Marriage brings great joy at any time in your life, but getting married young has its own unique challenges and joys. What can you expect? By DeMei Vaughan Anderson
When we think about marriage, there are many feelings or ideas that come to mind. Some of us might have parents married for 50 years. Others may have dealt with the pain that comes along with divorce. There are a few of us that long to be married one day and a select few that might not see the point behind the ritual. But what about getting married young?
As a young millennial woman, I know several young people who married early on in life. I was, myself, engaged at an early age. The truth is, there’s no perfect time to get hitched, and every person is going to have a different opinion about it. When it comes to getting married in your early 20s, it can be very rewarding and positive… if you’re truly ready to take it on.
Getting married young – What can I look forward to?
There are just as many upsides to getting married young as there are downsides. You’ve got to make sure you’re serious and ready to commit. The divorce process is neither fun nor easy. Keep in mind you should only get married because you want to. Don’t let anyone force your hand in the matter and make sure you follow your heart.
1 If it’s right, it lasts forever. We all count on being in several romantic relationships in life before we find “the one.” Some of us are lucky enough to meet that one when we’re still in high school or right after we’ve started a new career. Getting married as a teenager was normal several decades ago, but it’s more of a taboo today.
Getting married in your early 20s is sometimes discouraged because you haven’t had time to be adventurous and live life. When the love is real, it’s real. There’s no age limit on that. If you get married to the right person at a young age, you’re likely to have a very long and happy life together.
There’s no foolproof way of knowing your marriage lasts forever, but if you don’t rush into the wedding, you give yourself time to grow closer to your significant other. This time spent getting to know each other strengthens your bond and helps you get through the toughest times.
2 It feels like you’ve got your whole life ahead of you! In reality, you do have your entire life ahead of you! You shouldn’t be afraid of getting married early in life… if that’s your calling. Getting married young allows you to look forward to all the special moments you share together as you age.
If you’re interested in having children with your spouse, you have them in your own time. You might skip worrying about the same fertility issues as women who get married older.
If you haven’t taken time to travel the world, you can do so with your spouse at your side before you’ve started a family. As long as you work well as a team, it might be nice having a partner to go the journey with.
A lot of people look at marriage as a necessity, so getting married early on makes you feel more accomplished in life—and you don’t have to apologize for that. Live your life however you see fit!
3 You’ll learn a lot of important life lessons. Even if you marry the perfect person for you, there are going to be bumpy roads ahead. Arguing and bickering won’t end just because you decide to get married. You’ve got to work hard to fix things any time there’s a disagreement.
Finances are also one of the big things that come into play when you get married. There’s always going to be one person with a higher-paying job and a higher credit score, so making the transition to marriage can be difficult when money troubles are present.
Having honest discussions about any and everything ensures you’re both on the same page, or are at least aware of how the other person feels. If you’re not accustomed to sharing your feelings regularly, you’ll definitely have to get in the habit of doing so now.
4 Your interests more than likely will shift. If you like going out to the club with your friends, no one expects you to completely give up your free time with friends, but you’re definitely going to start becoming more involved with what’s going on at home.
Shopping for a house or major appliances might not have appealed to you before, but now that you have a husband or wife, it’s going to be important that you make a comfortable abode for the both of you. Entertaining at home is bound to become a big deal—and everyone loves hosting a fun party at their place!
Becoming more of a homebody might seem awkward at first, but you’ll get used to it faster than you might think.
5 There’s a lot of room for you to readjust. While still in your early 20s, you often are trying to figure out your career path and where you want to go in life. Getting married early, you and your spouse wade those waters together. This helps cut down on the chances one of you has to give up the lifestyle, home, or job you really enjoy.
If one of you gets your dream job in another place, there doesn’t have to be any painstaking decisions about whether or not you should take the position.
6 Sex becomes less of a danger. Casual sex can be great fun, but there’s always a worry of contracting a sexually transmitted disease or ending up pregnant if you’re not careful. This deters a lot of folks from casual sex!
But when you’re getting married young *and faithful to your spouse*, those worries become more of a non-issue. There’s a certain level of trust you must have for your husband or wife to make it as a married couple. That trust should be there long before you decide to walk down the aisle.
Believe it or not, married people have better sex lives than those that aren’t married, so you can look forward to getting some on a regular basis… as you communicate your needs with your partner. And if you’re not a big fan of condoms, for whatever reason *because some people just aren’t*, you have fewer reasons to use them when you’re only sleeping with your spouse!
7 Their big milestones become your big milestones! Birthdays and graduations are made that much more important when you celebrate with your husband or wife! Even things like paying off your college loan debt or your mortgage become a bigger deal when you have your spouse right there to applaud you.
Marriage itself should be a celebration of love and support day in and day out, so we’ve got to look for those endearing qualities in a potential spouse early on!
It’s all fine and dandy for friends and family members to voice their concerns about you getting married young in life, but the decision is ultimately yours to make. Think long and hard before you jump into a serious commitment and feel confident in your final choice!
