Paid your dowry? Are we still living in the Middle Ages?

My parents never even met the man who became my husband until they helped me move my things to the house we got together before we got married. They never once met him while we were dating.

Also, he does his own laundry and cleaning, because he has a particular way he likes it done, and I only cook for the both of us sometimes, because I'm vegan and he isn't. We usually fend for ourselves with food, but eat together once in a while.

We've slept in separate bedrooms since we moved in together, at his request, though I've come to love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

When we agreed to move in together, he straight up told me he would never ask me to marry him, because he'd been married once before, and in a serious relationship after that, which both produced kids, and he just wasn't interested in marriage. I moved in with him anyway, because I loved him and just wanted to be with him. After living together for only four months, he surprised me by asking me to marry him. Just living with me changed his mind about the subject. We've been married for 21 years thus far.

I did take his last name, but not because he insisted on it. Well, he kind of did, but he would have accepted my hyphenating with my maiden name. I didn't care about my maiden name enough to keep it, and always looked forward to getting to change it via marriage, so I was happy to do it.

There are decent guys out there. You just have to know what you're getting into, and go into it without the idea of trying to change anything. Then, if it changes for the better, you're even happier. :)