Who Sets the Rules?

In a relationship, how do you know when the first 'official' day of being a couple is? Ok, so if you were getting married obviously the registration ceremony would be it. But in a basic relationship, when is that day? Do we need to have one set date so that yearly or even monthly anniversaries can be celebrated? Do you really need to announce to the world that you are going out with someone special in order to make it more real? Or are these 'procedures' that have been created merely to show the people around you that you are in the perfect relationship (on the outside)? Are relationships sans all these frills not real relationships?

Who sets the rules anyway? Aren't things like this subjective? Does it not depend on the 2 parties involved and how they want to define things themselves? How many people do you think actually have such stereotypical relationships anyway? Surely most of us will find ourselves in some sort of gray area where neither 'rule' applies.

Are grand romantic gestures the only way to show your affection for someone? Don't silent thoughtfulness and patience count for something too?

I guess that some people need guidelines like these to give themselves some peace of mind - the methodical types who usually study engineering or maths :p, the people who cannot adapt to the concept of subjectivity and abstractness (if that is a word? :p).

In the end, none of these external things matter as long the the pair are comfortable with themselves and what they have between them. But then again, it is only human nature to care what others think and only those who have managed to move beyond this are able to be truely satisfied with their lives.