Whether
you’re still dating, newly engaged, or already hitched, every woman must know
these 50 things about getting married. They’ll make sure you’re traveling the
road to wedded bliss—with way fewer bumps along the way.
1. If you
and your partner don't communicate well, get to work.
Communication
doesn't get easier over time, and as life gets more serious -- think work,
money, kids -- getting hitched to a partner you can't talk to is a marriage
DON'T. Before you get engaged, make sure you and your guy can talk about
anything -- and make sure you do.
2. Your
proposal -- and wedding -- may not be magical.
Your
proposal and wedding day will undoubtedly be special and memorable. But there's
a caveat: You've spent so much time building up each moment in your head that
when those moments come, they may be as awkward and un-perfect as any
first-time experience, says Meredith Bodgas, weddings blogger at Merital Bliss.
Relax -- the "flaws" in your stories will end up being your favorite
parts to recount.
3. You
might not like your engagement ring.
Some
couples decide to pick out the bride's ring together, but others are intent on
a surprise. If you want the jaw-drop shock moment, you run the risk of not
being crazy about your ring. If you don't want to chance getting a ring you
don't love, consider discussing a proposal with a family ring or solid band
instead -- or try dropping hints or discussing the details.
4. If you
don't like your engagement ring, it's OK to change it!
Your new
fiancé won't feel like less of a man if you don't love your engagement ring and
want to switch it -- just be kind in how you let him know. Saying something
like "After wearing it for a bit, I think white gold fits in more with the
rest of my jewelry" instead of "I hate yellow gold!" will get
the same job done, says Kim Fusaro, weddings blogger for Glamour's Save
the Date blog.
5. Some
things will change when you get engaged.
The
minute you flip your Facebook status to "engaged," you'll find that
people will respect your relationship more (it's a great feeling!). Bodgas says
you'll start to look at money differently and adjust your spending habits
knowing a wedding is impending, you'll feel closer to your fiancé, and you
won't consider it silly looking at wedding magazines.
6. Other
things won't change at all once you're engaged.
Your
disagreements won't magically poof away (though you'll never again argue about
getting engaged!), and your day-to-day life won't change much either, Bodgas
says.
7. You
may have to go out of your way to maintain a life separate from your guy.
Dependence
is tempting -- and often easy. When you get married, you're likely looking for
a comfortable life with your groom, but your independent life and friendships
may suffer as a result. Keeping up with them is going to take extra work, so
strengthen your most important personal relationships now.
8. Your
friends' and siblings' marriages will be different from your own.
Your
married friends have been your model for matrimony -- for better or worse.
Regardless of how much you and your best friend act like twins (or even if you
have a twin), your relationship will be entirely different from theirs. Watch
others' interactions and note their advice, but remember you're your own
couple.
9. You
may forget how to be spontaneous.
"Having
a routine for everything leaves no room for spontaneity," says Melissa
Melms, relationship blogger for Glamour's Smitten. "But just
because you have some necessary routines doesn't mean you can't be
spontaneous." Once you're engaged, falling into a rut may become even more
likely, especially if you're not yet living together. While you're still
dating, get into the practice of being spontaneous to make sure the romance
stays alive.
10. You
won't learn certain habits about your man until you're living together.
If you
haven't yet lived with your man, you can't know everything about him, like
whether he's wasteful or frugal at home, how often he talks to friends and
family, whether he'll pitch in around the house, and whether he actually goes
to bed at the same time as you.
I never
fully understood the crucial importance of point no 1 until it was just the two
of us living together. You soon quickly realize how easy it is to run out of
things to say, you begin to feel like you have exhausted topics to discuss and
this scared the hell out of me. We never used to stop talking when we were
dating, i remember i used to get home late because i got carried away trying to
finish my gist. But then again, i reminded myself that things were different
now, then we used to hang out for a few hours when we saw so we tried to say
and do a lot in the little time we had, and now we had all the time so it
seemed we had less to say.
They say
the best kind of conversation is the kind you have when you sit quietly with
someone for hours without saying a word and still feel like you just had the
best conversation ever, I agree.
