The Best Wedding & Marriage Advice Ree Drummond Gave Her Daughter - Exclusive

Moms tend to offer lots of advice. But as much as we might love and appreciate our moms, not all their advice is worth taking — unless, of course, your mom happens to be Ree Drummond, and the advice she's offering happens to concern the secrets to a happy marriage. Drummond, known to millions of fans as The Pioneer Woman (the name of her long-running Food Network show and even longer-running blog), has been married to her husband, Ladd, for more than two decades — all while parenting their five kids, feeding leftovers to their seven dogs, and running various businesses (via The Pioneer Woman). Nor is that fact wasted on Drummond's eldest daughter, Alex, a newlywed as of May 1, 2020 — when she married her college sweetheart in a gorgeous, dream-like wedding — which you can see highlights of when "Ranch Wedding" airs at 11 a.m. EST on Saturday, June 26, 2021 on the Food Network (it's also streaming on discovery+).

When The List asked the new Mrs. Mauricio Scott during an exclusive interview, "What was your mom's most meaningful marriage advice," the new bride had lots to say, which she prefaced by pointing out that much of what she's learned has come from simply witnessing her parents' long and successful marriage. But apart from just being a good role model, Ree Drummond has also imparted quite a bit of valuable advice along the way. Read on for the best marriage (and wedding!) advice Ree Drummond gave her daughter, Alex. 

"My mom and dad have obviously been married for a long time, so I've gotten to witness their relationship and witness a lot of positive aspects of it," Alex told The List during an exclusive interview. One of the things Alex witnessed over the years has been the deep and abiding friendship that exists between her parents. But just to ensure this finer point of relationship success was not inadvertently missed by her children as they went about their lives doing the things children do, Ree Drummond made sure to affirmatively offer this sage advice: when it comes to marriage, they should "look for someone that can be your best friend."

"All the excitement of the wedding, that's all going to fade over time," Ree told Alex and her siblings many times as they were growing up, "and the romance can fade and all those things, so you just want someone who is going to be your best friend through it all." And that's something that Alex says she "really values" about her relationship with her new husband, Mauricio. "We're just best friends over anything, which makes it so fun. I feel like I definitely learned that from my mom."

"Planning a wedding is no easy feat," observed Brittany Brolley in a story The List published several years ago concerning the things that give wedding planners cold feet about what lays ahead for some of the couples they observe in their work. Anyone who's ever planned a wedding can appreciate that, just as anyone who's ever watched a close friend or family member's transformation into Bridezilla can. But apparently, Ree Drummond did not want this for her eldest daughter, Alex, as she planned her wedding to Mauricio Scott. "Yeah, I think my mom was the number one person during all the wedding planning process that really reminded me to not get stressed and not get caught up in all the details, but just to take a step back and look at the bigger picture and really soak in this time." 

"Yeah, it can be stressful at moments, obviously," Alex acknowledged. "But I feel like my mom was so good about reminding me to stay positive and not be stressed and not dwell on the little things." After all, as Alex recalls her mom reminding her, "it's supposed to be the most fun and exciting time in your life," and  "I think she was good about reminding me of that and reminding me of all the positivity and love that should be associated with that period of time."

Catch Alex and Mauricio getting married in "Ranch Wedding," which airs at 11 a.m. EST tomorrow, June 26, 2021, on the Food Network. It is also set to stream on discovery+.