I do. Or do I?

[Hazell B]

Marriage is, I'm told, a wonderful thing.
Thing is, I've never fancied it myself - too much dressing up for my liking - so I'm fairly happy just living with my partner for the past 19 or so years.

However, if he wore thin I may consider the whole wedding fiasco with somebody else (as long as he's richer than me, obviously) so I'm clearly not 100% against the concept.

Would you get married? Have you?
Or are you like me, happy just living together?

[emporer_k]

I've never seen the point in marriage as you can live together just as happily.

However if the right woman proposed under the right circumstances I would get married but only if it were on the quiet, only telling people after we'd tied the knot.

[MrJan]

Not really bothered myself, wouldn't be against a wedding but I wouldn't be overly happy with one of those over the top jobbers which cost a fortune.

[jim mcglinchey]

The only thing worse than being married....is not being married.

[Alexamateo]

Marriage is, I'm told, a wonderful thing.
Thing is, I've never fancied it myself - too much dressing up for my liking - so I'm fairly happy just living with my partner for the past 19 or so years.

However, if he wore thin I may consider the whole wedding fiasco with somebody else (as long as he's richer than me, obviously) so I'm clearly not 100% against the concept.

Would you get married? Have you?
Or are you like me, happy just living together?

Hazel,

I love marriage and I love being married, but don't confuse being married with a wedding, at least that is what I think you are referring to when you say it's too much dressing up.

If you've been with someone 19 years, I assume you have built some sort of a life together and bought things together, so you should get married to protect yourself. Otherwise if, heaven forbid, he should have an accident next week and be killed, some relative that has had nothing to do with him could show up at your doorstep demanding you pay them for their half of the house or one of the cars etc. Granted, their are wills and protections there, but if you are married there's no doubt.

[Cooper_S]

I love being married, but I love being a family more...

But ultimately marriage is not for everyone each to their own

[Easy Drifter]

To do or not to do? That is the question.
My ex and I were together for 10 years.
Then we got married and were together for another 12.
Now seperated for 9, but still very good friends and even go out together on occasion.
Even have shared motel rooms but always doubles.
Go figure.

[Sonic]

Been married for 7, together for 12. Still great!

Got married in Disney land so with a start on the 'happiest place on earth' how could it fail? :D

[Bezza]

My girlfriend is always on about marriage, and what she wants at her wedding, and how good it will be. So far I just play along, as I don't really care, and I won't be getting married, or even engaged, before I'm 30. I'm just coming up to 24, and she reckons it would be wrong to not be engaged within 5 years of going out. So she'll be disappointed!

Also, while I'm here - joint bank accounts? What is everyone's opinion? I don't like sharing my account with somebody else and am strongly against it - as I am in sales and my wage fluctuates. My girlfriend has a fixed wage and therefore don't like the idea of her getting free rein of my commission!

I agree with Joint Savings accounts, but she has the idea of a Joint Current Account. What does everyone think?

[Daniel]

My girlfriend is always on about marriage, and what she wants at her wedding, and how good it will be. So far I just play along, as I don't really care, and I won't be getting married, or even engaged, before I'm 30. I'm just coming up to 24, and she reckons it would be wrong to not be engaged within 5 years of going out. So she'll be disappointed!

Also, while I'm here - joint bank accounts? What is everyone's opinion? I don't like sharing my account with somebody else and am strongly against it - as I am in sales and my wage fluctuates. My girlfriend has a fixed wage and therefore don't like the idea of her getting free rein of my commission!

I agree with Joint Savings accounts, but she has the idea of a Joint Current Account. What does everyone think?
Bezza, Caroline and I have a joint current account as well as our own seperate accounts. The intention is that we'll each put a certain amount into the joint one to cover joint costs like food and so on and if I was to buy something for my PC or Caroline wants to buy some clothes then we use our own accounts. I think that's fair?

[Dave B]

Susy and I are getting married next year, and it's quite remarkable that we've agreed on 99% of the wedding plans and happily compromised on the other 1%.

It's not going to be a particularly lavish affair but certainly a day to remember. We're sensible people who are both used to planning projects to a budget in our respective professions, so we're treating this as exactly the same - and so far we're bang on target.

