7 things every woman should do before getting married

For many women, marriage is something they’ve been looking forward to since they were little girls.

While it’s undoubtedly an exciting and momentous experience in life, it’s far from the only life-changing and all-important event.

For this reason, it’s best not to rush your trip down to the altar. This is true even if you’ve been with your significant other for several years, or even decades.

Marriage changes everything. You go from ‘all about me’ to ‘all about us.’” The key, is to not lose yourself in the process.

How do you make sure you don’t do that? Well, for starters, you can start crossing off this list of experiences that help prepare you mentally, emotionally, and physically for a successful and long-lasting marriage.

1. Date and have relationships
While not everyone has the luxury of being with other people before they say “I do,” relationship experts agree that it can be tremendously beneficial in helping you know who is right for you and who is wrong for you.

2. Live by yourself or with roommates
If you’ve been dating your S.O. since college, it might make sense to just move on in together post-graduation, but this may likely be your only chance to ever have lived separately as adults. Living alone teaches you so many things. You learn how to be financially and emotionally independent.

3. Be financially independent
Along the same lines of being able to live on your own, having a solid grasp on your own finances will go a long way in making you feel ready to get hitched. Whether you have a career or a good-paying job, being financially independent means you are not going to get married because you need to.

4. Get in one good fight with your fiancé
Experts agree that entering into a marriage with full knowledge of how your partner handles conflict is key to a successful marriage. Every couple—even the happiest, most compatible couples—have occasional disagreements, misunderstandings, and differences of opinion. You need to know that you have a willing participant in open communication without defensive postures and that your partner has self-examination skills and a capacity for accountability.

5. Travel the world
If you haven’t yet had (or taken) the opportunity to see and experience the beautiful world around you, before you are wed is the time to do so. Of course, you can, and likely will, travel with your future spouse, but having the experience of traveling solo or with friends on your own accord—experiences that you can carve out for yourself and decide what they mean to you as an individual—can help solidify who you are as a person.

6. Develop a hobby or two
Hobbies not only make you more interesting, but they give you your own time and space, which will come in handy when you enter your marriage. Whether it’s running, reading, writing, yoga or meditation, having an outlet to express yourself and relieve tension and stress in your life will make you a better spouse and a happier person overall.

7. Establish a solid support system
Getting married many times shifts your friend circle, naturally because you have less time to spend with the girls and are adjusting to married life. You may find that you and your husband entertain and go out together, possibly with other couples so it’s important to nurture your relationships with your good friends.