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It’s inevitable that someday you’re going to bump into Mr or Mrs Right and the sound of wedding bells will peel across hill and dale announcing that you’re officially out of the dating game and ready to embark on the road to married bliss.
To many impressionable young people, the thought of settling down, babies and even having a long-term partner may seem a completely alien concept but, believe you me, it can creep up on you a lot quicker than you may have first thought.
Like everything, you won’t know what you’ve gained or lost until it’s gone and it’s with this in mind that I’d like to lay down a few particulars on what you should try to do before you get hitched.
Please be aware that this article is not intending to put you off the wonderful world of wives and husbands, far from it. All I’m hoping to achieve is to open your eyes to what you’re probably not going to be able to do once you’ve decided to tie the knot – good luck!
Live with your mates
If you’re lucky enough to have gone to university or attended a college away from home then you’ll probably be well-versed in the delights of living with friends and likeminded individuals. This is your chance to party, philosophise and chill with your best buddies 24-7 and from leaving your room like a tip to finding random strangers asleep on your couch this rite-of-passage has to be achieved as soon as possible before you leave it too late.
Travel on your own
Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing better than a romantic break where you can walk hand in hand across white sand beaches staring into each other’s eyes and enjoying exotic cocktails, however sometimes it’s just better doing what you and you alone want to do. These days, singles holidays will take you everywhere and from adventuring through America to experiencing high arts and culture in Europe, going your own way has never been more enjoyable.
Fall in love
I know that this is what leads to marriage in the first place but sometimes you’ve got to fall in love with someone else before you’re ready to settle down. Only after you’ve had your heart broken can you truly appreciate the love and trust that comes from that special someone who you want to spend the rest of your life with. Of course, you can fall in love every day of the week if you so wish, because guess what, you’re not married and therefore you get to do what you like!
Join a band
Anyone with just an ounce of ‘va va voom’ will have picked up a guitar, held a microphone or twisted a drum stick and thought: ‘you know what, I’m going to join a band!’ The trouble is that this sort of endeavour can’t be achieved overnight (punk’s dead) and through a combination of hard work, practise and creativity turning yourself and your friends into a fully functioning rock and roll band is going to eat into every moment of time that you have with gusto.
Spend some cash
Joint accounts, food bills and weddings all cost money, and where you once had a free and easy hold on your purse strings now someone’s tugging on the other side pulling them ever-tighter. That’s the thing about marriage, it’s a kind of long-term thing and like most commitments, it costs money. So spend some cash while you can. Go on adventure travel tours to the other side of the world, buy fancy cars with only two seats and splash out on those shoes that are just way too expensive because, once you start shopping for houses, babies and all-inclusive holidays, it may be too late.
Biog: Nicola is happily married with two lovely children. The reason that she’s happily married is that she undertook all of the things above before she met her husband!
