How long did you know your spouse - partner before you married/moved in together?

[disney4us2002]

I am shocked by how fast some people moved in together!

We met in college dated off and on for a year. Got serious in the 2nd year of dating and married the following year. We never lived together until we were officially married. My parents were very adamant that no wedding would be given if we "shacked up" - their words.

 

[Danauk]

DH and I were together 4 years before we moved in together and got married. We married a few weeks after I left university when I was 22.

 

[Mickey&Donald]

I am shocked by how fast some people moved in together!

We met in college dated off and on for a year. Got serious in the 2nd year of dating and married the following year. We never lived together until we were officially married. My parents were very adamant that no wedding would be given if we "shacked up" - their words.

Well.. everyone's experience is different. Our parents didn't "give" us our wedding. We were adult enough to get married, and we were adult enough to pay for it ourselves. We also wouldn't have given much credence to parental objections of "shacking up" as both sets of our parents lived together before they got married. To insist that we didn't would've been pretty hypocritical.

Personally, I'd never marry someone without living with them first. You don't buy a car without a test drive, right?

 

[rentayenta]

We met in December 1992. First date date was Jan 1, 1993. We decided to get married late Feb 1993. He movied in May 1993. We got married in August 1993. This August will be our 15 year anniversary.

 

[GirTheGecko]

We moved in together after a few months. He was over at my apartment most of the time anyways. We're still together seven years later.

 

[mickeyboat]

We met the first day of school in 8th grade (1983) and got married a few weeks after I graduated from college (1992).

Denae

 

[Golf4food]

We dated for three years prior to our wedding. No living together, no premarital sex. Gasp!

 

[Kathi OD]

Started dating DH when I was 15, married him when I was 22, after graduating from college. 31 years later we're still married and happy too. Believe it or not, we didn't even need a "test drive" first.

 

[Mom2Nick]

I am a very traditional person and I do not believe in living together before marriage. We met in 1992, started dating the end of that year, got engaged NYE 1994/1995, bought out first home 6 weeks before the wedding in 1996 but did not move in together until we came back from the honeymoon.

 

[jme829]

I knew and met him for 5 weeks when we got engaged. However we dated for 2 years before actually getting married and moved in the day we came back from our honeymoon. We just celebrated 17 year wedding anniversary last weekend!

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Met DH in college in Feb 1979. First date was 4th of July, 1979. Married August 1984. Never "officially" lived together beforehand (my oldest DD...19...is shocked ).

 

[ZephyrHawk]

I am shocked by how fast some people moved in together!

We met in college dated off and on for a year. Got serious in the 2nd year of dating and married the following year. We never lived together until we were officially married. My parents were very adamant that no wedding would be given if we "shacked up" - their words.

I know that we are perhaps not representative of the average couple "living in sin", but DH and I considered ourselves married long before we got engaged. We saw our living together as being married without a piece of paper (yet). Silly to pay for 2 apartments for no reason. If my parents had threatened to hold off on the wedding money becuase of our situation we would merely have had one without their assistance. Their opinions were unimportant. We were family, they were extended family; just as a husband and wife should be.

Personally, I'd never marry someone without living with them first. You don't buy a car without a test drive, right?

Agreed. Several of our friends who said they wouldn't live together before marriage saw how well it worked for us and then, when they no longer wanted the burden of 2 apartments or living with their parents, found that it really is the best way to learn about your potential spouse prior to the final, no going back committment.

 

[mom2rb]

I am shocked by how fast some people moved in together!

We met in college dated off and on for a year. Got serious in the 2nd year of dating and married the following year. We never lived together until we were officially married. My parents were very adamant that no wedding would be given if we "shacked up" - their words.

My dad always told us kids that he wouldn't attend any of our weddings if we didn't live together first. So I did follow my father's rules.

 

[Angelhalo]

Well.. everyone's experience is different. Our parents didn't "give" us our wedding. We were adult enough to get married, and we were adult enough to pay for it ourselves. We also wouldn't have given much credence to parental objections of "shacking up" as both sets of our parents lived together before they got married. To insist that we didn't would've been pretty hypocritical.

Personally, I'd never marry someone without living with them first. You don't buy a car without a test drive, right?

we were "adult" when we got married too, but my parents paid for the wedding. it was their gift to us and had nothing to do with how "adult" we were.

DH and I lived together before we were married but I would go back and change it if I could. I didn't want us to live together but we didn't have much choice. he found a new job and was moving to Florida. So it was either try to date long distance, or go with him, and it made no sense to go with him and live separately. LOL

 

[aaronlisar]

We were together 4 years before we got married but not by choice. We would have gotten married a month after we starting dating if we had the choice. We only knew each other about 6 months prior to dating. I say if we had the choice because we starting dating the summer we after graduated high school. My husband was going to state university while I was going to community college. His parents were paying for his tution and told us if we got married before he finished school then they would stop paying for his schooling. Nor would they let us live together. He would be at my house when we were not working or at school and would only been at his parents house to sleep only. Even know he was not the type to quit school. So it was a lot cheaper to wait instead we saved for our wedding and honeymoon and had no debt from that. We went on a cruise for our honeymoon. On Aug. 3rd will be our 6th wedding anniversary and on Aug. 8th we will have been together for 10 years.

 

[Rora]

I voted over 10 years. Our parents are best friends and we spent every holiday, weekend, special event, etc with them. We've been dating for 7 years and are getting married January 2009!

Who would've thought it would end up like this!

 

[NYPDwife]

I am shocked by how fast some people moved in together!

We met in college dated off and on for a year. Got serious in the 2nd year of dating and married the following year. We never lived together until we were officially married. My parents were very adamant that no wedding would be given if we "shacked up" - their words.

My mom always said she would never let me live with a guy before getting married, but I was older and she was moving out of her house, so where was I going?

And, even though we didn't get married right away, we were certified as "Domestic Partners" so I could have his city benefits. So, that's kind of like being married....

 

[kangareaux]

We started making goo-goo eyes at each other across the store (we worked together but in different departments) about mid april.

We had our first date the last weekend in april.

Got engaged June 10th.

Married 3rd weekend in august.

So just under 4 months.

We *MET* a year before our first date, but didn't get to know each other, then went our seperate ways, so i don't think that counts.


My parents met and married in about a month!

 

[james'mommy]

We started dating and then 2 or 3 weeks later he needed someone to watch the dog while he was out of town. I offered to do it. He said to just stay at the apartment and spend time bonding with the dog. I never gave the key back. I was pretty much living there from then on. 4 months later we got out own apartment together. We credit that dog form cementing our relationship.

 

[PghLybrt]

That's a hard question. She was dating my ex. So I did actually meet her once in the summer. Then we met up in the fall and i would say she moved in maybe 4 days later. It has been 13 years now.