To say there should be 'pre-marriage tasks' that you have to do before you tie the knot

One of you does something that’s clearly wrong and seriously inconveniences the other. The other persons chance to see how they react and put it right.

I may be feeling a little invested in this as DH reversed his car into mine yesterday and has seriously dented the back. So far he’s made noises about taking it to a garage up the road after his attempts to remove the dent with boiling water failed. I’m waiting for him to inconvenience himself by taking the car there…

This, although Dh and I are on the same page when it comes to this but my parents, strict Catholic never lived together or spent a weekend away together until after they were married in the 60s.

They were polar opposites in terms of sofa choice, bedding sets, even down to choosing new dinner plates. We were raised with one of them being pissed off about items so if Dad got his way about the sofa my Mum chose the curtains. It was always seen as "winning" rather than a team effort to achieve a goal.

Dh and I had to have marriage counselling before marriage, not Catholic. Just a general chat with the priest to make sure we had talked about the important stuff.

Manflu

This would actually make a great TV show! Move aside MAFS!

We both like our respective in laws more than we like each other sometimes.

@Solasum
Hmm, the one who goes first is going to struggle here 😉

Put up a tent or a caravan awning.

Take down a wet tent or caravan awning.

Pack for a house move

Be the passenger while your other half drives your car on a long journey without once making any comment at all about the potholes they fail to miss, the gears they crunch, their approach to roundabouts, their exit from roundabouts, the way they overtake, their preferred lane (middle) on motorways.

This journey must last for at least 6 hours and you may not comment on the frequency/lack of stops during this time .

Care for an elderly or dying relative.

DH and I knew we could stick it out long-term when we lived together just 9 months after getting together, after moving into his parent's house to care for his father who was diagnosed with aggressive cancer that left him unable to be alone.

this ^

Aww, me and DH had this on holiday when we'd only been going out 3 months, and I knew he was the man for me.

Go together to buy a significant piece of furniture, eg bed, sofa etc. You can't agree in advance which one you'll buy.

Would add that you also need to do at least one joint trip to Ikea to acquire aforementioned flat packed furniture.

Take it in turns to direct the other when reversing a hire van round a tight corner, with the sisters-in-laws watching.

Definitely the alarm through the night every 30mins.

Pretend you wake up at 6.30am to discover one of your children is ill and can't go to school. 'Discuss' who will ring work and say they aren't coming in. Do this for 8 work days in a row. If you really want to test it, make it a vomiting bug that slowly spreads across the pretend family and you only have one bucket.

Lay a patio together, one with big heavy slabs and lots of fiddly cuts.

Miss a big turning off the motorway, one where you have to keep driving for 25 mins before you can turn round. While you're on your way to a wedding.

Decorate. Guaranteed to cause world war 3

Great idea!
You each have to take it in turns to be locked in a house with the in-laws and if you all survive then you’re allowed to get married. With a prenup that states clearly how you’ll agree on all the important things mentioned above.
Anything less and you both fail the test and go back into the dating pool as penance….

—Live together
—One of you getting really sick
—Go through a promotion / big work issue / career crisis / completing a qualification
-Babysit a small human together for a few hours, like a niece or nephew

Talk about kids - want/don't/how many
Talk about parenting styles and goals - does he favour authoritarian/will he back you up/will he be hands on - talk about what happens when they are naughty
Talk about money and savings - do they have debt? Do they have savings?
Talk about how their family dynamics work - often we mirror what we have seen or try to completely break away but find out what that looks like for them
Talk about couples you know that work and what you admire in them
Talk about boundaries - lines never to cross or it's over and stick to it
Talk about travel - do you both like/hate it and who will book and plan it?
Talk about friends and hobbies - set aside time to keep up with these so you both keep a bit of life apart going. You are not his social calendar and he needs to keep this going by himself (alongside all friends and family birthday present and card purchasing).
Talk about if you celebrate birthdays/VDay/Mothers/Fathers Day - don't play it down if you're likely to come on here and moan no one bothered. Be honest and hold them to it.

There's issues with 2, OP. With a 5h delay, your airline is obliged to feed you in the airport, and you get decent compo for the delay (ask me how I know...)

I spent the latter 3h planning the holiday I was going to buy with the £350 refund :D

Go through a sleep deprivation exercise (in preparation for having children).

Both have a D&V bug in the same house at the same time, with only one bathroom. (You’d have to deliberately give yourself food poisoning to plan this, but it could be done).

Get properly lost somewhere.

Have one cook a roast dinner with all the trimmings while the other deep cleans the house from top to bottom, after a week of 5 hours sleep a night each. For extra realism, borrow a newborn for the cook to wear in a sling while cooking, and a toddler for the other to “entertain “ while cleaning. Obviously this is only relevant if you plan to have kids together, but if you can get through it you know it’s true love.

This!

Right before they’re due to leave for a dream holiday, one partner hides the paasports & the other has to find them!

Spend a week in a tourist destination with only outdoor activities in torrential rain. That's what worked for me, I realised he was probably the only person in the world I'd have tolerated after 2 days in that situation.

Not what you asked but in all seriousness I'd get couples to sign a contract to establish how they're going to -

• decide on children
• split housework
• allocate any free time if they have kids
• arrange finances particularly if they have kids

Before there allowed to get married