The ice rink was a bit nippy as Nathan and I skated around it. It held some little girls in colorful pants, a few cautious mothers, and the occasional old man, silently skating by himself. Nathan and I clutched hands as we wobbled around the ice, still awkward from knowing each other for so short a time. It had been less than a month since our first date. Short indeed.
“To be reasonable, we could wait until May,” Nathan said. He squeezed my hand.
“That would be reasonable. We would know each other for longer,” I said. I felt giddy, excited, and a bit like looking over the edge of a cliff with a strange sensation or urge to jump off. May was a long time to wait for a wedding.
If we had waited until May, life would be quite different. I would still be waking up in my Heritage Apartment with the thermostat at 79 degrees and the sink packed high with baking pans and silverware. I would be cherishing the evenings with Nathan after the end of a long school day – the only time I could see him. We’d still be struggling to coming up with ideas of things to do in Provo to avoid hanging out at at my apartment or anywhere near school. Sounds horrible, actually. We couldn’t have made it.
Nathan and I were married on the cold winter’s day of January 3rd. We finally decided that there was no point in waiting if we know marriage was right. And we wouldn’t change a thing.
The reactions of friends and acquaintances were notable. Several times, they would ask me, “You guys are getting married six months after you met? Do you know each other well enough?”
I asked myself the same questions. Before meeting Nathan, I was utterly against getting married less than a year after graduating high school. To me, the questions that people asked were very valid. However, as I thought more about marriage, I found reasons why the answers to these questions didn’t matter. Getting married so early was the best thing I ever did. Here are the reasons why:
1. I get to spend more years with Nathan.
I am so thankful I met him so early. We get to spend so many more years together than if we met later in college or graduate school. Many more years of adventures and love!
2. All that money adds up!
Nathan and I were pleasantly surprised that as young as we were, we could afford married life – the apartment expenses, utilities, school, and a car. This is mainly due to our parental influence. My parents taught me to save and work hard for scholarships. Nathan’s did too. When we got married, our bank accounts and scholarship money pooled together and we live comfortably within our means.
3. Instant best friend.
I always wanted a BFF. Someone who would stay forever, no matter where life took you, or how you changed. That’s Nathan for me. No matter what, he is my best friend – my adventure buddy, my listening buddy, my studying buddy, my dance buddy, my movie-watching buddy, etc.
4. Dating doesn’t take nearly as much time as it did before marriage.
When Nathan and I met, he was working two jobs, and I was going to school. We spent hours and hours together going on dates – fishing, going to dinner, park hopping, and hiking. It was hard to balance school, work, and all that time dating. Now that we’re married, we still have school and work to worry about. However, we now save dates for weekly occasions and spend more time doing normal, everyday things together like making dinner, watching “House,” shopping at Walmart, and studying together.
5. Being the first of your friends to get married has its benefits.
A good sale on bowls at Costco basically guarantees several sets for your wedding. The good news: they don’t expire and can be re-gifted in the many years of friends’ weddings we have ahead of us.
6. Fun times!
Being married is fun! Nathan and I love living together. We love staying up late in bed, talking to each other about our days. We love all of our adventures.
7. Spend time with each other before “settling down” to have kids.
Nathan and I were married when we were 20 and 19 years old. Between the both of us, life is extremely busy with college and work. We just aren’t in the stage of life for children yet. For the next couple years, we can enjoy being with each other and focus on the growth of our relationship while looking forward to that time that we do decide to have children.
8. We can grow and learn together.
One of the biggest accusations we got from people was that we were too young to get married because we didn’t have enough experience in life and couldn’t make decisions as well as older couples. When discussing this, Nathan and I felt happy we could learn and grow together as we experience life. We immediately formed habits that complimented each other and didn’t have to change our previous lifestyles very much. We learn and grow together, already synced.
9. Married people are healthier.
Research conducted by Carnegie Mellon University stated that those who are married have lower levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Lower levels of stress sounds good to me.
10. We are very, very happy.
The most important reason of all!
