How old were you when you got married?

[Chrisada]

We met through a mutual friend. DH was going to do an internship where I lived after college graduation. So I told our friend to give him my number so that he knew someone there. Then he put the moves on me and that was that! On both of our parts, it was only supposed to be a summer fling before we went our separate ways in the fall.

Through mutual friends summer before our senior year of h.s. We were at a supremely crappy Christian concert - think karaoke by hill billy 40 yr olds... We - left early.

LOL, it was immediate attraction for both us and we started dating pretty soon after that.

[rainbabies]

at the hospital we both worked at. he was a basement dweller aka coder in medical records and i worked in the ICU/telemetry as a unit coord./LNA/tech

[Pollyanna]

We were both 22 when we married. We went to the same high school (the school dd now attends ) but didn't really meet till physics in college. He bought me a promise ring about a month after we started dating. We pretty much "knew" that we were soul mates.

I would have no problem with our children getting married that young provided they were mature and ready for marriage.

[SuzySunshine]

We met in college, we both lived in the same hall system - he in one of the men's halls, me in one of the women's and were on the government board. I actually knew two of his friends better then him at first and dated one of them first. We started dating after I asked him to dance at a dance we were at when I was a senior and he was a junior, unbeknownst to me he had invited someone else to the dance but the spent the evening with me. Two weeks later I took him home to meet my family and we were pretty much inseperable after that. Even survived 14 months of him in Kansas and California and me in Colorado after graduation.

."

OMG, that is sooooo funny. I can so see you doing this. I want to use it for my own story. Can I please? Now we know where your kids get it!

Sure, sure.

It's totally true, by the way. Our geometry teacher asked us something stupid about what we hoped to gain from the class (as we're all just standing, waiting to take our seats). Both dh and I said something to the effect of "we hope to gain the credit needed so that we can move on to the next level" in a similarly snarky tone. He'd just moved to my town, so I didn't know him.

[Auspicious]

We were set up by mutual friends. Our first date was sushi at Yuka in Manhattan. The ceiling was decorated with hanging paper cranes--hence our paper crane wedding cake topper.

[JC76]

DH was 26 and I was 27 when we got married. We met when we were 22 and 23, though. And we lived together off and on during the 4 years we were dating/engaged due to multiple relocations for work. I think I will definitely encourage my kids to hold off on marriage at least until their late 20's if they can do it. I think a lot of people change and grow during their 20's, especially if they're still continuing their educations and throwing a lot into their careers. DH and I feel like we met when we were really young and are kind of amazed that we made it through some pretty tumultuous years together. Figure we're stronger for it. It really is an individual thing though. I have a cousin who met his wife when she was 15 and he was 17, they've been together ever since, married right after she graduated college and are probably one of the healthiest, happiest couples I know. On the other hand my older brother met and married his wife immediately after graduating college and now 14 years later they are completely different people and having some major marital problems. It was way to early for them.

As for how DH and I met... we went to the same huge 40,000+ undergrad university and never met, but realized later that we knew some people in common. Ended up enrolling in the same master's degree program in grad school (me one year ahead of him) and met there. I was assigned as his "big sib" in the program and was supposed to show him the ropes. Were introduced for the first time at a program "meet and greet," went out together to a bar with friends afterwards, had too much to drink and I ended up going home with that night. We've been together ever since... 11 years now. Kind of amazing. We always say it was a one night stand that miraculously turned into a marriage.

We met at a party when we were 18 and remained more or less aquaintances with mutual friends for another year before we started dating. Twice during that time, we ended up on outings with just the two of us because other friends had sort of planned to come but then not followed through--one time it was a movie no one else wanted to see and the next time was a visit to the Holocaust Museum. By that time, we were interested in each other. In hindsight, we joke about the Holocaust Museum being our first date. We may be the only people to claim that, ever.

We got married at 27.

I think sometimes people get married when they're not ready or when it isn't quite right at any age, so I can see myself freaking out if our son seems to be doing that and he's 36. But if he were ready and the other person was too, a young age would be okay with me.

[Rapunzel]

I was 20 and dh was 19 when we got married. Our 14th wedding anniversary will be August 18th of this year.

Would I do it again? Yes. In fact, we should have just eloped about six months before we got married.

