You might have been dating for a few years and have kind of settled into a routine; you spend a few nights of the week at your partner’s place and they come to you the rest of the time, which is convenient for both parties. You already know each other very well and can spend hours together without a word spoken, which is a sure sign you were made for each other.
If you are thinking of making your relationship official, here are a few tell-tale signs that you are both ready for such a commitment.
1. Your partner is dropping hints – They might not come right out and say it, but there may be hints that he or she would like to make the relationship official. You know your partner about as well as they know themselves and if you get the feeling they want to take it to the next level, why not ask a direct question like, ‘How would you feel about a wedding?’ This might be what he or she is waiting for and before you know it, you are looking at wedding suits in Sydney and preparing a guest list.
2. Outside pressure – This can be subtle but if the pressure from family members is constant, it can wear you down. Equally, it could be that your partner’s mother or father isn’t that over the moon that you merely live together. Not everyone is at home with breaking age-old traditions and if you think you are made for each other in every way, why not let the world know that you are an item? You don’t have to follow tradition; if you have lived together for a few years, forget the engagement and go straight for the wedding.
3. You think about your partner all the time – This is a sure-sign you are in love and the natural next step is to pop the question or drop a hint to your man that you are ready and willing to walk down the aisle. This is an exciting time and you probably can’t wait to let the world know of your intentions; plan a summer engagement and then a wedding the following year. Click here for information on marriage counselling.
4. Talking about the future – If your conversations typically lead to planning for the future, then you should openly discuss the benefits of making the relationship official. There are, for example, taxation benefits if you are married and you can both work out how much tax you can save by tying the knot.
5. Considering having children – If you are thinking about becoming parents, this is as good a reason as any to get married. Of course, you want your children to be registered with married parents; some couples do the registry wedding for the legality and forgo the wedding celebration.
Here is some Australian government information about getting married, which might help you to make the right decision.
