Your relationship is better than ever, and you’re pretty sure the path your on will lead you down the aisle together. That’s amazing, but the excitement can quickly fade into a fear of the unknown. That’s normal, and it’s important to have realistic expectations so you can maintain that excitement without getting caught up in the hype. Here are some of the things women need to know before getting married:
- You can still feel lonely. Yes, you have a built-in friend and roommate, but that doesn’t mean that you’re immune from feeling lonely. There will still be times when you feel like nobody in the world understands you.
- Nobody can really “complete” you. You may go around telling people that you’ve found your “other half,” but nobody can complete you except yourself. Just because your strengths and weaknesses complement each other doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still strive to improve yourself at all times. Try not to get complacent and keep on working on yourself.
- Conflict resolution is an absolutely crucial skill. No matter how laid-back you think the two of you are as a couple, you’re bound to see some tough times. Remember that compromise is key and that “winning” isn’t as important as keeping your relationship going strong.
- Dealing with money issues can be tricky. From how much you make to who makes it to who’s spending it, money is probably going to be one of the issues that comes up over and over again. Come to an agreement in advance about how you want to handle money issue, and try to stick to it. Being on the same page is so important.
- You need to put more effort into keeping your outside friendships than you did when you were single. Between working, keeping up a household, and maintaining a marriage, it’s easy for your outside friends to fall through the cracks. Make sure you schedule time to stay up-to-date with your friends and show them that you value them.
- Some of your guy friends will suddenly disappear. It’s not necessarily because they had any unsavory intentions about a potential relationship with you. In fact, it’s more likely that they just feel a little awkward and weird, and don’t want to overstep or feel like they’re making your new husband uncomfortable. It sucks, but it’s a way of life.
- You’ll go through ups and downs. There will be great days, and there will be crappy days. If it’s a good marriage, the good will far outweigh the bad.
- It takes a lot of work to stay in love. Just because you have a ring on your finger doesn’t mean that you can just step back and relax. Your work isn’t done on your wedding day. Maintaining a close connection takes a huge investment of time and attention.
- You’re still not going to get those overeager, curious relatives off your back. If you thought your Aunt Sally who always pestered you about when you were getting married would stop once you actually did, think again. Now it’s all about “When are you going to have kids?” SERIOUSLY? Yes, seriously.
- It’s worth all of the hassle. Just because marriage isn’t easy doesn’t mean it isn’t worth it. It still is. Marriage will bring your relationship to a new level of trust and support, where the two of you really are in this together. That’s an amazing feeling.
