Personally, I think everyone should live together for at least a year before getting married.   This way the "newness" of the relationship has worn off and you aren't constantly trying to impress each other.

This.

It also makes easier to talk things out, as you have now a pretty grounded idea of how your prospective partner is truly like.  I do believe there are things that must be discussed before tying the knot though, also there are issues that will be needed to be discussed as your relationship progresses.

Btw, OP, do you happen to have a link to that NYT article? Wanna check it out. :3

Personally, I think everyone should live together for at least a year before getting married.  This way the "newness" of the relationship has worn off and you aren't constantly trying to impress each other.