You Should Really Live With Your Partner Before Deciding To Tie The Knot: Here’s Why
One of the biggest adjustments you have to make when you get married is sharing your daily life with someone.
There’s a big difference between being in a relationship with someone and still being able to live in your own space and being married to someone you share a home with. Sometimes, you or a friend may feel like you’re so in love with your current partner that you could marry them within less than a year and make it work.
However, there’s one very crucial step you should consider taking before plunging into marriage.
No, it’s not necessarily being engaged for a while. Living with your partner for at least a year is a great idea before getting married.
If you think about it, married life involves committing to someone and creating a life with them. One of the biggest aspects of that commitment is that you’ll share a space and make a home.
Sure, many couples get married under special circumstances and often have to travel and be apart for work or other reasons. But most couples begin making a home suitable for themselves or their future children once they wed.
Call me old-fashioned, but whenever I hear friends or acquaintances talk about how they want to or will “most likely” marry their partners, and they haven’t even lived with them yet, I can’t help but cringe.
I’m not trying to scare you, but moving in with your partner changes everything. Even if you aren’t married to them yet, moving in with your partner certainly takes your relationship to the next level.
After all, you learn so many things about a person when you start living with them. You witness everything from their morning routine, cleaning habits, diet, and at-home lifestyle. It’s one of the quickest ways to truly get to know someone and see their vulnerable side.
baranq – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
Now, granted, you may be in a relationship where you don’t officially live with someone but spend several nights a week at their home, or they spend several nights at yours.
Your partner may have a spare toothbrush and a designated dresser drawer at your house. While that’s great and certainly brings you closer, it’s still not the equivalent of sharing a home with someone.
When you start building a home with someone, you have to make some difficult decisions, sacrifices, and adjustments to your everyday routine. That’s also what you’d have to do when you get married to someone.
So, if you’re feeling serious about your partner and want to know if you have a forever future together, I highly suggest you move in with them.
If you can, start from scratch and get a new home or apartment together. Try living with your partner for at least one to two years to see how you can co-exist.
Then, when you realize you and your partner enjoy and are capable of sharing a daily life together, consider tying the knot.
After all, if you want to marry someone, you should hopefully be comfortable with the idea of living with them before doing it.
What are some other things you want to get done before getting hitched?
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