Living Apart: The Key To Wedded Bliss?

by Catie Lazarus

For years, Celina felt the same way, but then she had a change of heart—and persuaded Eric to marry. They are “gladly apart,” a category of couples who marry but set up separate households. “I wanted to be married for the same reason gay couples do, ” says Celina. “I want to visit him in the ICU, be the contact person in case of emergency, and get health insurance.”

And then there are the square pegs in the round hole: The LATs who are “regretfully apart” and face separation due to career, economic or family obligations. Stephen says he and Kate “insisted on living together before we were married (despite some parental opposition) because it seemed like a key bellwether for the relationship.” As they are now expecting their first child, they say they won’t live in separate homes once they can find jobs in the same city. Stephen says that, “Together” is clearly the default setting for us, all the rest is temporary adjustment.”

* Names have been altered to protect their identities.