They give this help and service to each other through the union of their persons and their actions. Marriage is a partnership - a sacred partnership. Partnership seems to demand a mutual respect for the freedom and dignity of the partner. When you choose a partner you don't normally chose someone who is weak. If you are not married and are thinking seriously about getting married, you want to find someone who can be a partner to you.
Partnership implies an equality.
This does not mean that both people have to be the same, but it does imply that there is present in each of them what they need in order to enter into a partnership. They must have an admiration for each other that is based on seeing the positive and life-giving qualities of the other person. If two people enter into marriage and one or both are extremely needy, then there is the chance that that marriage will collapse like a bridge that is made up of two halves, one or both of which is not capable of holding up under the weight of the traffic that it is supposed to carry. Not everyone is ready to marry simply because they have reached the age of twenty or twenty-five. Every person seeking to be married must also be preparing him or herself by the process of maturing.