Does Marriage Ruin a Relationship? 

 A couple dated for 9 years and then got married and one year later are getting divorced. Sound familiar? I am sure you have heard a variation of this story before. Why is that many couples who are happy living together decide to make their union legal and wind up ruining the relationship?

 It seems that the celebrity couples that live together without getting married stay together longer too. Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Jenny McCartney and Jim Carrey, Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford, plus a host of other celeb couples have discovered the secret of not getting married. Many divorcees have caught on too, vowing never to walk down the aisle again.

There are of course, reasons for a couple to marry, some of them practical and financial. Issues like health insurance, inheritance and being the next of kin should something happen to your partner are reasons some long term couples eventually do decide to tie the knot. Another thing to consider is that sometimes couples will attempt to save a failing relationship by getting married or having a child and then split shortly after the wedding. So it wasn't getting married that wrecked the relationship after all.

 I think getting married, whether after a divorce or for the first time, is a personal decision that one must make by following your heart and trusting your instincts. Not all marriages end in divorce and we still hear about couples celebrating their 20, 3o , 40 or even 50th wedding anniversaries. The key is finding the right person and having a healthy relationship and then it won't matter if you get married or not, you will be happy with the one you love.

Click here to read a free chapter of Seven Secrets to a Successful Divorce...