Maybe We Should Get Married
When my dad said that to my mom when they discovered they were pregnant with yours truly, she was not impressed. Nevertheless, wed they were. When Grissom said that to Sara Sidle on CSI last year, fans went nuts (either in a good or bad way, depending on the fan), and Sara found it quite endearing (perhaps it was the beekeeping suit?).
Either way, deciding to tie the knot can be a tough choice. For my hubby and me, it was pretty simple; we’d been together for years and knew we would do it eventually. We ended up spending a lazy day at the courthouse, signing our names and taking a weekend honeymoon at a local “haunted house.” Fun!
If you are trying to decide whether it’s time to fish or permanently cut bait, today’s Decide to Be Married Day—a great day to do it! Here are some questions to answer that might help you see if you’re marriage ready or not…
Are you in love? This is the most important question. And while you may be able to comfortably say yes, how about this one: is he or she “the one”?
Do you want to get married? This one’s pretty crucial too. And if yes, ask yourself why. Is your answer a good one?
Do you tolerate—even accept—each other’s annoying little habits? If his snoring or tooth-picking, or her constant need to call her mother, drive you so crazy you want to gouge your eyes out with a spoon, you may want to wait.
Do you have the same ideas about life and your goals? You don’t have to agree on everything—in fact, it’s healthy to disagree—but you should be able to have the same answer on whether or not you want to have children, where you want to live, and key decisions like that.
Can you share all of your stuff? And I mean all of it—your DVD’s, your clothes, your car, the works. We even share razors in this household sometimes. Nothing is really sacred once you are married (and gets even more shared/destroyed once kids come into the picture!), so if the thought of her touching your prized comics, or him using your pretty guest towels, makes you psycho, you may not be ready to marry anyone yet.
Can you live together? Not all couples experiment with this, but it’s definitely worth it if you can. If you can’t live together for a short period of time, you probably won’t make it in the long-term, either.
Do you love each other’s families like your own? This isn’t entirely necessary, but it sure does help.
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to have a “nest egg” to get married. You don’t even have to both be employed. If you’re not set on a fancy ceremony, you can pretty much be broke and still tie the knot if you want to. Make it about love, not money. That said, if you want a big wedding and you can wait a while to save up for it, that’s okay too.
