Can you be married and have a close friend of the opposite sex and still have a good solid healthy marriage?
336970
Yes, but not if one of the people in the marriage is the super-jealous type.
839350
I think the positives of marriage center around being with someone I couldn't imagine my life without. It's like having your best friend, best lover, and biggest supporter all in one person. The negatives are you loose your "life" in certain ways... you can't behave like you're single anymore. You no longer can do things simply because you want to...you have another person to consider. Plus, if you get married too young...well, it's almost like fighting our human nature to go out and procreate....it's hard to completely "settle down" when you're young
114955
my very good friend has been my husband for 3 years now.  i think the key to knowing if it could work is to not work for it, let nature take you there if it will.  enjoy him as a friend and see what happens.  good luck. ya can't lose cause ya already have an awsome friend, right?
365403
Get married, works for most women
977537
Your right hollywood is full of fiction all to easy for people to believe .Personally when I first met my wife I didnt like her round face that much but I gave it time and got to know her heart and character we were married 30 years .Back to your question yes you can get out of the just friends zone into a relationship really that is the best way to find a lasting relationship .You are more likely to know each other such as likes and dislikes their sexual habits how well you can comunicate together and care for one another all of which are important for you to know before you marry someone .By just meeting a new person they will probably hide the real them to keep you but after you marry crunch time comes you find out the one you married isnt like you thought at all.
1163989
Yes, of course. friend ship between opposite sex very possible and very good and healthy. But always avoid meeting each other in alone. And if possible have friend of good age difference, preferably elder age.  Good luck.
920259
I would say that is normal. Often great romances and happy married couples grow from long friendships.  I hope the  feelings of more than friendship are reciprocal and you both have a happy life.
470645
Well my fiance has always told me this and its so true, the person you marry should be your best friend. When everything starts to go wrong, with bills and work and all the stress of life, your best friend will be there. My fiance is my best friend, I can open up to him about anything, he knows every aspect of my life, past and presently. Marry the person that is your very best friend, I promise you it's going to make for a  better relationship.
652074
I know there is--I married my high school sweetheart, and two kids and twenty years later, we're still crazy about each other.  We were unusually fortunate, though, in finding someone we were so compatible with at such a young age, and both of us being open-minded enough to allow the other to grow and change as we grew up together.  That doesn't mean, though, that I believe there is only one person who each of us could achieve relationship nirvana with, though.  I think it's a matter of finding someone you can really connect with, and then building a strong foundation rooted in trust, honesty, tolerance, and open communication.
1185768
It can be a very good thing...depending on who you are married to.
571698
I have several female friends and I am married..there is nothing wrong with being friends with the opposite sex,in fact it helps you to get their views on things..specially relationships..ignore the people that make the gay remarks they are shallow..just remember you can never have enough friends..and I am sure she is more of a friend than the ones calling you names
1075996
All of the above honey.  Marriage and a relationship while married is a complex paradox of fun and pain and love and anger and joy and sadness.  In a good marriage the good things far outweigh the bad things, but marriage is work and sometimes (most of the time) not easy work.
373680
It is something that everyone thinks about, I mean, humans are attracted to many others than just their spouse, it is natural, we are animals all in the same sense. So, as long as there is a mutual agreement, and one from the other couple/person then there should not be much trouble.
60472
I think it is possible to have friends of opposite sex, but what concernes me about your story is that he  is not open with you about this friendship. He should have no problem with you being present during his conversations with her. Another thing is after you get married, friends fade away a little and your spouse becomes a focus of your life, so it is unnatural to spend that much time even with your closest friend. If you have concerns about her, tell him about it, and if I was in this situation, I would insist that he only talks to her when I am around at least for a while so you could see for yourself that there is nothing more to the story. If she is just a friend as he claims she is, he won't have a problem with you being around while he is talking to her. But make sure you keep track of all the conversations you are aware of and see if those are the only ones that appear on the phone bill, but do it without him knowing that you are keeping track for two reasons: you won't come across as insecure and controlling and if he is doing something wrong it will be easier to catch him. I hope I'm making sense. Try not to accuse him of anything right away, just tell him that his relationship with that woman makes you unconfortable and you want to work out a situation that will work for both of you.
18643
No, but I married my best friend.\n\nI think it's pretty special to have built a very strong friendship before we had any romantic interest in each other.\n\nWe've only been married for a little under 2 years and we are raising 4 children together - 3 of mine from my previous marriage & our baby. I am sure that it is our very strong relationship that helps us get through the difficult times.
320224
I'm married for 13 years and my marriage it isn't perfect,but after all this years I think is better being married than not,because you have more than one possibility to share your happy (or not happy) moments with the person you love,one way or another.Happiness and unhappiness are hard to be supported alone.
55831
yes unless you are married