The most you can possibly gain from any online relationship is the chance to say I do. Saying those two words might not be your specific goal, but it is a sign that a relationship that has reached its highest attainable form. Committing to someone for life isn’t easy. Relationships are work, after all, yet the divorce rate remains high despite our supposed understanding of what a marriage entails. You may want to consider the following before you decide to make your big commitment.

The longer you’ve been with someone, the better chance of success your relationship has. Sometimes you encounter love at first site where saying I do seems like a natural progression at an early stage. I believe in miracles so I also have faith that this can and does happen for some people. But the majority of relationships need time to breathe. You need to get to know that other person. Seeing all that another person encompasses isn’t something you can do on a first date. Often you can go a lifetime and still be surprised by those closest to you. If your relationship is so special, why not wait? Won’t marriage be more special ten years down the line as opposed to ten weeks? When a relationship is right, time no longer matters, but committing to someone through the words “I do” shouldn’t be entered into lightly and a little pause before you pop the question seems only prudent.

“I do is for life and you shouldn’t commit to a relationship such as marriage unless you’ve considered the worst-case scenarios.”

Marriage is half-and-half – for life. You hopefully don’t enter into a marriage with the idea that you part ways down the line with your love, but it is something that you need to consider. Laws are in place to protect people who have been in committed relationships. You don’t even have to have said I do to be held responsible in a court of law for all that your wife or husband has to go through after your breakup. This could mean financial support or shared custody of children or pets. It could mean the dividing of assets accumulated throughout the course of your relationship that you would otherwise not want to part with. I do is for life and you shouldn’t commit to a relationship such as marriage unless you’ve considered the worst-case scenarios.

Saying I do with someone else is the most amazing testament to any relationship. It says you’ve looked at all the bad angles and you’re willing to go through with whatever is to come together as a team. If you’re considering that route right now, step back, take a deep breath and try to imagine all the possibilities of a life filled with the love you currently seek. There are many tests you will have to pass if you plan on surviving a lifetime with your partner and they all start the second you utter those two little words – I do.