21 years old… More like 21 years young. I just got the OK on drinking legally, I live in a sorority house and I secretly still love to read Seventeen magazine. When you look at me, you see my wrinkle-free skin and young eyes, but when you look past them you see something much different. If you could see into my mind, you would see a college-educated warrior, ready to take on any task that the world has in store. If you could see my heart, you would see the love I have for my family, friends and fiancé. Despite my youth, I have capabilities beyond anyone’s imagination.
Yes, you read that right… fiancé. I’m engaged! My wonderful boyfriend of three years got down on one knee and proposed to me.
I suppose you could say that I have an “uncommon” young engagement for the state of Utah. Typically (more like “stereotypically”), when you look at a young couple with a wedding in sight you automatically rush to judgment on a few things…
1. You assume that the couple is LDS (Mormon, for my out of state friends)
2. Because of assumption #1, you assume that the wedding is going to be less than six months away because that is a typical timeline of an LDS engagement
3. The couple will probably start their family soon after their marriage and have four kids before they turn 30
Well, our marriage plans are very different.
We are planning on getting married autumn 2018, moving out of Utah this summer and traveling the world before we even think about having children. We are planning on enjoying our youth despite our new mature titles of husband and wife. We are planning on loving each other, but loving our friends and family too; which means not shutting them out even though we are getting married.
Despite these plans, there are a few truths that have also happened once we got engaged that I didn’t expect.
The truth about getting engaged young is that people will judge you. The truth is that people will gossip about your relationship. The truth is that you will be asked if you are sure you want to get married. The truth is that there are a lot more cynical people out there than you realize, and they will let you know how they really feel about marriage. The truth is that people will ask uncomfortable questions such as, “How much did your ring cost?” or, “Am I invited to your wedding?”. The truth is that a lot of people won’t be happy for you.
I was a little overwhelmed by these truths. I have never had so much attention and focus on me in my life, and I feel as if my every move is being watched, like someone is waiting for me to mess up. But my truth is that I don’t care what other people think. My truth is that I want to celebrate this incredible time in my life with the people who are happy for me. My truth is that, despite my age, I know that my fiancé is the one that I will spend my life with. My truth is that, at the end of the day, I don’t care what my wedding colors are, what my ceremony looks like or what we register for, I just want to get married to my man. My truth is that I am not afraid to ask advice from the people I love, and I am prepared to ignore the advice from people who judge me. My truth is that I am ready for this.
While my wedding is still pretty far out, it will be here before I know it, and I cannot wait. The best is yet to come.
The truth about being engaged young is… well… that it’s incredible.