7 couples reveal how long you should date before getting married

<p>How long should one date the significant other before tying the knot? Should one wait for a year or does it take only a few months to know whether he or she is the right person? Many couples, who had been in a relationship with their partner before marriage, might have faced this dilemma. When we asked this question to the couples who had already taken the plunge, all of them shared different perspectives on this topic. According to a few ‘happily married’ couples, here’s how long they dated each other before tying the knot:<br></p>

<p>“My wife and I dated for just three months before getting married. We liked each other from our very first date and somehow, I always knew she’s the one. When we announced our plans to get married, everybody (including my best friend) said that we should not take a decision in haste. But we were very confident and everything turned out perfect.”<br></p>

<p>“My husband and I dated for four years. We were in love but our relationship went through several rough phases. When he proposed me for marriage, I was really confused whether it would be a wise decision to marry him or not. However, I realised that I will always be unsure about this decision, and accepted his proposal without thinking much. Fortunately, we have been married for three years now and I don’t regret my decision.”<br></p>

<p>“We were set up by our parents, and did not have the luxury to date each other for years before deciding to get married. In fact, there was immense parental pressure on us to either say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ just after our first meeting. However, we convinced our parents that we wanted to meet a few more times before drawing a conclusion. We met thrice and discussed our expectations and limitations. Surprisingly, everything was sorted in just three dates.”<br></p>

<p>“My boyfriend (now my husband) and I were in a live-in relationship for three years. Our families knew about it and marriage was just a social formality for us. We understood each other well, and knew things won’t change much after marriage. Today, we are a happy family and are blessed with two beautiful daughters.”<br></p>

<p>“We dated for nine months and then he got a job in Europe. He had no plans of coming back to India for next eight months, and he could sense that I was not really comfortable with the idea of a long-distance relationship. He was also getting a bit insecure and proposed me for marriage. I did not want to lose him and happily agreed.”<br></p>

<p>“My husband proposed me for marriage after dating for two years but I wasn’t yet ready to take the plunge. I took my own time to become professionally and financially stable. I also had long discussions with him about our work, traditions, religion, future and every small thing that would be a part of our married life. He waited for me for another two years (kudos to his patience!) before I said yes.”<br></p>

<p>“It might sound like a fairy tale but our romance blossomed in school days and we always wanted to get married. However, we belonged to two different castes and his parents were not happy with our relationship. We dated for fifteen long years, which also included those tumultuous years we took to convince our parents, before tying the knot.”<br></p>