When asked what the best aspect of being married was, the couple smiled at each other before giving their opinions on what they enjoyed most about their year-old marriage. According to the wife, companionship was the best part of the wedding because she used to feel very lonely before. However, she is much happier with the knowledge there is someone who will always be there for her. The husband echoed his wife’s sentiments, saying that she had been his primary source of inspiration for the brief period they have been married. The second question was about the most challenging aspects of being married, and they both acquiesced that adapting to a new lifestyle was a shared challenge. The husband narrated how he previously used to party for nights on end and the reckless bachelor lifestyle, which he had a hard time changing, even after marriage.
When asked about the expectations they had about marriage, they appeared to have had different ones, with the wife saying that she expected that they would agree on everything. On the other hand, the husband had assumed that the wife would approve of all his plans, and finances would not be an issue. When they were asked if their expectations had been met. The husband felt that they were partly met, and although his wife would occasionally oppose his plans, they would discuss and eventually come up with a compromise. Finances had been a significant issue as they were both working and earning almost the same amounts. They were deciding who should do what was not easy, especially for the wife, as she felt that not all her expectations were fulfilled. Sometimes, when they could not agree on something, she claimed he manipulated her into compromises that favored his interests over her own.
When asked for how long they had known each other before they got married, they explained that they met in their first year of college and dated for five years before making it permanent. On the advice they could give to couples thinking of getting married, the wife said that mutual understanding and accepting each other’s weaknesses is a significant recipe for a happy marriage. The husband added that knowing what your spouse likes and doing it regularly with them would go a long way in making a marriage last. The interviewer also asked why they thought some marriages work while others fail. According to the wife, this can be explained by understanding why people get married in the first place. Some do it for the wrong reasons, such as money, and others to be associated with an influential family or even to get away from home. The husband agreed and added that there are also those who get married to prove a point and some to get children. They said that for it to work, the main reason must be true love, and the spouses should have common goals in life.
Finally, when asked to give their definitions of a healthy marriage, the husband said if a couple can sit down and discuss issues without getting emotional, it would qualify as a healthy relationship. The wife said that, in her opinion, a marriage is beneficial if the two people involved can work out a mechanism for solving their differences without hurting one another.