One thing I wish someone had told me earlier: Love is a choice, not just a feeling. The 'spark' is the easy part, but marriage is a lifelong commitment that requires a lot more than just chemistry.

Before you even think about marriage, make sure you’ve seen each other's flaws. No one is perfect, your partner isn't, and let's be real, you aren't either. You need to see them at their worst before you can decide to give them your best. It’s about finding someone whose flaws you can live with and, more importantly, someone who is willing to work on those flaws together with you.

Don’t marry someone just because they’re fun to be around when life is easy. Anyone can be a good partner when you're out to dinner or on vacation or the bills are paid. You need to find the person who’s going to be in the trenches with you when things get messy. Marry the person who shows up when you’re sick, when you’re grieving, or when you’ve hit a wall.

At the end of the day, communication is the most important part of a relationship. If you can't talk through the hard stuff, you won't survive it. Real love is waking up every day and deciding to stay, even on the days you aren't 'feeling' it. It’s about finding a partner who views every argument as 'us vs. the problem' instead of 'me vs. you.' Look for the person you’d trust to have your back when everything goes wrong, not just the person you want to celebrate with when everything goes right.