13 Benefits And 5 Struggles Of Marrying Your Best Friend

Marrying your best friend — yay or nay? Opinions are often split down the middle on this. As I stood at the altar, surrounded by the warmth of loved ones and the anticipation of a lifetime ahead, I couldn’t help but see myself as the biggest cheerleader of the concept.

You see, my story isn’t one of whirlwind romances or chance encounters. Instead, it’s a tale woven through the threads of time spent laughing, confiding, and navigating life’s twists and turns — I married my best friend. Little did I know that the person who happened to share inside jokes and midnight conversations with me would eventually become my wife, ready to embark on the adventure of marriage as my life partner.

Marrying your best friend is a unique and transformative experience, filled with its own set of joys and challenges. In this article, we’ll delve into the pros and cons of marrying your best friend, drawing inspiration from the very journey that brought me to the realization that this is a profound chapter in the book of love — one that unfolds with the familiarity of a cherished story and the unpredictability of a thrilling novel.

What Percentage Of People Get Married To Their Best Friend?

It’s challenging to provide an exact percentage of people who marry their best friend because such data is not consistently tracked, and people’s definitions of “best friend” can vary. Additionally, cultural, social, and individual factors play a significant role in shaping relationship dynamics when marrying childhood best friend.

While statistics on marrying one’s best friend specifically may be elusive, numerous surveys and studies emphasize the importance of friendship in successful marriages. These findings suggest that cultivating a strong friendship with your partner is a key factor in long-lasting and fulfilling relationships with no bottled-up secrets.

Related Reading: Friendship In Marriage Strengthens Couple’s Bond

In this particular study on being married to your favorite person, “The results show that successful couples trust and consult each other, are honest, believe in God, make life decisions together, are committed to each other, and have a friendly relationship. Traditional couples and non-traditional couples differed only in the procedures of family management.”

It’s also not uncommon for married couples to emphasize a strong foundation of friendship in their romantic relationships. Many successful marriages are built on a deep emotional connection and shared values, often resembling the qualities found in strong friendships. Not to mention, it’s a marriage filled with fun! As a result, marrying your best friend reduces divorce more often than not and is great for your well-being.

Now let’s get into the pros and cons of marrying your best friend.

13 Good Reasons To Marry Your Best Friend

In the complex landscape of romantic relationships, the notion of marrying one’s best friend emerges as a beacon of enduring companionship. This concept of being married to your favorite person transcends the conventional boundaries of marriage, weaving a narrative that goes beyond mere partnership. As we embark on an exploration of the 13 compelling reasons to make your best friend your future spouse today, we unravel the intricacies of a bond grounded in deep emotional connection, shared history, and a foundation of mutual respect.

On marrying childhood best friend, this Reddit user says, “My husband and I have known each other since we were 12/13 (now 32/33). I never thought of him as anything other than a friend till after we graduated high school and he finally got the balls to tell me he’d had a crush on me since the first day he saw me. He asked me if I would go out with him over the summer and I figured what the hell, I’m leaving for college in a couple of months… No biggie. We never looked back and although we’ve had our fights, we’ve been married for 13 years.”

From the solace of comfortable silences to the joy found in synchronized growth, being married to one’s best friend is a deliberate choice to forge a lifelong, intimate partnership with your wife/husband and have a friend forever. Additionally, your favorite person already knows all your flaws and deepest secrets and has made peace with them. There are also no bottled-up secrets between the two of you. These strong signs of chemistry are just a few obvious advantages of a great friendship becoming the cornerstone of a happy marriage. There are many, many more. Let’s take a look at 13 such benefits of marrying your best friend:

1. You share a deep emotional connection

Marrying your best friend means spending time sharing a profound emotional bond with your partner that goes beyond the surface level, creating a connection with your wife/husband that can weather the fights and other storms of life. You know each other’s deepest secrets, making this one of the most important benefits of marrying your best friend.

Related Reading: 8 Types Of Soulmates And Deep Soul Connection Signs

2. You have a built-in support system

Your best friend is not only your life partner but also your go-to person for support, encouragement, and understanding. This built-in support system is invaluable to your well-being in both good times and bad and is a good reason to marry your best friend. Spending time nurturing this element of support in your relationship will not only act as a catalyst for happiness in your marriage but also help you deal with issues sooner and more effectively.

3. You have shared history

Being best friends with your spouse often means you have a significant history with your partner, filled with shared memories, experiences, and milestones. There are no bottled-up secrets when you marry your best friend, so this shared past can contribute to a sense of stability and understanding in your relationship and ultimately your marriage.

4. Open communication comes easily to you both

Best friends are accustomed to open and honest communication. Marrying your best friend encourages a culture of transparency, sharing each other’s deepest secrets, making it easier to get through fights, celebrate successes with your partner, and deal with other issues sooner rather than later. All your flaws put together don’t hold a candle to that kind of open communication when you marry your best friend.

5. You have similar values and goals

Friendships often form around shared values and interests. Marrying your best friend means you likely have similar life goals, making it easier to align your plans for the future with your partner. Spending time on these plans will go a long way in keeping your marriage happy. One of the many reasons I married my best friend.

Related Reading: 10 Family Values You Must Share With A Long-Term Partner

6. You both enjoy comfortable silences

Being able to spend time with your partner without the need to talk all the time is a hallmark of a great friendship. Marrying your best friend means feeling comfortable with each other, whether talking or simply being. A recipe for happiness and an often-overlooked reason to marry your best friend. If you and your life partner can live in the moment, make them your spouse today!

