Back in the day, getting married meant that once some mules, hay and gold changed hands, you left your family for the first time and were off to start a whole new life. Today, most modern American couples live in sin long before they make it official. This left us wondering: How much does getting married these days really change a relationship? Here, seven legally wed folks—from two months in to six years deep—share their experiences.
“For us, we're way more content with just hanging out together doing nothing than we were pre-marriage. Less FOMO, you could say. (Otherwise everything is pretty much the same.)” - Katherine, married two months
“At first things didn't feel any different, as we had already lived together and had been dating for nine years before we got married. But a few months in is when I noticed a bit of a change. It seems obvious, but we simply hold more responsibility toward one another now. We’re both fairly independent people, so making all these major decisions together, like merging bank accounts and logistically talking about where we want to live in the next three to five years, has opened the doors to what true communication and compromise means (not like the old days of talking in hypotheticals or deciding what Ben & Jerry's flavor to eat that night). Compromise has been the biggest, hardest and most rewarding difference.” - Angela, married six months