what is the ideal age to get engaged/married?

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  • panzerhaus
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    Get engaged whenever you want. I wouldn't get married before 25 (I was 29) because generally speaking people are just starting careers or learning to live a post college life. Have a nice long engagement where you talk over things and learn each others opinions on finances, where you want to live, career goals, parenting styles (or if they even want kids), chore division,and your expectations of marriage and each other. Not being blindsided by this stuff will make life a little easier. Marriage is work, compromise, and love. Another bit of advice is to travel and enjoy all kinds of adventures together before you have children. In case you don't have the resources,time, energy, or all of the above after having the children. Together 17 1/2 years married 8 of them.
  • nnylee
    nnylee Posts: 814 Member
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    There is no ideal age! It's whenever you and your partner decide you're ready! Lol. Personally, this is probably my year and I'm 26. :D
  • i_love_vinegar
    i_love_vinegar Posts: 2,092 Member
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    There is no ideal age! It's whenever you and your partner decide you're ready! Lol. Personally, this is probably my year and I'm 26. :D

    Congrats!
  • love22step
    love22step Posts: 1,103 Member
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    When you find the right mate, you're financially independent enough to take care of each other without having to depend on relatives, and you've spent a couple of years dating and getting to know each other really well.
  • bskupien
    bskupien Posts: 58 Member
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    Whenever it's right for you and who you're with. And when you are absolutely certain.
    I am still a big believer in the institution of marriage. Lots of positive marriage role models in my life.
    Anyway, I got married when I was 25, actually a few years younger than I ever thought I'd get married.
    I'm pretty sure I've read that the average age to get married in the US is around 26 for women and 28 for men.
  • JenCM
    JenCM Posts: 195
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    There is none. It varies, person to person, just like having kids. Hubby and I got married nearly 5 years ago, after being engaged for a year. I was 22, he was 25. We had planned to wait another year, but my Dad got sick and we moved it up (the blessing was, he was there for our wedding and he wouldn't have been if we'd waited until the next year). Now, at the time I didn't think anything of our age. Once things got harder and I got older, I can definitely see telling someone to wait until they're at least 26 to get hitched! But again, it depends on the people in the end. I now feel like I was YOUNG to get married, but things worked out fine. It just took a lot more work I think. So yeah, it's all in the people.
  • scapez
    scapez Posts: 2,018 Member
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    45 & 51 :flowerforyou:
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
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    Ideal age to start having a serious relationship - 23/24 to me on the early side.. Engaged - 26/27. Married - late 20s/early thirties

    Too many people are wasting their youth in my opinion on relationships! Have fun while you are young!
  • stebs1984
    stebs1984 Posts: 38
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    Oddly enough, I think that statistically if a couple gets married when they are both quite young (18-21), they have a lower divorce rate than other demographics.

    I don't believe it, I would like to read the study.

    Yup, its backwards....

    Based on the age of the bride, the 18-20 has the second highest divorce rate (27.6%), the 20-24 has the highest divorce rate (36.6%), and then declining after that...

    On the other hand, basing on the age of the groom, the 20-24 has the highest divorce rate (38.8%), the 25-29 has the second highest (22.3%), and the under 20 and the 30-34 have the third highest (11.6%)
    http://www.divorcerate.org/

    My opinion... I'm in the "wait until after 25" group....
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
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    Like others have said, there is no one right age. I started dating my wife at 21, we got engaged 1.75 years later, and we got married 1.75 years after that. She is is 2.5 years younger than I. We have been together for ten years and are still going strong.

    The reality is that no marriage will be perfect. There are days we fight. There are days we scream. There was the day she started throwing things at me because a bad medication reaction made her uncontrollably furious. There have been days I was the bad guy, I am sure, though my own faults make me blind to it. The thing is that these days are not most days.

    Most days, I pick her up at the train station and bring her home to a lovely diner I spent the event preparing. We have dinner together, watch a bit of our favorite television, and cuddle before we go to bed. It is a pretty good life.

    No marriage is perfect - she pretends to not get jealous when women flirt with me, and I pretend to be interested about which partner said what at the project stakeholder meeting. We would just about die if we let that define our relationship, however. She doesn't like other women flirting with me, but she tolerates it because she knows I am faithful and will not stray. I do not care about her meetings, but I care about her, and these are clearly important to her. To my way of thinking, a solid marriage needs that kind of devotion. It's not about the love - love is easy. It's about what you do when your partner frustrates you despite the love you share.

    If you find someone who you can care for, even when they are at their worst, and if that person can do the same for you, then it is probably not a bad time to look at marriage.
  • BritFitB
    BritFitB Posts: 106 Member
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    Varies based on maturity level, but I believe your 30's. Your 20's are for establishing a career, having a social life, and finding out who you are as a person. I think anything below the 30's wouldn't be a successful marriage.
  • Wolferocks2
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    Sounds like a trick question. The REAL answer is when you can financially support a family. EDUCATED or NOT, I cant stand to have to support another family through taxation and "gubment" assistance. Get an EDUCATION first. Get a spouse when you can find a job in an already flooded market (thousands of college graduates are tending bar, flipping burgers or waiting tables two to four years after graduation. Yep, its a trick question? Perhaps not.
  • LHAMON2009
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    I got engaged when I was 19 and then shortly after I turned 20 I got married. I do not believe there is any ideal age to get married it is when you meet the right one and that can happen at any age.
  • paisley2288
    paisley2288 Posts: 913 Member
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    Just before they close the casket.

    LOL I say this. Marry someone really old and really rich :)
  • firesoforion
    firesoforion Posts: 1,017 Member
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    I think it really, *really* depends on the person. I like the 27-30 time period myself. Maybe a little bit older.
  • gemmaolsson
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    I got engaged Dec 2010 when i was just 24 and got married on 10th Feb 2012 (4 weeks ago) and I turned 25 in October.
    There is no age to get engaged/married, whenever you meet the right person and feel it's the right time.
    I have been with my husband since I was just 19, so we were together over 6 years beofre we got married.
  • 1Timothy4v8
    1Timothy4v8 Posts: 503 Member
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    I am a born again bible beleiver so I believe that premarital sex is a sin so my opinion is 18,

    I don't remember reading in the Bible that you should marry at 18?

    The bible say's that we should marry so we don't burn in lust so thats why I say 18 the first legal age you can get married, that was my logic
  • paisley2288
    paisley2288 Posts: 913 Member
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    I am a born again bible beleiver so I believe that premarital sex is a sin so my opinion is 18,

    I don't remember reading in the Bible that you should marry at 18?

    The bible say's that we should marry so we don't burn in lust so thats why I say 18 the first legal age you can get married, that was my logic

    wow
  • Heidi_M78
    Heidi_M78 Posts: 143 Member
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    I do not think there is an ideal age, but I do belieit depends on life experiences.
    Eg: if you are studying , then complete your studies first. If you are in your teens, that is not the right time.
  • jaqiswany
    jaqiswany Posts: 76
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    In your opinion, what is an acceptable age to get engaged/married. Not saying I'm thinking about it any time soon!! Just curious to what people's thoughts are! :)

    You will only know when the times right, its not something that works well when its planned out, if it happens , it happens, and if it doesnt you will be just as happy :-)