 40, 50 or more years. Others had experienced disastrous marriages - but offered advice for how younger people can avoid the same fiascoes.

Read about their three top (and somewhat surprising) lessons