Is it better to live together before marriage or to wait?

i would say yes
you get to know a person the more you are around them

but really that is for you and your partner to decide

It depends upon how substantial the relationship is. Some may need to test the waters by shacking up. But others may have just as substantial a connection and joining of lives, without cohabitation.

I believe there it adds something special to marriage to wait for cohabitation, or at least wait until an engagement.

Appreciated your study Broo..

This only matters, if you don't really want to be married.

What I mean is, that REAL marriage means that you decide that your life adventure isn't going to be about how you like your home, it is going to be about whatever it takes to live together.

If what you really want, is a compatible roommate, who has sex with you on occasion, don't get married at all.

It's always best, to live together first.

Yes. It's better to live with a bunch of different people.
Like you and your potential partner go out and find 30 potential matches each.
Then you all chip in and rent a giant mansion together and everyone just starts dating each other.
Those that get rejected by the majority get kicked out of the house.
Of course, install cameras everywhere and film it over the course of years of your life.

Then sell the footage to a network for tons of money.
Then take that money and buy a boat.
Then go to the Philippines and fill it up with ladyboy's and drunk russian expats with small hands...wait, what were we talking about?

If you know marriage is going to happen, I agree with others that it is probably better to wait before living together, if circumstances permit.

The problem with the logic behind having a "test period" living together, is that it doesn't allow for the number one most significant phenomenon that happens with marriage.

That is, that a person's entire perception of life and the world and themselves, functionally changes as soon as they say their "I do's."

The main thing about it, that most people don't recognize until their first serious argument, is what your options are, when there's a problem.

The first time you walk out the door in a huff, and realize that you HAVE TO GO BACK BECAUSE YOU'RE MARRIED, everything changes.

When you're "just testing," somewhere in the back of your mind, you know that. And that invalidates the bulk of the test, unfortunately.

I'm not saying don't do it, I'm just saying don't expect the test to protect you from finding out that you aren't as lifestyle compatible LONG term, as you think it will.

"The first time you walk out the door in a huff, and realize that you HAVE TO GO BACK BECAUSE YOU'RE MARRIED, changes everything."


That made me laugh!

So true<<<

(That 'sinking feeling'<<<I have to go back>>>)

hahahaha

Although there may be some truth in that all... if you walk out on the first argument you shouldn't be in a relationship, or not that one. If your idea with walking out is to not even come back you REALLY shouldn't be in that relationship!

You also leave out the advantages of living together first. For instance finding out if the quirky habit begins to irritate you and becomes a deal-breaker.
Finding out about habits you didn't know. Maybe they fart & burb all the time after the novelty of having to be on their best behaviour wears off.
Maybe they are very inflexible when it comes to re-arranging cupboards, the way clean wash should be folded, which way round to hang the bog roll and so on.
Also finding out if your daily rhythms match. Maybe they stayed up late to please you in the wooing phase, now it turns out they simply are early birds and you are a night owl...

Absolutely, yes. How do you be familiar with some with out spending some time along with? Do it, keep with her and know more about her.