We’ve all heard of the MRS Degree. But isn’t there something to be said for the collegiettes™ that genuinely want to get married ASAP after graduation? HC Wake Forest talked to recent married grads to get the scoop on being a twentysomething, married, and still having a career.
Emily P. Taylor: WFU class of ’10 and married in July 2010
How did you meet your now husband?
I met John while studying abroad in Sicily. We were both enrolled in Wake Forest’s Italian Intensive Language summer program, which was relocated to the coast of Sicily in 2008. He was already fluent in Italian, and it was possibly my worst subject in college.
Did you always think you would meet your husband in college?
Absolutely not. My parents got married at ages 28 and 33, so it didn’t even cross my mind. The whole “MRS” degree thing disgusted me, and I probably even had a skewed perspective on what it meant to get married young. There is so much bias out there, especially in academia.
What role did your friends from college play in your wedding?
My sorority sisters, his fraternity brothers, and other great college friends were in the wedding party and served as attendants. We wanted to keep the day personal and intimate, but there were quite a few Wake people there in addition to wonderful friends from home.
What is it like to be married right out of college?
I tell people that being married is way more fun than people give it credit for being. You have to put effort into sustaining any relationship, but it is mostly just a lot of fun. And honestly, when you get into the “real world”, no one cares how old you are or how old you were when you got married.
Did you ever consider getting married later than you did so you could start a career first?
I don’t see why having a good start to a career and getting married would be considered mutually exclusive. In fact, I prefer it this way — we pick up coffee for each other on long nights, celebrate our successes together, and listen to each other vent sometimes, too. We are both doing exactly what we want career-wise. Marriage is a big commitment, but I think it makes you a better person and forces you to grow. I don’t see it as stifling me in any way.
What advice do you have for girls who want to get married right after college or who are getting married right after college?
Well, for the former, please ditch the timeline. Knowing that you are with the right person is obviously more important– and that means that you are right for him as well. For those already engaged, don’t stress. The wedding day is amazing, but it really is just one day. Take the summer off and enjoy yourself.
Meredith Edrington Smith: WFU class of ’10 and married in June 2010
How did you meet your husband?
I first met Zach the summer before our freshman year at Wake Forest in our hometown of Houston. We were at a high school graduation party and a mutual friend introduced us. Everyone kept telling me, ‘You have to meet this guy Zach!’ I finally bumped into him, and I’m so glad I did.
When did you know he was “the one?”
I have to admit, it didn’t take me long to start doodling Mrs. Meredith Smith or begin dreaming of flower colors, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t know for sure until I spent a semester abroad in Berlin. He stayed at Wake (those crazy accounting students), and I went off for the adventure of a lifetime. While being away from him was less than glamorous, it felt like we never missed a beat. I had my fair share of nights when all I wanted to do was sit on Skype, but he loved me enough to keep me from wasting that experience.
When and how did he propose?
He proposed just a few short months after I returned from Berlin on April 16, 2009. We were finishing up our junior year, and he had been perfecting this speech about how we were too young to get engaged, I wasn’t getting a candlelight any time soon, and I needed to move on. Ha, what a joke! About three days later I wake up for my History 101 class (yes, I took it as a junior) and saw a single rose on my nightstand. I rolled back over, closed my eyes and did this silly little dance, thinking I’m getting engaged today! (Good thing I was right!) I had a rose waiting for me in every class, in every group meeting and even at the table in the Starbucks where I always studied. He picked me up for dinner that night, just moments after my roommate finished painting my nails, and took me to Ryan’s Steakhouse where the waitress brought me my last rose. After dinner, we walked up onto the main quad and off in the distance, on the Reynolda balcony I could see candles and rose petals. He took me on the balcony at sunset, got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife!
Did you always think you would meet your husband in college?
Honestly, I had NO idea! I had a pretty serious relationship in high school and swore off guys after we parted ways at high school graduation. But Zach just fell in my lap, and I couldn’t say no. He treated me like a princess from day one, and I knew I was the luckiest girl in the entire world!
What role did your friends from college play in your wedding?
Excluding my sister and Zach’s sister, all of my bridesmaids were my college friends. On top of that, something like 40 of my sorority sisters and many of our college friends came to Houston for the big day! While having 400 of my closest family and friends there was fabulous, it was my college friends that meant the most. For better or worse, those girls knew me better than any long, lost cousin or family friend ever could and had seen my relationship with Zach flourish over our college years.
Did you ever consider getting married later than you did so you could start a career first?
Before I met Zach I certainly thought I’d wait to get married. I’ve always been driven and up for a challenge, but it didn’t take me long to realize that I wanted to snatch him up while I still had the chance! It seemed so silly to wait to start our life together when I had it all figured out because, lets get real, who actually does?! I wanted to share my life with him, the good and the bad, and I knew there would never be an easy or convenient time with my career.
What advice do you have for girls who want to get married right after college or who are getting married right after college?
If you’ve met the guy and he’s really the one don’t feel like you have to wait to have it all together.
*Photography by Emily Taylor and Meredith Smith