It’s a tough call and honestly one only you can make. It is becoming increasingly more common for couples to live together before they get married. Is it right for you?

The risks of living together before married according to The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University.

1.Higher Divorce Rate – Statistics don’t lie, your chances of getting divorced are higher if you decide to co-habitat before marriage.

2.  Living Together May Not Lead To Marriage – 21% of those who live together before marriage 5-7 years later are still not married. For many people marriage isn’t worth the work when they are already living together.

3. Lessens the Experience of Your Big Day – Part of the fun of getting married is what comes along with it. No I’m not talking about the gifts, and parties. I’m talking about the moving in together and starting a family. When you already live together you don’t get to have that rush of change.

The Benefit of living together before marriage.

1. You May Not Get Married – yes this was also on the disadvantages but let’s face it you may realize that the two of you just can’t lead a life to death do us part. It may perhaps end of being a blessing in disguise.  Living together before marriage allows you to see if you are compatible.

2.  Adjusting to Your Habits – Living together before marriage allows you to adjust to each others quirky habits. You may not even realize something you are doing is weird until you live with someone else. This may be a good adjustment period for the two of you to get used to each others habits.

3.  Save Money – We were all thinking it. One of the benefits to living together is that it saves money. Having one water bill, one cable bill, one electric bill, not to mention one rent.  It can add up to saving you lots of money. Which might be well worth it if you are like many people now days paying for part of the wedding yourself.

There are advantages and disadvantages to every decision you make but hopefully these gave you some pointers to deciding what the right choice for you is.