How I Met Your Mother: 10 Ways Lily & Marshall Are The Most Relatable Couple

The focus of How I Met Your Mother is on Ted dating before meeting the mother of his children — and subsequently ending up with Robin after the death of his wife. However, neither relationship lasts for the duration of the show and the most long-term relationship in the series is between Lily and Marshall.

Lily and Marshall are presented as the perfect couple and they work at their relationship to make it last. Many fans find their romance the most relatable on the show and there are many reasons why fans are right to think this.

Lily And Marshall Temporarily Break Up

Even a relationship as seemingly perfect as Lily and Marshall’s has its problems. When Lily applies to do an art program in San Francisco, Marshall is absolutely devastated. The two split up but really struggle not being together, and it is the most painful breakup in How I Met Your Mother.

Their relationship is a perfect example of a loving couple who spend some time apart in order to realize that they want to be together, which is true for lots of long-term couples.

Lily And Marshall Met In College

Lily and Marshall meet when they are very young, attending Wesleyan University alongside Ted. While the story of their getting together has been heavily romanticized over the years and the love at first sight that the pair describes is not accurate (according to Ted), their relationship did begin at the start of college.

Many couples meet when they are young and in college and then grow together over subsequent years, making Lily and Marshall’s meeting and development of their relationship particularly relatable for lots of fans.

Lily And Marshall Have To Make Sacrifices

During much of their relationship, Lily and Marshall have similar aspirations and desires, so there is rarely the need for compromise. However, when Marshall wants to work at GNB in order to make more money, Lily is upset that he’s not trying to save the environment anymore. However, she understands that in this instance, what Marshall wants comes first.

In order to maintain a good relationship or to do the best thing for their family, Lily and Marshall occasionally need to sacrifice what they want for their partner. Seeing this in their hits home for a lot of fans.

Lily And Marshall Have Big Arguments

Lily and Marshall communicate very well for the most part, but sometimes their conversations do get heated. When they are planning on moving to Italy, Marshall takes a position as a judge without talking to Lily about it first, which is one of the greatest betrayals in How I Met Your Mother.

Many fans can relate to these big arguments in relationships because even though Lily and Marshall love each other and they do reconcile, sometimes situations are hard and people disagree, especially when they have to organize their lives together.

Lily And Marshall Are Inseparable And Co-Dependent

Although Lily and Marshall do have different careers and spend some time apart, they are mostly by each other’s side. The pair are extremely co-dependent, which is a long-running theme throughout the series. Some of their friends, particularly Robin and Ted, get frustrated when they cannot spend time with just one of them and they cannot tell one of them a secret without the other finding out.

Many couples do function like this and it is unsurprising when two people spend so much time together and rely so heavily on each other.

Lily And Marshall Have Difficulties With Their Families

Lily and Marshall have very different experiences of family; whereas Lily’s father was hopeless, Marshall’s family spent a lot of time together. This does become difficult in their relationship as both characters have some of the worst relatives in How I Met Your Mother. Lily finds Marshall tells his family too much private information, whereas Marshall does not understand why Lily won’t reconcile with her father.

Many fans will recognize these issues with families in their own relationships. Although Lily and Marshall love each other, it does not mean that they are immune from challenging relationships with each other’s families.

Lily And Marshall Don’t Have A Perfect Wedding

When Lily and Marshall do eventually get married, it is definitely fair to say the wedding does not go as planned — Marshall shaves part of his head and Lily’s high school boyfriend turns up to stop the nuptials. However, despite these hiccups, the important thing is that Lily and Marshall commit to each other.

Many couples do not have the perfect wedding ceremony that is so often shown in TV series and films. That Lily and Marshall’s wedding is such as mess makes it far more realistic, and the important thing for them, as well as for so many real-life couples, is that they love each other.

Lily And Marshall’s Relationship Adapts With Time

Marshall and Lily’s relationship from the very beginning of college to much later in their lives when their children go to college — and hopefully even longer! During this long time period, their lives change a lot and their relationship adapts to that change.

It is extremely important that their relationship grows with them so it does not get left behind, but the two do still keep various traditions they’ve carved out for themselves. Fans recognize and relate to this necessity for relationships to change and grow.

Lily And Marshall Are Best Friends

Although Lily and Marshall are romantic partners, it is clear that their relationship is founded on friendship. They can be honest and vulnerable and they make each other laugh, which is one of the ways Lily and Marshall are the dream couple.

As so many successful relationships are founded on simply caring about each other, the friendship Lily and Marshall have makes their relationship very relatable for fans.

Lily And Marshall Are A Team

Despite facing many challenges, Lily and Marshall are always there for each other and deal with any struggles as a unit. When they plan to buy an apartment, Lily’s massive credit card debt gets in the way. Lily suggests getting divorced but Marshall reminds her that when he married her he married her problems too. The couple works together to overcome any problems they face.

Working as a team is how most relationships work and many fans will recognize this important part of Lily and Marshall’s relationship in their own.