First off, this has been a very discussed option between my husband and I. We love each other very much, but we have gotten bored with our current sexual situation and decided to try opening our marriage to other people. We don't have a lot of rules, we're very relaxed with our limits. Basically we both want to feel the freedom of being single and ready to mingle while still being able to come home at the end of the day to each other in a stable, loving relationship.

Biggest rules:

-Our bed is OUR bed. If we have anyone over, the guest bedroom is to be used.

-We need to know who each other's partners are. We don't need details on where and when, but we each have a list of acceptable partners and will add to those lists as we see fit.

We are both excited, and a little nervous. Mostly we want advice on how to get over the general feelings of "This isn't normal" And working through the feelings of anxiety since this is a very new thing for us. We also don't know how to bring up our new relationship status to our potential partners.

It's a lot easier for me to get partners, being an attractive young woman with an ideal body type. He is a bit concerned that he won't get as many partners as a man with a less than ideal body type, so we're trying to set him up with a few accounts to get to know some nice women. I'm fine with him having a girlfriend and would like to know her as a friend. I already have a few potential suitors but they won't be aware of my availability until after my husband has secured someone for himself. We feel that this is fair.

Anyone who is in an open relationship, how did you start? How did you get over the awkwardness of transitioning from a monogamous relationship to a poly one? How do you mitigate any potential feelings of jealousy? We aren't too worried about that, but just in case. What websites did you use when looking for partners and explaining the situation? We are both very kinky as well and my husband is eager to explore that side of himself. What are some general tips for us?