How well do you really know your future spouse? Many future husbands or wives to be may scoff at this question thinking: "I know my future spouse better than he or she knows themself." But do you really? As Georgia divorce attorneys, we at Meriwether & Tharp often find that at some point during their divorce, individuals often ask themselves: "Who the Bleep Did I Marry?" This is so, because although they believed they knew their spouse, upon marriage they found that there were some aspects of their husband or wife that they were simply unaware of until it was too late. If you are considering marriage in Georgia, don't let this happen to you. Now that you are engaged use this time to get to know your future spouse as much as possible - remember you will hopefully be spending the rest of your life with this person.
If you find yourself wondering what more you could possibly learn about your future spouse, we have a list of questions below to help you get started. If you have the answers to all of these questions, then hopefully you are on your way to a happy and successful marriage. However, if some of these questions leave you stumped, use them as a jumping off point to get to know your significant other better.
Background
- Where is your fiancé's home town?
- How many siblings does he or she have?
- Are your fiancé's parents divorced?
- What is your fiancé's educational background?
- Has your significant other had any legal troubles, criminal or civil?
- Has he or she been married before?
Religion
- What is your future spouse's religion?
- Is he or she very devout?
- If you are of different faiths, does your future spouse expect you to convert upon marriage?
Children
- Does your future spouse have any children?
- Does your fiancé want (more) children?
- If so, how many?
- If he or she has children from a previous relationship, what is the current custody arrangement?
- Does your future spouse pay or receive child support? If so, do you know the amount?
Finances
- What is your future spouse's occupation?
- What is his or her salary?
- What employment benefits, if any, does he or she receive?
- Does your fiancé have a retirement and/or savings account?
- How many bank/credit accounts does your significant other maintain?
- Is your fiancé a saver or a spender?
- Does he or she have a budget?
- What is your future spouse's credit score?
- Does he or she have student loans, credit card debt, or other debt?
Health
- Does you fiancé suffer from any health problems?
- When is the last time he or she had a physical exam?
- Has your fiancé been tested for sexually transmitted diseases? Has he or she disclosed the results to you?
- What is your significant other's family medical history?