Were we too young? DH has always been very old for his physical age. He started college at 16 (by choice). I think any marital difficulties we've ever had on his part are due to not having a strong father figure during his teenage years (his dad died when he was 13). I've been told that I tend to be old for my physical age as well. But, I can also blame any marital difficulties we've had on MY part on some bad habits instilled in me watching my own parents interact. We've both been fighting these bad habits from the get-go. And, we would be trying to overcome them no matter what age we were when we married.

Would I be upset if my children married at our ages? Well, I do want my son to be finished with his mission before he starts seriously dating (for LDS we don't start serious one-on-one dating until 18). So, he would be 21 when that happened. If he came to us at 22 and said he was engaged dh and I would probably ask him some very hard questions and then congratulate him while welcoming his fiance to the family. For my daughters I would prefer that they wait until 21 or 22 to get married - but that is also entirely up to them. As long as they finish college dh and I will support their marital choices.

How did we meet? DH had just transferred to my college on the same full scholarship I was on. We were introduced by a mutual friend and became good friends. We fell in love a few months later and got engaged shortly thereafter. We both feel that we should have just eloped that spring rather than waited until almost fall to have the wedding. (By elope I mean just scheduling the marriage with the local temple, inviting our parents, and just getting married with receptions and other things not necessary or desired). With our own children we're going to encourage them to pick a temple in the location they would like to honeymoon, have just close family (mainly parents) attend, and then we'll pay for their honeymoon. They can have receptions when they get back home.

I'd say dh and I qualify as "unconventional" by our societal standards. And, THAT has been a hard thing for us as a couple - that we don't have very many people who share our mindset and choices. We have definitely been alone in our couplehood for most of our marriage. And, we are working hard to change that for our own children.

[Rapunzel]

We pretty much "knew" that we were soul mates.

We had the same feeling.

[Gwendolyn]

John and I met during fraternity rush the first week of college. I had some high school friends who were in and I had stopped by to say hi and he charmed me with off-color jokes and a Pinky and The Brain tie (ah the early 90s). so...we were about 18 then. We moved in together when we were 20 and married at 25. It has all worked out well for us...plenty of bumps that would have been avoided if we met and married later in life, but we are stronger and closer because of it...

I think I would freak out if my kids did the same thing...in private. In public I would ask probing questions and support anything that demonstrates an appropriate level of maturity. Finishing college is critical. That is a non-negotiable.

[scarlett09]

DF and I met the first semester of college through mutual friends. I knew the guys that lived across the hall from him (and his roommate) - one I was in the college marching band with, the other had been the friend of my HS boyfriend! We were acquaintances until spring semester of sophomore year when we had Introduction to Music together. We became really close that semester - not paying attention in lecture, doing the crossword puzzle in the student newspaper, "helping" each other out on our quizzes. He even baked me cookies and gave me a pink rose for Valentine's Day! We then talked to each other on the phone every night during the summer. We started dating in October of our junior year. We moved in together after graduation.

DF and the guys that lived across the hall from him wound up sharing an apartment for the rest of college and are still great friends. They will be in our wedding next spring. The friend of my HS boyfriend will be our best man.

[MrsK]

In hindsight, we joke about the Holocaust Museum being our first date. We may be the only people to claim that, ever.

I was on a museum kick when I met DrK and made it a mission to visit a museum every weekend. So our first date was to an exhibit about the sinking of the Titanic -- probably less horrific than the holocaust but still depressing. The exhibit was set up similar to the Holocaust Museum where they gave us each tickets with the name of an actual passenger. At the end of the exhibit we looked up our passengers on the list of survivors/deceased. His passenger did not survive -- a young man traveling third class. My passenger was a maid traveling with a 2nd Class family. She survived and lived to 109 which made her the longest living (not last living) Titanic passenger. I still have the passenger cards.

[MrsC]

I was 21, DH was 30 when we got married. Had our circumstances been different, we may have just got engaged and got married after a couple of years. We'd been together for 18 months before we got married and it was right!

Would I do it again? Of course, I've always been older than my years, which I think played a part. My parents were perfectly fine with it. I think the right time to get married is when you have absolutely no doubt that you want to spend the rest of your life with that person.

I have friends who have been in relationships for a few years and are still very doubtful about getting married. I think if you feel that way. it's the wrong person, personally.