“So, how is married life? It’s a lot different isn’t it? Is the honeymoon period over yet?”
I don’t think I can count the number of times that I have been asked these questions since the wedding. Not only do family and friends ask these questions but so do people that I barely know. I don’t mind answering but sometimes I feel that people are disappointed or surprised by the answer I give them.
My response to these questions are usually just a smile and “good.” I think that most people are expecting me to tell them how different it is. After I say that it is good, they respond with “oh, that is right. you’re still in the honeymoon phase.” I am always a little puzzled by their response because our “honeymoon phase” appears to have just blended into our everyday lives after we returned from Vegas. We lived together for almost year before we got engaged and so after the wedding there was no major move for either of us. Newlyweds that do not live together beforehand may find themselves overwhelmed with everything from moving to somewhere new to finding out new things about your partner. Jason and I had been living together for a year so we had more time to adjust to living together before marriage. We had more time to learn things about each other and decide if we could live with both the good and bad. I could imagine how overwhelming it would feel to learn all these new things about living with someone right after you made vows to stay with them for the rest of your lives.
I like how Jason and I have had the time to adjust before we got married. I think that our relationship is stronger because marriage didn’t make us feel like everything has changed. I feel proud when I can tell someone that life after marriage is great because nothing is different except for my last name.
Living together before marriage may not be for everyone but for us, it gave us the opportunity to begin building a strong foundation for our marriage.