My wife and I met in high school and have been dating since; this past weekend was our 17th year anniversary. One of the benefits of dating for 9 years before getting married was that we knew each other so, so well. When we went to go do pre-marital counseling (which we loved and recommended) our counselor told us outright: “We don’t need 8 sessions with you guys, maybe only 2.” Turns out when you’re with someone for long enough and truly know them, you avoid a lot of the catastrophic surprises you might often find in marriage a few months into it. I’m not saying don’t go and get married quick, I’m just saying spending time beforehand and investing in that relationship properly will help to future-proof a lot of potentially difficult arguments / issues up the road.
