Still not sure about tying the knot? Having second thoughts and reservations? Or maybe you are completely sure about your choice to get married and can’t wait for the big day. Regardless, there are some tips before marriage to take into consideration, as well as marriage advice and engagement advice. If you want to make sure that your marriage is successful, follow these tips from experts on the subject.
- You can’t imagine life with anyone else. We’ve all been in casual relationships where we secretly knew it wasn’t going to last forever. Maybe we were just having a summer fling, or trying to make it work. However, if you find yourself completely ignoring attractive, interesting people around you because you’re so involved in your relationship, it’s probably a good sign. eHarmony says, “If the idea of monogamy makes you feel secure and confident in your relationship, then engagement (or marriage) will be a comfortable next step for you.”
- You’ve accepted each other’s flaws. Nobody is perfect. Going into marriage with reasonable expectations of the other person is the key to having a happy marriage. One of the advantages of marriage is being completely comfortable with the other person to be yourself. A disadvantage of marriage is that both of you will have to encounter personality traits everyday that annoy you in the other person. The question is, do the other person’s negative traits pale in comparison to the good ones? If so, you may be ready to get married.
- You have similar goals. Both of you want to travel, not have children, and focus on your careers? Or maybe the two of you are content settling down right away, having kids, and ready to focus on building a family. Sharing similar goals is important. An article in Cosmopolitan explains that it’s important to “settle down with someone you’re more or less on the same page with.” Of course people change, and our goals can differ to an extent. But there must be an understanding of certain goals before marriage so surprises don’t derail a happy union.
- You bring out the best in one another. We all have negative and positive traits. Everyone has been in a relationship where you feel like your worst side is brought out. Petty insecurities, anger issues, and negativity are examples of these types of toxic relationships. If you find yourself, however, being the best and most positive person when in your current relationship, you are probably are ready to take the next step. It is a fundamental sign that the two of you are able to overcome any negative problems in your relationship by focusing on the great things that hold you together.
- You’ve never broken up. We aren’t saying that all couples who break up and get back together won’t have a successful marriage. However, the more times you’ve broken up with your partner, the more likely you will run into future problems during a marriage. If you’ve never once broken up during the course of your relationship, chances are you’re ready to put a ring on it.
- Marriage sounds exciting to you. If you can’t wait to tie the knot, and you get butterfly feelings thinking about the big special day, then marriage is probably right for you and your partner. If, instead, you find yourself putting off proposing, or putting off accepting, or postponing the wedding time and again, you may want to reassess things.
Marriage is a huge commitment, and it takes dedication from two people to make it work. If you feel like the next step is to get married, think about these six points before making a final decision. So take this engagement advice and look long and hard at your engagement ring. Are you ready to jump to the next step? Only you can decide!
