1. You've Got to Be Grown up

This doesn't have anything to do with age, it has more to do with your maturity – and the maturity of your potential spouse – because there's just no room for childish behavior in a marriage.

2. Maturity is Super, Super Important in a Marriage

Seriously, if the two of you aren't emotionally mature, you're not gonna have a good time.

3. Compromise is a Given

Compromise is essential in any kind of relationship, but it's a must-have in the foundation of any marriage.

4. Understand That You'll Most Likely Have to Change

If you're thinking to yourself, “I'm not changing for anybody,” then refer back to #1 and #2 because both you and your spouse will probably have some qualities you each have to change, such as not communicating well or not listening.

5. Have You and Your Boyfriend/girlfriend Talked about Money?

You don't want to come back after the ceremony or the honeymoon and immediately start fighting because you never discussed how to pool your finances.

6. Kids?

Same – and if you have talked about it but you each want different things, don't go into this marriage thinking that you're somehow going to change your partner's mind over time because that's a pretty big gamble.

7. Are You on the Same Page about Where You Want to Go in Your Future?

This can change due to circumstances, time, and loads of other things, but even still, before you walk down the aisle, you need to talk about your future together.

8. Don't Think about the Wedding Day, Think about the Marriage Afterwards

A marriage is so much more than the ceremony and the reception – the marriage that follows is much more important, and unlike a ceremony, which only lasts for a day, your marriage is ideally supposed to last forever.

9. You've Got to Be Truthful with Your Boy and Yourself

You need to be truthful about everything, at least with regard to your wants, your needs, and your expectations.

10. Remember, Marriage is through Thick and Thin

This isn't just a relationship where you can walk away without much fuss.

11. Really Think Hard about if You Are Compatible or Not

You have to be truly compatible – don't choose a spouse just because you like hanging out together on the weekends or because you both like summer, you need more than that.

12. Also, Think about How Your Family Will React

Your family shouldn't have any kind of final say in whom you marry, of course, but they should definitely have some input.

13. Respect is so Important in a Marriage

You have to respect your spouse, of course, and the marriage, but you also have to respect yourself – and the same goes for your partner.

14. Intimacy is a Given

Sex is an important part of any relationship, sure, but intimacy is perhaps even more essential, and it's so different from sex.

15. Are You Ready to Potentially Put Your Spouse's Needs in Front of Your Own?

That's what marriage means sometimes – it's all about sacrifice.

16. Selfishness Isn't an Option in a Marriage

You can have time to take care of and pamper yourself, absolutely, and there may be times when you need to focus on yourself, but on a large scale, selfishness can kill a marriage.

17. Make Sure You Are Both on the Same Page with Everything before Tying the Knot

Trust me, it will just make everything go so much smoother.

Have any other tips to share?