Before Getting Married Make Sure...

In any relationship, and in your life, getting married is a big step. It's normal to be nervous about making this decision, and even to have doubts, no matter how much you and your partner love each other. If you're not sure if marrying your partner is the right decision for you, here are 10 signs you're ready.

You love yourself

You can't be totally comfortable with anyone else until you're extremely happy with yourself. Yes, of course, you can ask for the love of your partner when you're unhappy, but as marriage coach Lesli Doares says, Being married means the joining of two lives rather than the giving up of one.

It's important to understand self-love before initiating a marriage. When you respect yourself, you set high expectations for yourself that no one can challenge. You love yourself enough to accept to be disrespected or, worse, humiliated in a relationship by others.

It's possible to feel depressed in difficult situations if you don't love yourself enough. It gives you great comfort to know that you love yourself enough to be optimistic and achieve the key elements of your marriage.

Saying “I’m sorry” is Easy

Anyone makes a lot of mistakes at some time, but if you're going to be with someone for the rest of your life, you need to be able to look them in the eyes and acknowledge, "sorry." And it must be genuine.

You Can Deal With Disagreements

Certainly, no one enjoys trying to fight with their partner. Indeed, however, even the most caring and stable partners will still have kind of disagreements —it's an unavoidable feature to share your life so personally with somebody else!

Both of you should be aware of this fact and willing to compromise with each other when disagreements occur. Every relationship has disagreements, but the thing that differentiates a highly functional couple from an unstable one is how they deal with them.

You are financially stable

Weddings aren't cheap. Even so, it's not about the wedding and honeymoon that you'll be wealthy enough to afford: it's still best to be sure you're financially independent enough even to start a family together.

Of course, you don't even have to make millions, but being strong enough to handle utility bills payments, lunches and dinners, and other expenses on a daily basis is a necessary component of a successful relationship.

You Took Good Care Of Each Other When You Were Sick

When one member becomes ill, it marks a significant defining moment in the relationship. You could never have seen this before, so it's perfect to test the strength of your relationship.

People get depressed, anxious, and sick with coughs and colds, and of course, you want to be around someone who would be kind and caring for you in these moments. When you don't have enough energy to do it yourself, you want someone to get you water and food, and you want to do the same for them when they're sick.

You Both Have Stuck Together Through Tough Times

Life isn't without good and bad times, so you'll know when you're planning to get married if you've been in difficult circumstances around each other.

No matter what particular scenario any worse situation would need you to work together and support each other. And anyway, you probably won't make it through tough moments without love and patience.

You Don't Really Want To Change Your Partner

When you get married, ask yourself if there are any underlying qualities that you want your partner to be willing to change. The fundamental beliefs that your partner does should be matched with yours.

So, if you find yourself believing they could change a part of their personality, you may not be able to get married quite yet. These qualities probably and won't change tomorrow, so you're going to be really disappointed if you're planning to get married and expect them to.

And anyway, you can't solve a long-term problem if you don't encounter it. You'll be able to set your relationship up for long-term happiness with the advice of marriage experts.

You Can’t Live Without Them

Your companion should be someone you can't imagine not having in your life. Of course, all of the practical realities must be considered, but you must still be absolutely in love with them before starting a family. Marriage is a serious undertaking, so make sure you're completely committed to and impressed with your partner. It's the foundation of a healthy relationship.

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” – Mignon McLaughlin

“A good marriage is a contest of generosity.” – Diane Sawyer