The start of a new relationship is dating; the midway of a relationship is courtship; and then courtship ends in marriage. However, courting, dating and marriage have their differences as they are stages to achieve in each relationship journey. 

Relationship Attachment

There are great similarities between courting dating and marriage. All are aspects of a relationship and are attached to emotions and feelings from love which could come as a result of attraction and impressions between two people.

It is important not to misunderstand the differences between dating, courtship and marriage. All are points in love but nearly different relationship journeys.

However, it is important to also note that it is a step to step process to achieve dating courtship and marriage in a relationship. For a successful relationship, lovers must pass through dating and courtship before marriage.

It is also not possible to jump into marriage without passing through thorough stages in dating and courtship. Mistake most couples who find their marriage frustrating make is that they do not take enough of their time to understand the purpose of dating, courting and marriage.

The Complicated Side Of Courtship, Dating And Marriage

One thing to clarify about dating, courtship and marriage is that, at every stage in a relationship, be it dating, courting or marriage, the level of intimacy becomes a vital progress and problem.

According to relationship Australia Intimacy is showing care and love by opening the door to talking and sharing important dreams and hopes. If you can see areas where you fall short, taking little steps to make changes, and perhaps getting support from a counsellor can make a big difference”. 

The aspect of intimacy becoming a problem in a relationship: The more you get closer to your partner, or getting to know each other better, the more exposed you are to issues; because the more a person knows your strength and weaknesses, the less valuable you become.

However, the beauty of true love is that love is divine; love neither fades nor hurts you by your weaknesses, instead it tries to help you and build you to become a better person. But the problem is, we are imperfect beings; so we in some ways try to hold on to our lover’s mistakes which might cause more damage to a relationship, be it courtship, dating or marriage.

What is dating?

Dating is a time of introduction in a relationship. Dating is the start of a relationship journey, as it does not require much attention and commitment. Dating is a time for proper introduction and knowing your partner in a new relationship.

Things you do in dating

Introduction in dating is when partners ask about each other’s likes and dislikes, hobbies and skills, knowing where each other live, asking about each other’s occupation, knowing about parental and family background, secret visiting, and many more.

Dating does not consume much time nor require sacrifices in order to keep a relationship going, because it is a time both partners feel comfortable about each other.

Reason for this is because they haven’t gotten to know much about themselves. But as time goes by, serious issues and complaints might start surfacing, and here is when courtship comes into play in a relationship.

What is courtship?

Courtship in a relationship on the other hand is a progress beyond dating. Courtship is a sensitive time for both partners who are once dating and have advanced in knowing each other better as to plan ahead towards a successful marriage.

Courtship in a relationship is the time to choose the right or wrong path towards marriage. To know the importance of courtship is a way to build and lay a foundation while a relationship progresses into marriage.

Courtship in a relationship means an advancement and an upgrade in a relationship. While dating is a time of introduction, courtship in a relationship is a step forward into a serious relationship leading into marriage. This is a time to know whether a relationship is toxic and has the tendency of not leading into marriage.

However, the purpose of courtship might not be known while dating, but as soon as a relationship has gone deep, pointing towards a relationship more intimate, and where partners are inclined to know more about each other while foreseeing a brighter picture of intimacy and compatibility in a relationship, this is the time for courtship.

Every relationship leading into marriage must pass through courtship. The time frame of courting might be different, be it long term courtship or short. However, knowing that long term or short time courtship might or might not guarantee marriage is important when courting.

What is Marriage

Marriage is the union between a man and a woman to become one body. It is the end of a relationship journey and this is what shows if a relationship has successfully scaled through dating and courtship.

However, most people do not know the difference between having a successful wedding and a successful marriage. It is of no doubt that most couples fail to recognize that having a successful wedding does not mean a marriage will be successful.

The effect of having a happy wedding but yet a sad marriage is a great challenge to many marriages as we speak; leading so many marriages to divorce.

Do not get it wrong. Courtship, dating and marriage are all relationships, and each is a stage in a relationship. There are responsibilities each lover is to carry in each and every stage. The failure to understand these things can make a relationship journey fruitless at the end.