Courtship is a vital period in a relationship that precedes engagement and marriage.
since i have never been married, i do not know much about courtship
Courtship
Courtship is the period of development towards an intimate relationship wherein a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement, followed by a marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private matter between two people or may be a public affair, or a formal arrangement with family approval. Traditionally, in the case of a formal engagement, it has been perceived that it is the role of a male to actively "court" or "woo" a female, thus encouraging her to understand
Dating (disambiguation)
Dating is an activity by two humans who are exploring or are in a romantic relationship. 
The term may also refer to:
- Courtship, period in a couple's relationship which precedes engagement and marriage
- Timestamp, information identifying the date and time when a certain event occurred
- Chronological dating, estimating the age of an object or linguistic artifact
- Relative dating, determining the relative order of past events
- Absolute dating, determining an approximate age in archaeology or geology