Marriage is a commitment that is expected to last a lifetime. For a marriage to work, it takes a lot of commitment from both parties. Therefore, it is important to ensure you are ready before you say ‘I DO”.

As you grow up, you have this idea in your mind about how your life will be like. When you're old enough, your goals change and sometimes things don’t always work out as expected. You might find yourself in a stable relationship sooner than you expected. This puts you under pressure to settle down and start a home.

However, before you get married, there are things you must do. This is because marriage ties you down, and a lot changes once you're married. You might never get the chance to do the things you always wanted to do.

Therefore, if you do not have a before marriage bucket list, here are things to do before you get married for men and women. 

Things to Do Before Marriage When Dating

Once you meet the one, it is important to ensure you two are on the same page about certain issues. This will go a long way in preventing conflict after you're married. Here are things to do during dating.

1. Discuss finances with your future spouse

Once you have gotten engaged, it is advisable for you to discuss finances with your spouse. You need to make long-term and short-term goals. Decide whether to open a joint savings account or not. How will you meet your bills? Discuss everything there to about money. Money matters have been stated as some of the main causes of divorce. Talking and planning your finances together can go a long way in preventing conflict in the future.

2. Live together

Once you are sure you two will be getting married, it is best for you to try living together. This serves as a ‘test drive’ for when you are finally married. It also makes it easy for you to learn more about your partner. There are things you may never learn unless you are living under the same roof with someone.  This is one of the things to do before marriage.

3. Discuss children

Children are also an important factor. It is important for you to know what your spouse thinks of kids, and if they want kids. The issue of whether to have kids or not has been a cause for divorce too. Some people want to have kids others don’t. It is imperative that you discuss this with your spouse before tying the knot. If both of you want kids, discuss how many kids you would want and whether you would consider adoption.

4. Take a trip together

While you will still go on vacations together once married, it won’t be the same when kids are around. Therefore, strive to travel together as much as possible before you are married. Travelling together places the two of you outside your comfort zone, this gives you enough room to learn more about each other.

5. Fight             

Fights in relationships are healthy. They are tests that teach the two of you how to handle disagreements and how to overcome hardships. Fights also show you the ugly side of your partner and their willingness to make the relationship work when the two of you make up. Also, your relationship becomes stronger when you make up after a fight.

6. More things you should do:

• Get to know yourself and your partner better.
• Learn basic cooking skills
• Talk about housework duties
• Declutter your life and find a purpose

Things to Do Before Marriage When Single 

1. Travel

While you might still travel when you're married, you will not have as much freedom while traveling as you would when single. Dare to go to places you always dreamt of and make the silly decisions without having to worry about commitments. Life is too short not to do silly little things while you still can.

2. Get your heart broken

While this may sound cliché, it is actually very true and reasonable. Get your heart broken a few times if possible. When you deal with a breakup, it teaches you more about yourself than you would have learned if your heart wasn’t broken. Therefore, when you're single, don’t be afraid to kiss frogs. They come with great life lessons. Having your heart broken will teach you to appreciate it when the right one finally comes along.

3. Live alone

This may surprise most people when listed among things to do before you marry. While this may sound obvious, there are people who never get the chance to live on their own before they are married. When you live alone, you have enough space and privacy to do the things you wouldn’t do if you lived with other people. Enjoy your personal space and time because once you're married, this changes.

4. Strive to learn from the mistakes you make in your relationships

Learn to acknowledge and learn from mistakes. It is important to know that every relationship that did not work must have taught you something. You and your ex-partner played a part which led to the split. It is important for you to learn from these experiences and to know what to take or not to take to your next relationship. These experiences also help you to understand yourself better. They teach you what you can stand and what you can’t stand when it comes to relationships.

5. Fall in love, severally 

Love is such a beautiful thing. Therefore, don’t be afraid to fall for the wrong people. This will put you on the path of meeting the right one. If it doesn’t work, heal and move on. Enjoy it while it lasts or until you find your life partner. This is one of the most important things to do before marriage.

6. Teach yourself to trust over and over again 

Trust is one of the most important aspects of any relationship. You need to learn to trust people to ensure you enjoy a healthy relationship. If you have trust issues, work to resolve them as this will damage our relationships. People are different. While others will betray your trust, you need to learn to start with a clean slate with every relationship.

7. Get your finances in order

The last thing you want to do is go into marriage while in debt or with no money of your own. It is important for you to cultivate the habit of saving and living within your means. When you get into marriage debt free, it makes it easier for you to make and meet financial goals.