Reshmi Chakraborty takes love to the next level and tells you what to expect...

You've cried on his shoulder when your dotcom job went bust.
He's moved cities (and jobs) to be by your side.
You've indulgently straightened up his room and brought him 'ghar ka khana'.
He's spent half his salary in buying you fancy dinner.

If the love story is getting too mushy to be true, it's time to get married. Jokes apart, being able to marry the man you love (and who loves you, we are assuming) is a wonderful thing but before you take the plunge do a reality check on the future. We asked around and got an earful of advice. Read on:

Expect The Unexpected
• The boyfriend is the trailer. As husband, he is the full-length feature film, says a voice of experience. The promos are slick and promising but the product doesn't always turn out what you expect it to be.
• In his newly acquired role as husband, the former boyfriend is going to display hitherto unseen behaviour you didn't think he was capable of. Read, taking over the most comfy couch, the best side of the bed, the car, the remote control, and so on...
• Don't expect him to remain the perfect gentleman. It was an act he managed to pull off only in your courtship days and disappeared somewhere between the honeymoon and setting up the house. 'Pleases' and 'thank you's' and 'holding the door' are for strangers, he argues. This just shows how close you two are!
• Behind every adoring boyfriend lurks a conservative husband. If the sight of you in a lycra mini turned him to jelly earlier, it's time to stash it away. Chances are that he ain't too comfortable with other males 'eyeing his wife'.
• The romance is still there but in well-spaced instalments. The last time he brought you flowers you asked if everything was ok.
• You were a walking guide to the city's hottest pubs and restaurants in your courtship days. Now home is the best place to hang out over weekends. It has a TV, a music system, soft cushions and cheap beer.
• You thought you had a lot in common. That's until you start saving for an automatic, front-loading washing machine and he drools over a 14 CD changer DVD/MP3/alien compatible home entertainment something.
• You stop thinking why you fight. In fact, you start missing it on the days you don't.
• You come back home to discover that you are going to dinner with three of his friends and their insufferable (only to you) wives. That this has been planned three weeks ahead. That it had 'skipped' his mind. Relax. You have to live with the man. Go out. Eat. Drink. Plot revenge. You need a girl's night out. And a chauffeur...
• This was the guy who thought nothing about driving 20 extra miles to pick you up and drop you home. Now he tells you to take a cab. He pays, of course.

The Dos and Don'ts
• Do memorise the word SPACE in 42 font size, bold. You may have wanted to spend every waking moment together in the days of yore but now that you actually do it, it's time to give each other breathing space every once in a while. Bond with your own gang of pals and don't grudge him bonding with his.
• Do forget the phrase: You weren't like this before.
• Do remember that this is the same guy whose bathroom could compete with the MCD's worst and who did his laundry twice a year. You still married him, so don't start a wild dance if your dining table chairs turn into a shirt hanger. Don't expect him to turn five-star hotel-type housekeeper overnight. Gently tell him housework is a daily job. As much his as yours. If it works, go out with the girls and celebrate. If it doesn't, join the gang.
• Marriage means responsibility. And additions to your growing list of family and friends. Get ready for social obligations and don't start blaming it on each other.
• Don't expect him to pamper you all the time. Let him be himself and look forward to the pleasant surprise when he does come up with some great pampering plans.
• Don't start taking each other for granted. Make time for sweet nothings, even if you are out of practice.
• You may have wined and dined in style earlier but marriage brings with it tons of responsibilities and requirements. Don't sulk if your man stops spending lavishly on you. As long as it's not on someone else.