Tying the knot at 21: Do or Don't?

It has recently come to my attention that more and more people these days are choosing to marry at a young age. Although getting married at the ripe age of sixteen used to be the norm in society, ever since the woman transitioned into the working, powerful and ambitious woman, society began to see a pattern in which women were getting married much later into their 20s and even 30s. In 2010, that trend, it would seem, has taken yet another turn. Married couples are becoming significantly younger once again. Celebrities especially have decided that life is simply too short, why wait? Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are just one example of a celebrity couple that chose to tie the know at an extremely young age, and we all saw how that turned out- Spencer became extremely aggressive and exhibited puzzling and perplexing behavior, while Heidi proceeded to have part of her back removed in attempt to heighten her appeal, as well as quadruple her breast size (if we can even call those planets on her chest 'breast'). The fact that their choice to wed at an early age not only led them to an overly predictable divorce, but that it also destroyed the public's perception of them as individuals (Heidi is now commonly referred to as an alien with boobs and Spencer is now the angry midget with frosted tips) is reason enough to chill out on dishing those vows. You're probably wondering what prompted me to write about young couples getting married? It lately came to my attention that two individuals with whom I attended High School recently became engaged. For obvious reasons, such as the fact that I myself, am the same age as these individuals and have only ever had one relationship with someone of the opposite sex OR the fact that I currently live with my MOTHER, I found this information quite alarming. I mean, really? At age 21, you are totally positive that you are done scoping the scene, trying different flavors, and are ready to settle down, FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, with your current boo? I mean, this is marriage we are talking about, not some all-inclusive vacation to Mexico for a week of sex and pina coladas. I'm not sure if these couples are aware that while their friends will be out dancing and taking body shots off of the opposite sex (or same sex, you never REALLY know these days what people are feeling) you and your husband or wife will be sitting at home watching re-runs of 7th Heaven, trying to decide which episodes are appropriate for your future children to watch. Or the two of you might be at Home Depot picking out tiles for your kitchen- for which your parents are probably paying. Even worse, a few years down the road, let's say three years into your marriage, you may have popped out a baby or two. I'd like to clarify that at this point, you are 24 years old, married (and to someone who probably used be very attractive but due to the comfort level that now exists between the two of you, has probably let themselves entirely go and now pains you to look at and be reminded that they are your spouse) and now have children. So, while you are breastfeeding your child or cleaning up his or her fresh vomit, your friends are out clubbing, out for dinner, shopping or having crazy intense sex with someone they met on a beach in Bali. You probably haven't even had sex since your baby was conceived due to the fact that you've put on thirty pounds and decided that brushing your hair was no longer a priority and your husband can't even stand to look at you, let alone climb on top of your naked fat body. Apart from the fact that getting married at a very young age completely defaces your social life in every possible way (trust me, no one my age would go out for drinks with a married couple the same age- that would be as painful and as awkward and as featureless as their wedding day), your wedding would probably suck and be entirely unmemorable due to the fact that you are TWENTY-ONE and have absolutely no finances to pay for your wedding, let alone any knowledge to plan a wedding. Yes, as the young bride, you may have watched re-runs of "Say Yes to the Dress" but unfortunately Fairweathers doesn't sell wedding dresses. And your paycheck from Manchu Wok isn't quite enough to buy you a wedding dress that won't have you cringing when you look at your wedding album ten years from now- that is to say, if you and your spouse even last ten years, which is doubtful. Marriage at twenty-one is just not feasible, I simply do not see the logic anywhere. Number one: you are poor and lack the necessary knowledge to plan and host a wedding. For many individuals, their wedding day is the most important day of their lives and it should be made as special and as memorable as possible. The only memorable image of a young couple's wedding that I can conjure is the bride passing out after a few too many wine coolers. Number two reason for which you should avoid getting married at the age of twenty-one: you are so young and should be enjoying all that life as a twenty-something has to offer. I am not suggesting that one should break up with a serious boyfriend or girlfriend who may in fact be possible spouse potential, I am simply arguing that one should not be substituting body shots, foreign flings or alcohol-induced bad decisions for diapers, daycare or movie nights. If you're madly in love with someone then just wait it out, there is no harm whatsoever in doing that. Trust me, no matter how cool or "fun" you and your spouse may in fact be, once you're married at age twenty-one, none of that will matter. You are now old and weird and no one will want to hang out with you. And if your wedding doesn't have an open bar, I wouldn't expect myself or anyone else under 30 to show up. Tying the knot at 21 is a definite and very pronounced "Don't."