20 Crucial Things You Need to Do Before You Get Married

Date and Have Relationships

While not everyone has the luxury of being with other people before they say “I do,” relationship experts agree that it can be tremendously beneficial in helping you know who is right for you and who is wrong for you. “When you do get hitched this will be the one thing that you are happy that you don't have to do again, but it is a process that I believe we should all go through,” says Dawn Michael, Ph.D., clinical sexologist, relationship expert and author. Fran Walfish, Psy.D., a couple and family psychotherapist, agrees, adding that having relationship experience and a baseline of comparison gives you a point of reference when it comes to your future spouse.

12 Questions to Ask Your Partner Before Marriage

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10 Premarital Counseling

Counseling may sound crazy when nothing is wrong, but many couples have said it is the one thing they did before getting married that has made a huge difference in their relationship. A counselor can help you squash any issues and teach you how to argue fair.

4. Fall in Love, More Than Once

You need to find out what kind of relationship or partner you want for the rest of your life, so get out there and figure it out.

Get in One Good Fight With Your Fiancé

Experts agree that entering into a marriage with full knowledge of how your partner handles conflict is key to a successful marriage. “Every couple—even the happiest, most compatible couples—have occasional disagreements, misunderstandings, and differences of opinion,” says Dr. Walfish. “You need to know that you have a willing participant in open communication without defensive postures and that your partner has self-examination skills and a capacity for accountability.” In other words, you don’t want to marry someone who will always blame you for problems that arise.

12. Spend time around kids

This will help you decide whether or not you want them and to let your partner know where you stand regarding children before you tie the knot.

Date someone who’s mean to you

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You’ve probably dated someone you just didn’t like very much. This person probably belittled you, expected you to pick up the bill, and got mad at you when you wanted to spend time with your friends. But you stayed with this person because the sex was great, even though hot sex does not a healthy, lasting marriage make.

If you’ve already dated this person, know that something good will ultimately come out of it. At a certain point in every man’s life, you kinda have to date someone who doesn’t treat you well, so you know exactly how you want to and deserve to be treated in the future. If you’re already dating this person: break up with them immediately. Life is too short to waste time with someone like that.

Try to make a relationship out of something that is clearly only about sex

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If you’re having epically hot sex with someone, it’s worth seeing if you can connect on a deeper level. If you can, then that’s awesome, and more power to you. But if you can’t, it’s usually a good reminder that most relationships are built on something other than pure physical chemistry. If you want to find someone you’re going to spend the rest of your life with, you need to depend on them for something other than mind-blowing orgasms.

Marriage Advice From Divorcees

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

20 Stop Trying to Change Him

Now is the time to accept all his flaws. Marriage doesn’t turn boys into men. It doesn’t teach anyone how to not be a slob anymore and it sure doesn’t end his love affair with football. If you can’t accept these things that make you man who he is than it’s time to walk away.

Being married shouldn’t be difficult. Sure it takes some adjusting and things can get rough from time to time, but if you have taken all these things to do before you get married into consideration than maybe it will be a little easier on you. What are some important things you think woman should do before getting married?

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