Would you prefer to marry or cohabitate?

Both marriage and cohabitation have their strengths and weaknesses, depending on your core beliefs and needs. The marriage need usually stems from religious values. For myself, I would be fine with cohabitation, and wouldn't feel the need to be married. If marriage were to occur after that, then so be it. But I would most certainly prefer to live with my man to see what he's REALLY like, before marrying him. It would be the fastest way to see just how compatible we were.

haha.. Cohibitate and marriage are completely two different things.. Marriage means commitment, and that there's no more individual actions and thinkings.. But cohabitating means, there's no commitment just yet, there's still freedom to do what they like, just that when it comes to end of the day, they are sleeping in the same house only.. lol

I would much rather be married. I couldn't imagine just cohabitating together for the rest of our lives. I want to have the security of knowing I am his wife, the woman he loves more than anything.

Both my partner and I have been married before but to other people. When we first met we were friends and I was still in the early days of being separated and she had been separated for several years but not divorced. Her ex-husband was not prepared to contribute to the cost of the divorce and she had no money to spare at that time. My situation was the reverse in fact and as soon as we legally could my ex-wife and I did get divorced. Sometime after my divorce my partner and I decided we wanted to be together but as money was very tight, we chose to cohabitate. After a few years we did have some money and she divorced her ex-husband. We were saving up for our wedding when the first of our children got engaged, and so that wedding took priority over ours as we could not afford to pay for both weddings. Since that time our second daughter has married and now we have a third one coming up next year. Thank goodness we have continued to save so that we have the money avialble for our contribution to these weddings. It is our intention to get married but just not sure when that will be. We do not want a big wedding but certainly would like some special people to be able to join us. To keep the number of guests to a satisfactory level, we will get married in a town other than where we live. Having said that even if we do not marry, that does not mean that we are not committed to each other entirely, as we are. We consider we are married but perhaps in the eyes of God we are not.

I would actually prefer neither at this point in my life. I love having my own place and my own space and being independent. My boyfriend has his own place also and it just works really well for us. I know it isn't for everyone but I've been married twice and I really have no desire to go that route again. Living together....getting married....They are both much the same.

as a woman,i prefer to marry.Although you have married,you still can divorce.in my opinion,the marriage is meaning responsibility and is the best to prove he love me.so i choose to marry,if he really loves me.

I would prefer to marry someone then to cohabitate although both do have their good points. Like if you cohabitate then you don't have no worries if it doesn't work out in a few years(unless you have kids) what I meant was no worries over a divorce. But for myself I would have to say I would want the marriage license.

My husband and I were just as happy cohabitating as we were married, but we wanted to get married anyway, to let the entire world know that we are committed to eachother. We are members of two different religions, and neither one of us converted, so it's not religion that prompted us to get married, it's just what WE wanted.

Years ago, I would never have considered cohabitating as in back in my younger days, I feared I would be damned forever if I did this. Besides, my parents would have strongly objected and wouldn't have allowed me to do so. Now with the changing times and no peer pressure, I might consider cohabitating but with a view to eventually getting married.

I would rather cohabitate in a place big enough so there could be the yours, mine and ours idea.I mean there is my bedroom, his bedroom and a room we share.And separate bathrooms too.I like this idea so I am not forced to be the wife, I don't have to pick up after him. He can be as messy as he wants to be and it won't interfere with my stuff or style.

I think if you're going to cohabitate, you've made a commitment the same as marriage, so why not make it official?

I always believe that every person have their own destination and being Marry for someone or just stayed like a part time Marriage is a matter of decision in life but I hope that every person would still have to consider that it is still good to get married in a proper way rather than choosing to lived with someone in your life without consent from God and in the Law......

I would prefer marriage. In my opinion, cohabitation does not increase one's chances for having a succesful marriage.

i prefer marriage, bcuz after marriage u know that u have to spend life with herand ur thinking will be changed and u can make good decisions.

much as I am looking forward to getting married next year, there is no way I would even consider it if we hadn't lived together first. it seems foolish to marry someone before having a fully functioning and secure relationship.

Well, I'm 51 and I've been married for 29 years - so I'd have to say I'm glad I'm married. These days, it's personal choice. Lots of people don't choose to make such a commitment, and others don't believe formalising their relationship makes any difference.

Hi ronaldinu, I think I wouldn't like to cohabitate as they are no security in it and your partner can easly walk out, well maybe I'm just old fashion. Tamara

Hi ronaldinu, I would prefer to cohabitate. In fact, that is what my boyfriend and I are doing right now. My boyfriend moved in with me at the end of January. We had been seeing each other since July, but not seriously. He was also seeing someone else too, someone that I knew and didn't like. She didn't know that we were seeing each other. It was kind of complicated. When he moved in it was because he needed a place to stay and I needed help financially. We were mostly friends,not a couple. He would go out on his own and things we not going well between us. He eventually broke up with her altogether. I am 11 years older than he is and he said he wouldn't marry someone so much older than he is. Well, that is ok with me since I don't really want to get married. I have been engaged twice, but never married. We have gotten very close now and now we are more like a couple. We do everything together. Marriage only complicates things. All my friends that were married got divorced. If I had married either of the two people that I was engaged to I would have been divorced, so I just skipped the steps! My boyfriend also had been engaged years ago and has a daughter from that relationship who is in her 20's and has 2 children of her own. So at this point neither of us needs to be married and are fine with the way things are. I don't know if we will stay together or if he will eventually want to find someone younger and then get married, the future is not promised to anyone. So we take each day one day at a time and we will see what will happen.

Hi ya ronaldinu I think you know what I am going to say but I shall tell you anyway!! . After coming out of a 10 year abusive relationship 2 years ago I would definately prefer to cohabitate. At my stage of life I don't know what I would gain by getting married or the other person for that fact!!

I wouldnot say prefer I say i would marry that is the only way I am from the older generation and that is how i feel In a fantasy i would like to cohibitate and that is anout it But my fantasties never come true so I am safe Good Luck