As for dressing up, I reckon a traditional white dress, shiny shoes, nice lingerie, and a subtle tiara. Who knows, maybe Susy will wear something too.

[Cooper_S]

for dressing up, I reckon a traditional white dress, shiny shoes, nice lingerie, and a subtle tiara. Who knows, maybe Susy will wear something too.


LOL... man you gota post some pics after :)

[Daniel]

LOL... man you gota post some pics after :)
Cooper_S discovers humour :mark:

[Roamy]

Marriage is, I'm told, a wonderful thing.
Thing is, I've never fancied it myself - too much dressing up for my liking - so I'm fairly happy just living with my partner for the past 19 or so years.

However, if he wore thin I may consider the whole wedding fiasco with somebody else (as long as he's richer than me, obviously) so I'm clearly not 100% against the concept.

Would you get married? Have you?
Or are you like me, happy just living together?

Wives I've had a few
But then again too few to mention

do marry for money just sell it upfront and invest the cash

[schmenke]

The missus and I lived together for gawd-knows-how-many years before we decided to tie the knot, primarily because we wanted to finally have kid(s). Call us old-fashioned but we didn't feel comfortable having kids without being married :mark:

Joint accounts for us, even prior to wedlock :)

[driveace]

As the song goes" Love and Marriage ,Love and marriage,goes together like a horse and carriage" Well you ask guys who have been married twice if they would get married again,I think MOST would be quite happy to live together,in love.The problem comes when you get OLDER as most people will tell you that are older is that on your OWN life can be very LONELY
We have joint accounts and we each have our own accounts too,but no accountants now !

[jim mcglinchey]

joint accounts, but I always have my own little slush fund for motorbike things and blokey crap, porn etc, just kiddin, I can just see wor lasses face if I said I need two hundred nicker for a nice old heap on ebay!

[Hazell B]

Hazel,


If you've been with someone 19 years, I assume you have built some sort of a life together and bought things together, so you should get married to protect yourself.


Good point.
As it happens the house is mine, not joint, so that's safe. Also here the laws are very good for co-habitors, so his will leaves me safe (it's a good will) and mines makes sure he has the house, horses, etc. If we both die, we've even allowed for that and left provision for the animals (Eki gets them all :p : )

Joint accounts are a no no here. We've simply never considered one. I save, he saves, I ask and he gives. Easy :D

[Jag_Warrior]

As the song goes" Love and Marriage ,Love and marriage,goes together like a horse and carriage" Well you ask guys who have been married twice if they would get married again,I think MOST would be quite happy to live together,in love.The problem comes when you get OLDER as most people will tell you that are older is that on your OWN life can be very LONELY

Quite ironic that was also the theme song to the TV show "Married With Children". Not exactly a ringing endorsement to the concept of marriage.

It seems like a lifetime ago that I was engaged to be married to a beautiful, intelligent... and spoiled rotten girl. If not for her mother, we would have gotten married. But being a puppet on the end of her mother's stick just didn't appeal to me.

Marriage and family are what hold most societies together. I just don't see that it's for me any longer. It could happen, I suppose. Every now and again I'll meet a woman and think that I could see myself married to her. But then something inevitably happens that makes me jump back and say, "Oh, hell no!!! What was I thinking?!"

That last part of your post does cross my mind. With each passing birthday, it crosses my mind even more these days. But I don't connect being alone with being lonely... or miserable. You can be lonely at a party, in a room full of people that you don't know. As my patented breakup speech goes (yeah, I really do have it committed to memory), when a relationship goes south, "I don't need you in my life to be miserable. I can do that all by myself!"

When people get married for the right (IMO) reasons, I think that's good. And I've known more than a few people who had it as a mission in life to get married. I guess that's OK too. But some of us just aren't wired that way.

On being old & lonely, my guess is as soon as I started sitting in my recliner, drooling down my chin and making race car sounds in front of a TV that has the power turned off... my beloved would leave me high & dry anyway. My last gal-pal said that I had trust and commitment issues. Gee, ya think?! :rolleyes: