Whether you've been with your significant other for several years or several months, getting married is a huge deal. Today's young couples aren't making rash decisions when it comes to marriage. A report by a dating site reveals that 25- to 34-year-olds across the US knew their partner for an average of 6.5 years before tying the knot.

In addition to all the excitement surrounding your engagement, you might be wondering if you're seeing signs that you're ready for marriage. But the idea of "being ready for marriage" can mean different things for different people, experts explain.

"From a counseling perspective, being ready for marriage means that two people can, at important times, but their individual preferences aside for the sake of the relationship," says Julienne Derichs, licensed clinical social worker in Chicago.

What's important to you and your partner might be different than the couple sitting at the table next to you when you're out to dinner, but the key is that you and your partner are on the same page. It's also important that you and your partner are happy with who each of you is on an individual level, as well as you each of you are in your relationship.

You could, theoretically, spend all of eternity trying to decide whether your partner is the right partner for you. But who has all of eternity to wait?

Here are the major signs that you're ready for marriage.

1. You are making plans together for the future.

You guys have been making plans. Not just dinner plans, but real, serious, joint-bank-account plans. You no longer wonder if you guys will spend Thanksgiving together, now it's a matter of whose family you spend it with. No longer do you consider just your future happiness, but you've made your future hubby's happiness a priority as well.

Marriage is a commitment to spend the rest of your life with another person, for better or worse. Anything that you are planning to do in your future should include your partner if you are marrying them. If you dream of a new career in a new town and your partner is not there with you in these visions, it may not be wise to make this commitment yet.

2. You're ready to commit to a marriage, not just a wedding

Many of us have been dreaming of our wedding day since we were children. Visions of walking down the aisle in a gorgeous white dress, exchanging loving vows, and then blissfully driving off into the sunset together are common. This one seems obvious, but it can be common to mistake emotions like attraction, excitement, and security as love.

However, when you think about marriage now, do you think beyond these events and to the rest of your married life? Have you seen all of the signs of his love for you and love him back? If you can't wait to spend the rest of your life with your partner, not just the glorious wedding day, this is a good sign. If you have been together for long enough to have been through the initial "honeymoon period" and are still deeply in love with each other, you may be ready to make things official!

3. You become a better version of yourself

Though you might be used to focusing on all the things you like (and love) about your partner, experts urge that, when it comes to a long-term partnership, it's just as important to focus on all the things you love about yourself. Your significant other shouldn't complete you, but rather add to the happiness you've already found in life, explains Dr, Sherman.

"This puts less pressure on the other person to give you a viable life and a reason for living or to make you continually happy," Dr, Sherman says.

Your friends and family have known you the longest and know you best. You will be able to feel if they like who you are as a couple together. You want friends and family to bless your marriage. There were a handful of people whose permission I requested. They gave me a big fat "yes." One said, "I would marry you myself right now if I could." That's when I knew I had their undivided support of our union.

4. You share in the finances.

In terms of communicating openly with your partner, a major sign that you're ready to get married is that you've discussed money. While this might seem a no-brainer for some, you'd be surprised how many couples keep separate bank accounts even after they're married. This kind of financial talk may not come naturally to you, as a Wells Fargo survey revealed that people find it more challenging to discuss money than it is to talk about death, politics, and religious beliefs. However, before you enter into a marriage, you and your partner need to be completely transparent about your financial situations, such as debt, student loans, income, spending tendencies, financial goals, and other miscellaneous monetary information. After all, managing your finances together is a critical component of a successful and long-lasting marriage.

If you haven't yet had the talk about money with your partner, it pays to take this step before you walk down the aisle. Once you start living with your future significant other, if you're both thinking "this thing we've got going is permanent," opening a joint account is a big sign that you both are in it for the long haul. Combining finances (direct deposit, bills, and paychecks) immediately ties the two of you together and opens a window into how you run and organize your life.

If you have noticed all of these signs, you are probably ready to tie the knot with your partner and should stop worrying! If you have doubts about one or more of these, it may be too soon to commit. However, don't panic if this is the case—these issues can be solved with time and communication, and you will likely one day feel ready to take the step of marriage with your partner.