@blueiiznh well said and GA.
I think @Sunny2 is right too. It seems to me, in these days of celebrity marriages that last about 3 seconds and seem more like a photo opportunity than a real commitment, there are no role models to follow. The culture of celebrity has been given too much importance these past 10–15 years. Youngsters don’t aspire to be talented anymore, to develop skills. They want to be famous. So their role models have become people who are willing to sell their souls to be in the Big Brother House, then come out and So many people buy these junk mags which cash in on people’s obsession with celebrities, (I don’t mean to offend anyone but who cares what some celeb airhead is wearing this week?).
When I married my hubby over 26 years ago, I knew I’d still be his wife when I died (no matter who goes first and <touch wood> it’ll be me) and he felt the same. We haven’t had to read books or see councellors or therapists (and I’m not criticising anyone who has) thats not to say we haven’t had rows or faced those bumps in life’s road that everyone does, but we’ve faced all of them together, us against the world. He’s my best friend, he knows my moods and feelings like nobody else does (even better than I do at times) and no matter what comes, I know he’ll always be in my corner. I know that I’ll certainly always be in his, so long as there is a breath left in my body.
As @Sunny2 said, there aren’t any milestones, there is only a willingness to put your partner first in all things, to love them no matter what. I suppose what I’m trying to say is that the most important thing in a marriage is good comunication, and really, I mean REALLY, knowing your partner, all of their little quirks and moods, and loving them for who they are, not who you wish they were.