My name is Amanda. I am 21 — and I’m engaged to be married… in two months. I’m a junior in college and have all of my twenties still ahead of me. Some (when I say some, I mean most) ask why? I get it.

People think it’s crazy to commit so young, but guess what? I also think it’s crazy to spend your life living the way people think you should, instead of how you really want to.

I’m getting married at 21 because I met the love of my life early on, and guess what? That’s OK. Although there is a major stigma towards young marriage, there are some major benefits that make it pretty much the best thing ever.

1. You Get More Time Together.
2. You Struggle Together
3. You Grow Together
4. You Learn What You Want
5. You Always Have Your Best Friend

One of the most important benefits of young marriage is that you get to do life together, longer! One of the downfalls of getting married later in life is that you don’t get as much time to spend together.

Your 20s are a time of discovery and trial. Let’s be honest, it is HARD to ‘adult.' But luckily, it is easier to go through everything with your spouse by your side. Financial troubles, career issues, relationship strains, they’re bound to happen. But having your person with you through it all makes everything better.

Trials mold you. When you’re going through rough patches in your life, you can choose to grow or to just let things happen to you. One of the biggest issues with people in their twenties is that it’s only about casual flings, drunken nights, and time quite honestly, wasted.

When you get to be with the person you love, going through trials, you can grow up together. Mold into the person you’re supposed to be with your person right next to you the whole way through.

SEE ALSO:Finding A Husband In College

In this day and age, we get told what to do, how to think, and who to be. When you fall in love with the person you are meant to be with, you are brought to your senses. You have a magical purpose in life that aligns with your partners.

You learn what is most important… those moments that you have together. Not the things that you buy for each other, or the parties that you go to, you learn that you want is to be truly blissfully happy.

Perhaps the best reason… you are always with the person that means the most to you. No matter what happens, they are always there.

At the end of your life, you will look back at those moments that mean the most to you. I can guarantee that you won’t see that drunken college party, those short-term friends, or that casual fling. You’re going to see the times in your life with the person you love the most, not the things you love the most. So be you. Be proud of who you are and who you love, and don’t be ashamed to live your life the way you want to, not how people believe that you should.