re: Living together before Marriage....

I agree. I just hope that it doesn't take away from the excitement for the future.
Rite now we have a very small one bedroom that my SO, DD and I share.

How long did you guys live together before marriage? Im starting to feel like 6 years is a long time to date before marriage lol. But we're in a monogamous relationship and I've seen him like every day since highschool.

We lived together for about 2 1/2 years before we got married, and were raising 2 kids.
I do somewhat wish we would've had that newlywed/first moving in together excitement, but it was nice to know what I was getting myself into before marriage  

I love living with my SO it didn't make since for him to live seperately and pay bills at his place and be at my house everyday all day hell you could just ld bring your money over here so thats what we did. I mean we did everything backwards but I wouldn't change it for the world. I am the one prolonging things he asked me to marry him 2 years ago and me being concerned with a big wedding said no ugh I regret that

Quoting The Beez Kneez:" I agree. I just hope that it doesn't take away from the excitement for the future. Rite now we have a ... [snip!] ... time to date before marriage lol. But we're in a monogamous relationship and I've seen him like every day since highschool."

I am religious and am very glad we lived together throughout college   We were together 7 years before we married and we are celebrating 7 years this weekend married   I think living together helped me see all the things that got on my nerves beforehand so it wasn't a surprise when we were married ..lol

DH and I never lived together before marriage it was kind of hard because of the distance, he was in Hawaii when we met and I in Missouri.

We've been happily married for almost 7 years now. Some couples can click without needing to test the waters.

DH and i lived together for about 5mo b4 our wedding.....we werent planning on living together first but a house in our price range had a contract fall through so we got it cheap and had to move in right away since we couldnt aford to pay bills at 2 places .....i really wanted to wait till marriage to move in together, i do feel like it took somethimg away from the excitement of getting married   We have been together for 15yrs (married for amlost 13yrs)

Quoting Máthair Gruaig Gorm:" i wouldn't marry someone i hadn't lived with."

I agree with this  

Quoting A❤T=P[Baking]:" I think living together before marriage is important. You learn so much more about a person through living together. I would never get married first."

I strongly agree.

We didnt live together before getting married, and I loved the feeling of us combining our lives and creating a OUR home, not just one of us moving in with the other.

If you know a person well enough to know that you want to spend the rest of your life with them, things like bad habits shouldnt be a deal breaker, and if they are, you probably have no business being together in the first place. If the concern is bigger issues arising (abuse, drugs...), I don't believe it takes living under the same roof as a person, for those tendencies to come out. I dated a guy for two days, never went to his home, and there were signs that he had a big temper, just in the way he spoke to others around us.

I didnt need to spend a year or more living under to the same roof as Shawn, to know that we had the same goals for our furture and family. Sure, there were definitely things we both had to compromise on after we moved into our first home, but I think those are the types of situations that teach couples how to communicate and respect each others differences; and of course compromise.

In any care, living with someone is a big step, and married (or planning to marry) or not, there are definitely big discussions that need to happen before hand (values, finances, division of household chores, future plans, and even an exit strategy if things dont work out).

I've been with SO for 9 1/2 years and have been living together just over 9 ... no plans on getting married any time soon so if we had of waited I can't imagine we'd be together. Actually we wouldn't because we either had to move in together or he would've had to return to Canberra (a four day drive or 7 hour flight) away with his parents.

I think living together before marriage is paramount. You do not truly know someone until you live together. People can say they spend every day together and bla bla bla but it isn't the same, not by a long shot. You will never understand how all of their little habits will affect you and sometimes these kinds of things actually cause problems. Some couples even split over things like this so it's important to find out before you get married.

We lived together for a year and a half before we got married. After we did, it really didn't feel any different.

lol.. first.. it's "right"

but... I don't think there is any excitement in marriage.. so no.. I don't think you're taking anything away. And.. I wouldnt' marry someone I hadn't lived with.

as far as the man reaping the benefits of marraige before hand.. that's ridiculous. Unless you hate sex... you're reaping the benefits too.

that said... I'll never do laundry for someone without a ring on my finger.

Lol @snugglemama.

I'm a Christian, but that doesn't stope from thinking its really dumb to not live together before marriage. Living together isn't like a honeymoon or a walk in the park. It's a whole new level in a relationship and can make or break some couples. When my SO and I first moved in together we were fighting like cats and dogs and considered breaking up. Things are a hundred times better now, but that being said I would NEVER marry someone I had never lived with.