Think aloud
We’ve all seen celebrity relationships crumble and fall apart, even though they’ve been together for five, or even ten years. Vanessa Hudgens and Austin Butler went from being all over each other for almost a decade to being complete strangers. What are the signs he’s never going to marry you?
Whenever we (and by we, we mean women) want to talk about marriage, we’re met with comments that men aren’t that big on weddings, commitment, or anything to do with being faithful to a family. We beg to differ – men are capable of committing to a relationship for the rest of their lives when they’re in love.
When you catch yourself overthinking and overanalyzing your relationship because your partner doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to see you walk down the aisle, you might want to reevaluate your partner’s behavior. After all, men can hang around for years without feeling the need to seriously commit to you.
Women might be more concerned with their future than men, but there’s no denying that neither women nor men want to be with someone who’s simply passing time with them. So, if you’re concerned that your partner might be wasting your time, take a glance at the surefire signs he’s never going to marry you.
10 signs he’s never going to marry you
1. He’s wishy-washy about the future
Starting with one of the biggest signs he’s never going to marry you, your partner probably avoids every conversation about the future, getting married, or even hitting important relationship milestones together. You know it, and he knows it – he’s not planning on starting a family with you.
Most men know within a year of being in a relationship whether their partner is marriage material or not – even if he hasn’t actively thought about it, he probably knows whether or not he sees himself with you long-term. Moreover, he probably doesn’t have the guts to give you a straightforward answer.
2. He doesn’t seem to care about the hard hints you’re hitting him with
Men aren’t stupid, although you might feel like you’re talking to a brick wall when trying to have a serious conversation with your partner. You might find excuses for him because you’re scared to admit that the two of you aren’t on the same page, but you’re well aware that he gets your hard hints.
What do we mean by that? If you’ve been sending him Instagram reels of couples getting engaged for a while now or dropping hints about the type of engagement rings you’re interested in, and he’s ignoring every single one of them, he isn’t planning on proposing any time soon – or ever.
3. He insists that all his exes are “crazy”
Sometimes, you end up with an emotionally unavailable man and don’t even know it – until you’re too far down the relationship to do anything about it. Your partner might have had a couple of serious relationships in the past, but you wouldn’t catch him dead admitting that he was serious about them.
Whenever you talk about the reasons his past relationships ended, he’s quick to label his exes “crazy” and paint himself as “the good guy who got played.” We’re supposed to believe that all three of his exes were completely nuts and he wasn’t to blame for that? Maybe, just maybe, that wasn’t the case.
4. He claims he’s waiting for the right time
If you’re on the lookout for serious signs he’s never going to marry you, don’t shy away from asking him directly. It’s not the right time? Well, that’s exactly what a man who isn’t planning on getting married any time soon would say.
He got into a fight with his best friend and he’s waiting for things to go back to normal? He wants to apply for a promotion at his firm and he can’t focus on two things at once? He wants his sister to be at his wedding but she’s traveling the world with her husband right now?
Whatever his excuses might be, that’s exactly what they are – excuses. If he wanted to marry you, he would make your wedding a priority.
5. He shuts you down when you try to talk about marriage
It’s normal for healthy relationships to hit a rough patch from time to time, but you feel like you’re always walking on eggshells around your partner.
You try to talk about things that bother you, but he shuts you down right away. You bring up the topic of marriage because you don’t want to waste your time on yet another meaningless relationship, but he accuses you of picking a fight. You feel like you can never win with him, and you’re right.
If you’re looking for one of the biggest signs he’s never going to marry you, you’ve found it.
6. He downplays your relationship in front of his friends and family
When the two of you are together, the entire world stops. He holds your hand and tells you how beautiful you are. He listens to you and talks about the things you want to talk about. He makes you feel like you’re worth a million dollars, and you love that about him.
When you’re hanging out with his friends and family, though, he can barely acknowledge your existence. Or, when he introduces you to someone new, he says only your name and not your relationship with him. You’re worried that he doesn’t see you in his life in the long run, and you’re right.
You might be the love of his life right now, but his intentions for you aren’t genuine.
7. His friends and family don’t take you or your relationship seriously
What better way to check whether he’s downplaying your relationship than to observe the way his friends and family react to you when you’re hanging out with them?
If you’re interested in marrying someone, you make sure that everyone who matters to you knows that – even before the person you’re planning on marrying.
If his mother makes snide comments about you to your face or his friends act surprised that the two of you are still together, you might want to question where their audacity comes from.
Let’s be honest here – if he was planning on marrying you, he would show you off, talk highly of you to everyone in his life, and make sure everyone in his life treats you right.
8. He proposed, but he’s refusing to set the date
Sometimes, men get tired of fending off marriage talk and resort to unconventional tactics to get you to stop nagging them or talking about things they’re not comfortable with. So, your partner might have proposed to you, but that doesn’t mean that the two of you are getting married any time soon.
When you notice your partner turning a blind eye to wedding planning, refusing to set the date, or even hiding the fact that he’s getting married from his friends and family, you might have a problem at hand. If he’s acting like the two of you never got engaged, it’s a big sign that he never intends to get married.
9. He doesn’t make you a priority
What about the subtle signs he’s never going to marry you? While you might think the two of you have a future together because he talks about everything you want to talk about, you might be blinded by the fake smiles and “I love yous.” Take a step back and reevaluate your relationship.
Sometimes, men can be all talk and no action. When the two of you are together, he says all the right things and makes you feel like the most valued woman in the world. When you’re apart, though, you feel like he doesn’t make you a priority and like he puts everyone else’s needs above yours.
If that’s not a telltale sign he’s never going to marry you, we don’t know what is.
10. He doesn’t make an effort to make your relationship work
The two of you have been together for a while, and you feel like you’re supposed to end up together because of that, but – there’s always a but when you think of all the ways your relationship doesn’t work.
You feel like you’re the only one making an effort to plan dates or celebrate relationship milestones. You’re the only one who reaches out throughout the day or talks about the things that matter. If it was up to your partner, the two of you would never spend quality time together, talk about the future, or bond.
It’s about time you take a look in the mirror and understand that you’re the only one making your relationship work. Is your partner really the type of man you want to marry, or are you settling because you’re ready to take the next step? It’s up to you to decide what you want to do.