7 signs you're not meant to get married

Most little girls dream of the day they'll marry the love of their life, and sometimes they even reel in the poor unsuspecting boy from next door to stand there while they play it out with their giggling friends (sorry, Tim).

But it turns out that when you get older, no matter if you're in a loving relationship or not, you might realise that marriage isn't actually for you.

And no, it's not because you're a cold-hearted witch or because of your disgusting over-dependency on dry shampoo. In fact, it's totally okay not to get married, and there are plenty of legitimate reasons why you shouldn't.

Here, have a read and see if getting hitched isn't something you're too concerned about.

wedding marriage flowers

If your'e not keen on getting hitched, you're not alone (Credit: Pexels)

1. Your "dream wedding" doesn't exist

And trying to think of one on the spot has you drawing up blanks. While all your girlfriends already know that they want to have a beach wedding, wear a lace A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline and can even state what thread-count their wedding night sheets will be, you just sit there doing a slow whistle on the inside, thinking about what a monumental waste of effort and money it all is.

bed woman alone Planning a wedding can be a very expensive endevour (Credit: Pexels)

2. You're a very independent person

You don't really get lonely and if someone said "imagine if you had to spend the rest of your life alone", it wouldn't make you freeze up and fall to the ground in fear.

You're pretty good on your own, you get stuff done, and you actually enjoy spending time with yourself (*high-fives self*).

love couple happy If you're highly independent you may not be compelled to tie the knot (Credit: Pixabay)

3. Marriage isn't something you think of very fondly

Like, what good is all that paperwork worth, really? Do you really need a law-binding contract to profess your love for each other? Nope, marriage is an outdated tradition in your opinion. Even if you do end up sticking with your significant other forever, it's because things just worked out, and it has nothing to do with the institution of marriage.

woman travel cliff sunset adventure Marriage has been on the down statistically since the 1980's (Credit: Pexels)

4. In fact, you don't want to live an ordinary life at all

School, work, house, kids – boring! Who says your life needs to fit into the same formula that people have been told to follow? You'd rather just live life as it comes and not be bound by too many things. Spontaneous holidays to Peru and pub-crawls you didn't see coming are what you live for.

woman on phone cafe coffee It's perfectly ok to not want to get married, despite societal pressures (Credit: Pexels)

5. You hate compromise

While it's not necessarily a bad thing to stand for what you believe in and work hard for what you want, being uncompromising to the point of selfishness won't really work in a marriage.

Healthy relationships depend on compromise, so you need to be able to give in to certain things for the sake of it. Come on, is your way of making avocado toast really so much better?

woman on laptop Marriage often requires compromise from both parties (Credit: Pexels)

6. And you have commitment issues

The idea of sticking to one person for a prolonged period of time (let alone 'til death do you part) makes you feel really uncomfortable, and you just don't want to have to "promise" yourself to something or someone. Heck, you even have second thoughts about the sandwich you just bought for lunch!

woman happy phone texting Some women find that they are happier when single (Credit: Pexels)

7. You're happier out of relationships than in them

Even if they're a really decent person and you adore them, the whole relationship thing just isn't for you. You'd prefer something more easy-going that doesn't necessarily play by the rules. And you probably fall out of love relatively quickly too.

Who cares if you're not cut out for marriage – the idea of matrimony doesn't sit well with everyone, and that's totally okay. It doesn't mean a loving partner and a happy relationship is out of the question for you, and even if being blissfully solo is more your thing, then so be it! Do what makes you happy.