Getting married is an exciting time and might end up being one of the best nights of your life. That being said, getting to that night is an extremely long journey that will be filled with many ups and downs. Before you plan on getting married, there are several conversations you should be having with your partner. This will help to ensure that the night goes as smoothly as possible and that you both are thinking about the same things. Having this conversation can ensure your marriage starts off on a good note and can also help you escape from a situation if you find out you are incompatible. 

Here are several things you need to discuss with your partner before tying the knot.

Do You Want to Marry Me Too?

Contrary to what movies and TV shows show you, a marriage proposal is not something that should be done out of the blue or should surprise your partner. While the actual event and moment should be a surprise, this should be something that you have talked about many times beforehand and have agreed to go through with. Why is this conversation important? If you are set on marriage and want to marry the person, by having this conversation beforehand you can see where you stand and see if it is going to happen. If the person says yes, then you are in a fantastic position and now have to go about planning a proposal. If they say no, however, you are stuck in a situation with two different options. In the first situation, they might want to get married, but they just aren’t ready at the moment. If that is the case, you can turn towards relationship advice to help prepare them. Whether it is a few sessions of counseling that they need or just more time, give them space, and eventually, they will come around.

The second and more terrifying result when they say no is that the relationship is dead and that things are essentially over. As soon as you hear that answer, you should work to quickly distance yourself from that relationship and move on to better things. Oftentimes people get complacent and even though their marriage proposal has been rejected, they still stick around with the person. The quicker you move on, the quicker you will heal and the faster you will be able to find a new partner. Having this conversation beforehand is a must for anyone looking to get married.

What is Your Debt Like

The next major conversation piece you should be having is in terms of financials. When you are getting married, you both are going to be combining your financials, which include your assets and your debts. You should know if your partner has any major debt beforehand as that can greatly affect whether or not you plan to get married to that person. While you may love them, do you really want to inherit a six-figure debt? It is a difficult conversation to have, but if you are considering marrying someone it is definitely one that has to be had. Figure out the debt situation of your significant other before you decide whether you want to get married or not.

Parenting and Children

A hot topic in society today deals with children and how they are going to be raised. If you want to have children you are going to want to find a partner that wants to have them as well. If they don’t want kids, it is a sign that you should instantly move on. If you do agree to have kids, figure out how you both would go about raising them. You two will definitely have differing opinions, but that is not a bad thing. Finding the compromises in raising a child beforehand will help to alleviate stress and frustrations when the child is born. This way you can focus on your child and give them the attention they deserve.

Splitting Responsibilities

The final thing you are going to have to talk about is how the responsibilities around the house are going to be split. No one should be responsible for everything around the house and you should either develop a schedule or split the chores evenly to keep everyone happy. If one person is working all day around the home while the other does nothing, it is going to quickly start a fight and ruin a relationship.

These are four major conversations that you should be having with your significant other before you decide to tie the knot. Knowing what you are getting into beforehand is important as it can save you a lot of trouble should the marriage go sour. What conversations do you think you should be having with your significant other before getting married?