Are You Ready to Get Married?

Planning a wedding is about more than buying a dress and choosing a cake. It’s also about getting prepared for marriage. Here are the questions to ask each other early on in your engagement (or pre-engagement) to help prevent cold feet at the altar.

• Do You Trust Your Partner, Even When You’re Fighting?This is the most basic question you must ask. The answer will be the foundation for your marriage, and will help you get through future hard moments together.
  
  
• Have You Discussed Having Kids? Whether you want kids or not, it’s important to know how your partner feels before you walk down the aisle. Your dreams of a large family might not mesh with your intended’s plans for travel and freedom.
  
  
• Do You Know What Being Married Means to You and To Each Other?Some people think that being married isn’t that different from being in a committed dating relationship, while others expect that it will dramatically change things. Make sure you know why the each other wants to get married, and what they hope to gain from it. You should talk about expectations for sex, finances, friends, and work – both housework and employment.
  
  
• Have You Weathered a Crisis Together Yet? You can’t avoid crisis in life, but you can try to pick the right teammate to help you through it. It can be valuable to know how your personalities interact in high-stress situations, and to know that you have the communication skills so that your relationship can survive crisis.
  
  
• Can You Talk About Money Openly and Honestly? You may differ on how to handle money and whether an expensive new purchase is worth it, but at the least you need to be able to have honest discussion and reach compromise.