Should you get a prenuptial agreement before walking down the aisle? These days prenups are no longer relegated to rich widows or celebs fearing the worst of their less monied spouses. More and more everyday couples are opting to get prenups, according to Emily Doskow, a family law attorney and the editor of “Prenuptial Agrements: How to Write a Fair and Lasting Contract.”

You’ll be signing a lot of papers as you prepare to merge your lives together. Depending on who you are, a prenup may or may not be one of the most important documents you will sign. ESSENCE.com spoke with Doskow about the meaning of a prenup and how to decide it’s it’s right for you.

ESSENCE.com: At what point should a couple be thinking about a prenup?

DOSKOW: To me basically as soon as people get engaged and they’re serious about moving forward with marriage they should ask the question, “Should we consider a prenup?” It usually takes at least 60 days from first seeing a lawyer to getting a prenup signed, sealed and delivered.

ESSENCE.com: What if your fiance has a lot of debt?

DOSKOW: You can try to protect yourself from debtors in that way by being very clear about which debts were pre-marital and saying that you don’t have any responsibility. The other thing you can put in a prenup is ‘I’m not responsible for your debts and if a third party creditor comes in and makes me responsible for your debt you have to pay me back any money that I pay the debtor.’

ESSENCE.com: Who should you go to for a prenup?

DOSKOW: Family law attorney’s write prenups. One thing that’s interesting about a prenup is that almost every state requires that both partners have their own lawyer. They really discourage a couple from using the same lawyer for a prenup because the party’s interests are so different. So it can be a little bit of an expensive process because of the two lawyers involved in the whole thing.

Essence.com