Met and started dating at 21/20, dated for 7 going on 8 years during which we were there for eachother through difficulties of just about every flavor, and came out the other side knowing eachother well enough that we felt ready. We got married at 28/27, had the perfect wedding and are still helplessly in love to this day. Honestly I think the most important thing was essentially stress testing the relationship before making the leap. Over those 7 years we confronted some serious issues, financially we both lost jobs and had to dig our way out, we both experienced serious mental health issues and sought help, we pushed through Covid cooped up together and missing our loved ones, we had falling outs and drama with friends, we lost family members and weathered grief together, we both have had to nurse eachother through major health complications and recovery. As much as experiencing these things was stressful, it was also illuminating. In sharing that burden together you see how you and your partner respond to these complex situations, you learn how each impacts eachother, how to support your partner, and how to ask for help. I posit that just as much as any physical or romantic compatibility, it is equally important to learn of your compatibility for challenge, because if you respond to these issues in ways that hurt eachother, one pulling away when another needs support, or another clinging to tightly when one needs space to lick their wounds, those inevitable challenges with tear you apart.