Hi Carson,
Yes, in theory. I do agree (and just posted a topic on that funnily enough -
http://www.aypsite.com/plus-forum/index.php?topic=5032) that first we have to love ourselves and find the tresures (love) within ourselves so we can share it with others. But the rest of the technicalities and "stages" of love I'm not so sure - sure, if it helps and works to go by stages, then maybe it is best. In any case, I continue to think that, at the very least, if you are in supposedly love relationship (marriage, etc.) you have to at least be very honest with the other person and yourself on what your feelings are. That does maybe not necessarily mean that that is the end of that relationship, but it means that there is something wrong. Like in everything in life, if there is something wrong, we know it, and there is no need to repress it as it will only make it worse, yes? Better to try to solve it, ask for guidance, etc.
For me, and in this I agree with Osho, one must know very well why one is getting married because,in my personal case, I believe the act of marriage (the legal or religious) is a kind of a contract inflicted by the scoiety between two people, cutting their freedoms or at least putting an extra subconscious pressure that may inhibit them to express themselves freely if something is wrong or changes. This cuts personal freedom, a fundamental ingredient to happiness and the free expression of love, that, as we all know, go hand in hand. So, in the long term, this is counter-productive, for the true expression of true love between two people, don't you think? Again, this is my personal view and I have all the respect for people who get married based on their convictions and true heart feelings.