Marriage / Cohabitation

Back then, many marriages were arranged for couples by their families and the main reason for it was economic, rather than the couple genuinely being attracted to one another. The idea of divorce was even less heard of than the idea of being in love with your betrothed.

Cohabitation is when the two of you are living together. There is no official legal definition but it essentially means a romantic couple living together, despite not being married. Couples who are cohabiting can also be known as common-law partners. It can be advised to draw up some form of legal agreement, known as a cohabitation contract, to ensure that both people living together know the rights and obligations of themselves and their partner. A ‘declaration of trust’ is also advised as this is what outlines how you divide your property, its assets and items within the household. Should this be something you are looking to do, it is advisable to seek help from a family law solicitor. 

There is debate surrounding the pros and cons of cohabitation prior to getting married. On one hand, it allows couples to spend time living together before officially taking the plunge.

Should a marriage break up, it is a lot harder to deal with, with many financial and emotional strains, compared to a break up which is a lot simpler. However, some believe that living together before getting married will negatively impact the relationship and cause problems within the marriage. Ultimately, it is up to the two of you as people; there are only two people in the relationship and theirs are the only opinions and feelings that matter. 

We are all familiar with the concept of a wedding but for a marriage to be legally valid and binding, you will need a civil marriage where you can obtain a certified copy of the registration of the marriage. This would be an entry in a UK marriage register or a certificate issued in the country where the two people had their civil marriage. While religious marriages are custom in many cultures, it is not always valid on its own so a civil marriage is advised too. 

Most couples who live together or, indeed, get married opt to have a joint bank account so that they can have access to money held by both themselves and their partner. If you have a joint account, regardless of who pays into it, if the relationship ends, courts sometimes have to get involved to oversee the division of financial assets. Many couples opt to keep separate bank accounts to ensure that no one but themselves has access to their money. This is more common with couples who are simply living together. If a couple is married, any money in a joint account is owned by both parties for the duration of the marriage. Yet, this also remains the same principle when it comes to any debts incurred on the account.