you will be ready to marry another person...
(in no particular order)

when the other's feelings are as precious as your own and this is a shared sentiment.

when you can both control your tempers.

when you agree on money and where to get it and how to save it and how to spend it. a lot of issues will revolve around money so this is a crucial point even though it may not seem like it in the beginning.

when you believe that marriage is not about an elaborate ceromony but is about the day-to-day living that comes after it.

when you believe that marriage is not about child production but is about living and planning and working with someone else for the rest of your life. children are only part of a marriage and should not be its foundation.

when you agree on who cleans what and how often.

when you have regularly planned times to interact and communicate and have fun together. i.e. daily discussions at dinner-time, after-dinner walks, planned weekend outings, etc.

when you believe that open and honest communication is the foundation of any successful relationship. you will also actively facilitate a frequent and open and honest dialogue with your mate.

when you believe that resentment is the poison of relationships and you will actively pursue a path of least resentment and will actively work through any that you have for your partner.

when you agree on the quantity of children you will produce and how they will be raised and what they will be taught.

when you agree on where you will live and in what type of dwelling. you should also decide how the rooms will be used and who will decorate what.

when you agree on where and when your food will come from. will one be a dedicated cook? who will shop? what will you eat? will the dedicated cook be able to take breaks and if so where will the food come from? how often will you eat out?

when you have your "romantic" life worked out and have open and honest discussions about it and are satisfied with it.

when you no longer hide anything from your intended spouse.

when your intended spouse is a treasured friend.

when your intended spouse is top of your loyalty list and no one comes before them.

when you trust your intended spouse enough to give them your utmost loyalty.

when you agree on what movies and televesion shows you will watch.

when you can talk and have talked for hours at a time about anything and everything with one another.

when you understand each other.