1) He always went to the clubs every night before he got married. - He went to clubs every night before he got married. (note, this could suggest it was a temporary activity, perhaps he was nervous about getting married? 2) He'd always been going to the clubs every night before he got married. He(had) always gone to clubs before he got married The combination of always & every is awkward, it creates a confusing duplication in the regular nature of the sentences. In the second sentence, you have mixed your tenses: He had / been going I would say "Before he got married, he went out to clubs almost every night"