7. There is mutual respect

Friendship is built on mutual respect, and this foundation extends seamlessly into a happy marriage with your best friend. Respect for the opinions, boundaries, and individuality of your wife/husband is key to making your marriage last. If you can do this, you won’t fight as much. One of the key reasons why marrying your best friend reduces divorce.

8. Laughter and playfulness are mainstays in your relationship

A sense of humor often underlines strong friendships between two people. Marrying your best friend means having a life partner with whom you can share laughter and maintain a fun, playful, lighthearted attitude even during challenging times. Another reason it’s a great idea to marry your best friend.

Related Reading: Laugh Out Loud: 60 Hilarious Love Jokes For Couples

9. You are each other’s trusted confidant

Best friends are the ones we confide in. Being best friends with your life partner means having a trusted confidant in your spouse, someone with whom you can share your deepest thoughts, fears, and dreams, thus enabling you to connect with your partner on a deeper level. There are also no bottled-up secrets to break this confidence with your wife, making this one of the best reasons to marry your best friend.

10. You see eye to eye on most life decisions

Making life decisions like having kids becomes smoother when you marry your best friend, as you’re likely to have similar values, making compromises and joint decisions more aligned with both life partners’ desires. Spending time communicating these values with each other does wonders for a healthy relationship. This especially helped me transition from friend to boyfriend.

Related Reading: 15 Core Values In A Relationship For A Happy And Lasting Bond

11. You encourage each other to grow

Best friends support each other’s personal growth. Being best friends with your spouse means having a life partner who encourages and accompanies you on your journey of self-discovery, improvement, and overcoming all your flaws, enabling you both to grow in the relationship. Knowing this, why would you not want to marry your best friend?

12. You accept each other unconditionally

Your best friend knows you inside out, including all your flaws and deepest secrets, and loves you anyway. Marrying your best friend means experiencing a profound level of acceptance and love that transcends imperfections. And this is great for your well-being. This kind of acceptance is rare, so if you and your partner have this, make them your spouse today!

Related Reading: Is Unconditional Love In A Relationship Really Possible? 12 Signs You Have It

13. The intimacy is deep and longer lasting

Intimacy in marriage is not just about the physical aspects but also the emotional and intellectual connection with your favorite person. Marrying your best friend fosters a deep and lasting intimacy with your partner that encompasses all dimensions of your relationship. A great reason to be best friends with your wife.

What Are The Struggles Of Marrying Your Best Friend?

While the benefits of marrying your best friend are many, like any other relationship, this, too, comes with its share of struggles and relationship challenges. In the intricate dance between friendship and matrimony, the disadvantages of marrying your best friend can be as nuanced as the joys. Here are some challenges you must be prepared to surmount:

• Balancing between love and friendship: One significant challenge in being married to your favorite person lies in the delicate balance of preserving the deep-rooted friendship while navigating the uncharted waters of romantic expectations in relationships when you start dating your favorite person. Take it from me — it’s hard enough to transition from friend to boyfriend let alone consider the idea of marriage
• Risk of losing a great friendship: The risk of losing a great friendship in the event of a romantic fallout casts a shadow over the relationship, intensifying the emotional stakes for many couples
• Complacency in the relationship: The ease with which friends share their lives in a marriage can sometimes give way to complacency in the relationship, which means spending time and making an intentional effort to maintain the romantic aspects of the relationship is a must when you marry your best friend. It’s best to deal with these issues sooner rather than later
• Managing expectations: The struggles of marriage intensify when managing the expectations of dual roles – being both a life partner and a confidant
• Losing individuality: The fear of losing individuality and independence, coupled with the challenge of setting and maintaining boundaries, can strain the relationship when you marry your best friend

Related Reading: 10 Ways To Become Best Friends With Your Spouse

The need for open communication and a shared commitment to growth and adaptation becomes paramount in successfully navigating the disadvantages of marrying your best friend and dealing with these issues sooner rather than later. A poignant example from the realm of celebrity relationships is the much-publicized union between Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

Initially inseparable friends, their romantic relationship became a tabloid sensation in the late 1990s when they got married. However, the pressures of fame, coupled with the intense scrutiny from the media and the public, ultimately contributed to the demise of their marriage.

The transition from best friends to lovers proved to be a tumultuous journey, with the weight of expectations and external pressures, particularly from family, taking a toll on their relationship. The unraveling of Spears and Timberlake’s marriage serves as a cautionary tale about the complexities of merging deep friendships with the demands of a high-profile romantic partnership. It’s stories like this that make one think that it’s not always fun and games and that it may not always be such a great idea to marry your best friend.

Ultimately, the success of a marriage with your best friend lies in the dedication to fostering open communication, preserving individual identities, and embracing the evolving nature of the relationship. There is no straight answer to this question. The ability to navigate disagreements, manage external perceptions, and maintain a sense of novelty is crucial for sustaining the vibrancy of the connection with your spouse.

In the end, marrying your best friend is not just about choosing a life partner but embarking on a shared journey of growth, understanding, and enduring companionship. It’s a celebration of a connection that transcends the boundaries of traditional marriage, where friendship becomes the cornerstone of a love story that unfolds with the familiarity of a cherished narrative and the excitement of an unpredictable adventure.

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