It’s especially important to talk about marriage before you move in together . "They need to really know what that means to the both of them," Knopp said. Do you know you both want to get married? Do you have a shared timeline in mind? If you've never talked about marriage, it’s possible that your boyfriend doesn’t know that you want to get married, let alone that you're expecting a proposal. "At some point, you just have to be okay with what's important to you, and be okay with asking for what you need in a relationship," Knopp said. "And really know that you deserve to get what you want in a relationship , even if that means looking for somebody else who could fit that better."