Recently, I married my beloved Laura. As newlyweds, life is great. But like any relationship, it’s requires some work and a whole lot of give-and-take—and, as most newlyweds know, it can be stressful at times.

That sounds like managing a PR campaign, doesn’t it? Here are the five ways that PR campaigns are like marriage:

1. Constant stress. No, this isn’t a bad thing, but it does mean that managing a successful PR campaign—much like managing a successful marriage—requires constant attention, time, and dedication. In other words, you can’t mail it in. And as in marriage, there will be loose ends you’re trying to tie together to make sure things run smoothly with no unanticipated bumps.

2. Constant stress. See No. 1. In all seriousness, the reality is that PR campaigns have a lot of moving parts. Schedules to juggle, interviews to arrange, outreach to coordinate, etc. One of the beautiful things about public relations is that it is not one-dimensional. There are multiple layers to every campaign, just as a marriage has years and years of built-up understanding, friendship, and love between two people making it all click.

3. Talking to people you probably don’t like/won’t like/don’t know. This one is pretty self-explanatory, right? For fear of putting my foot any deeper into my mouth, I’ll leave it at that.

4. Both cost a lot of money to execute. Have you seen how much it costs these days to host a wedding—and in New York City? It’s crazy! Same goes with a successful PR campaign. Between the client’s regular retainer and add-on costs for the campaign, the price tag climbs quickly, which brings on new levels off stress. See Nos. 1 and 2 for more examples.

5. Potential to get a lot of money back. Weddings are great for many reasons. Great food and fun, and time spent with friends and family. But another benefit is that people give you cash when you get married, which is a beautiful thing. Similarly, if your firm executes a client campaign well, you can expect to reap some benefits. Whether that’s a continuation of the contract, a bonus for you and your colleagues, or just the knowledge that, yes, you get to keep your job for a few more months (and thus, earn a bit more cash), successful PR campaigns can have a big pot of gold at the end, just like a great wedding.

Keith Trivitt is associate PR director at the Public Relations Society of America. He also blogs at PRBreakfastClub, where a version of this story first appeared as part of its new series exploring five ways in which PR is like ________.