Getting married "young," can be a teeny bit controversial ('young' being under 25). After all, weren't a bunch of these young-ins eating Tide pods last month? But, it's not a kiss of death for everyone--for some, in fact, it's the beginning of a great adventure (or a party, depending on the couple).
Some people find love young, and some of us are doomed to be single for what seems like forever, but whatever the case, we all go in search of it sooner or later. Today, we have a Q&A with two young ladies who have met their match—and are soon to tie the knot!—and are here to share some sage words of Cupid’s wisdom.
First, we want to know the juicy bits:
Q: How did he propose?!
Samantha: We went to the beach with his family, and wanted to take pictures on the beach together. He proposed during pictures!
Mikailyn: He planned a surprise weekend trip to Panama City Beach, and we left that Thursday after I finished training at my new job. We got to the hotel around 7, got settled in, and then he suggested going to the beach. He grabbed his beach bag with the “towels” in it and walked to the beach.
He carried me across every crosswalk and kept complimenting me on the way. We walked along the water for a bit, and I was taking pictures.
He pulled out a towel and set it on the edge of a chair and told me to sit down for a minute, and then he pulled out this beautiful bouquet of roses and handed them to me. Then he got down on both knees (yes, both, he was nervous, bless him), pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said yes!
Moral of the story, gents—you can never go wrong with the beach.
Now for the more serious questions…
Q: What does it take to have (and maintain) a strong relationship?
S: Unconditional love, honesty, communication, respect… laughter! They have to be someone who makes you a better person for it to last.
M: It always helps to have trust, love, and friendship. We’ve always said that friendship comes first because even if you love someone forever, it doesn’t mean anything if you can’t stand being around them.
It seems so simple, right? You gotta like the person you’re with! Never doubt the value of laughter. Why do you think the friendship-turned-love trope is so common in movies?
M: It’s really important to know that you have to be able to laugh with them (or at them)!
Q: Now, of course, there are people who will doubt you for being young, there always are—have you encountered this yet?
S: Surprisingly, no. Both of our families support us and love that we are getting married. They can’t wait for it.
M: I know a lot of people think I’m too young, but I’ve also always heard that I’m too young to know what love is. What age do people think you actually know?? Other than the occasional comment, I haven’t had much of a problem.
Everyone thinks once you reach a certain age, then you might be able to know what love is. Does it happen magically at age twenty-six? Just like the aliens that come and suck your brains out when you turn thirteen (or so my parents say)?
Q: So, since clearly, that is not true, how did you know when it was love?
S: He knew on our very first date that I was the one for him. It took me a while because I overthink too much; I only realized it when my mom said, “now I don’t have to worry about you because I know he will always take care of you.”
M: We have been best friends since I was in ninth grade. There was a period of time when one of his girlfriends at the time made him stop talking to me, and I just genuinely missed his friendship.
After that we made up, we talked more, and he started flirting. He told me when we dated for the first time that I would fall for him. I don’t know when it happened, I just know that in between being in a relationship, being friends, and just talking, I realized that whether we were together or not, I couldn’t live without him as my best friend.
This is one of those questions where there’s not really a good answer for how you know—it’s different for everyone. The truth is, what your parents say about “you just know,” is as close as you’re gonna get.
S: “When you know, you know!” It really is true and it’s an indescribable feeling.
Of course, if you’re looking for love at a young age (or if you think you’ve found it and you’re not sure yet) there’s one thing you want to know:
Q: What are the pros and cons of finding your one young?
M: I think the pros are that we have the rest of our lives to continue to grow and build each other up. We are always learning new things about each other, and maybe in ten years time we might already have each other pretty much figured out.
On the other hand, we are still learning. Sometimes we have to learn when to just stop arguing, how to deal with that person being in your space 24/7, what makes the other person upset, angry, emotional, and so on.
S: For pros, you don’t have to go on awkward dates anymore, you never feel alone, and you have a best friend for life. Your adventures are better when you have them beside you. As for cons: literally nothing.
There are a lot of pros (sometimes unexpected ones) and very few cons. True love is never a wrong step. Fake true love on the other hand… that is another story for another day.
Q: Before we go, ladies, any further advice?
S: If you haven’t felt that indescribable feeling, keep searching because your other half is out there.
M: You absolutely HAVE to have trust, and you need to communicated everything. Talk about the things that bother you, that make you happy, talk about your day every day. It’s important not to bottle up your feelings—if they love you, they will listen to everything.
And there you have it, folks! If you don't believe us, ask your parents, or your favorite #goals couple. Love is a powerful thing.
