6 Things Every Bride Should Consider Before Marriage:

Oh, the passions of youth. Love comes and sweeps you off of your feet. Before you know it, you are enraptured in romance and marriage. It happens so easily that when the man pops the question some say "I do" before thinking it through. That might work if marriage were more like a dinner date you regret five minutes after making it, and call up to cancel, but it isn't. Marriage is about love and lifetime commitment. Marriage means you are willing to give up all others to commit to one person. Marriage is a solemn vow to love him, now and forever.

Love goes beyond feeling and touches the very essence of your soul. Marriage is your expression to the world that you are choosing to love one person, for a lifetime. Before you make the leap of a lifetime, carefully consider these matters of the heart.

1. Consider his character traits and habits.
Isn't your lover the sweetest, cutest, most witty man you've ever met. Think of two or three of his most endearing characteristics. Is it a cute little twitch when he smiles? Maybe you adore that darling purr when he sleeps. He always wants you around, and doesn't mind going anywhere with you and your friends, even shopping. You like his jokes. His intellect amazes you.

Those things that you find endearing now, may end up driving you bonkers in just a few years. Think seriously about what attracts you to your mate. Then, project yourself five years from now. That cute little way he turned up his mouth when he smiled, now looks like a smirk. You realize that purr was actually a snore, and with age and a few extra pounds it begins to sound like a freight train. You used to love the way he wanted to always be with you, now you feel like a prisoner because you can't go anywhere without him. His jokes are still funny, to people who hear them the first time, but now that you have his whole routine memorized, you wish he'd learn some new material. You still think he is a smart man, but you also realize he is a know-it-all. Yikes! Those things you loved can become irritating in time.