husband & wife
Maybe it’s the novelty, but saying “my husband” seems a little illicit (even though it’s the opposite - the papers actually legitimize the relationship). When I’m shopping for something for our home, and I tell the salesperson that I’ll have to bring my fiance back so we can decide together, I wish that I could say husband. It has more gravity. By the same token, I imagine him saying “I’ll have to run that by my wife.” As a wife, I have power. As a fiancee, I sound like an obscure French cooking appliance. I can’t wait to be his wife.