You must have heard of the phrase, "A building is only as strong as its foundation." Without the strong foundation, a house will crumble down and be in shackles. The same goes for marriage as well.

Several factors contribute toward building a successful marriage relationship - trust, honesty, understanding and other core values of life. And then there is one thing which no one can deny- the importance of friendship in a marriage relationship.

A strong and close friendship between partners creates a solid foundation for a strong, healthy marriage. It is the genuine friendship between spouses that can help partners manage the toughest times in a marriage.

When you are friends with your partner, everything is so much more fun. You can joke and laugh about silly things and not worry what your spouse will think. Friendship in a marriage relationship gives that level of comfort where you can share your thoughts and feelings without any inhibitions. It makes the communication between two individuals so much easier.

You can't be romantic and intimate 24 hours a day. You need a friend in your partner … someone you can really talk to. The point is that friendship leads to an open and honest communication between partners. You can say whatever you want to say without worrying about being judged. So here are few things that can help you build friendship in your love and relationships:

Know your partner well

The first step to become friends is get to know your spouse well. Get to know what your husband's favorite dishes are, what dresses and colors your wife likes. Make efforts to know with whom your partner gets along well at his/her workplace, which relatives he/she likes the least, which cousins he/she is closest to, who are his/her best friends, what are his/her dreams, aspirations and so on. Knowing your partner well will only strengthen your marriage relationship.

Acceptance

Generally, when couples are dating, there is a tendency for you to see things through rose colored glasses. But once couples get married, they tend to start finding faults in each other. So if you really want to build a strong friendship with your partner, begin to focus on your partner's positive traits. Accept you partner, the way he/she is. A marriage relationship requires unconditional acceptance of each other. You have to understand that you can't change the other person. So it's better to change your attitude and place more emphasis on the positive traits of your partner than the negative ones. Notice the generous things your partner does for you and thank him/her for that.

Be comforting and encouraging

Just like true friends, be very comforting and supportive when your partner is low. If your partner has suffered some setback personally or professionally, be present and offer supporting comments. And when your partner wants to do something new, be encouraging and supportive.

Spend quality time

A relationship can be strengthened mainly by investing your time in it. Spend quality time with your partner discussing the things you like … be it your families, recent book you have read, movies, politics, sports and whatever interests both of you. Or go on walks together, watch a movie, take a vacation and go to explore your favorite place together, have dinner together and so on.

Watch motivational videos

Apart from all this, you can also watch really beautiful and meaningful motivational videos with your partner. Watching these beautiful inspirational quotes videos can be great fun and conveys really useful relationship advice.