Do you think sixteen is too young to marry, or even just get engaged?

Question

What about 17 or 18 as well? And how long from getting engaged to the actual wedding? And how long should you know each other before you get engaged or married? If 16 is too young how old should you be? I know this is a lot of question but im just curious

most of you seem to be under the assumption i want to get married or am considering getting married but dont worry im not, i just wondered peoples views, and i guess the bit i really want to know is how long should you be together before you get engaged/marry? Also should you live together first?

How can i pick a best answer out of all these!? Anyway thank you to everyone that answered, it was good to see you all express your views. Just to let you know I am 16 but do not plan to get married (or engaged) anytime soon, I want to finish my A-levels first (2 yrs), the go to uni (3ish yrs) and live with my boyfrined for at least a year or two before we think of marrying so i will hopefully be about 22 before we really think about it. Well at least i hope to stay with my boyfriend this long, we have only been going out 9 months so far but we both know we love each other, i know some people will be cynical but we shall see how it turns out

Answer 1

I think it is young bu tyou know what you want. No one will tell you what you can or can't do. You have really good ambitions and you should always stick to those. I was with a guy when i was 17 and i thought we would be together for ever but it didn't work out. I hope it does for you. I would def advise living with someone befor you get married. You learn a lot. I am now engaged to a guy, we have been together foe 3 years, we have a little girl (nearly 1) and are planning on getting married next year. Im only 24! i hope all works out for you and your fella. If not then the right person is out there. You're still young! Enjoy life with your man or on your own. XXX

Answer 2

Do you think sixteen is too young to marry, or even just get engaged? If you are serious about each other then I see no harm but at least make sure you are serious.
What about 17 or 18 as well? Same thing applies as above.
And how long from getting engaged to the actual wedding? I don't think it matters. My friend's parents got married the day after they got engaged and some people have been engaged for years.
And how long should you know each other before you get engaged or married? It depends really. Some people say they know straight away if they were meant to be together.
If 16 is too young how old should you be? No one can ever determine how old you should be.
Should you live together before you get married or engaged? It doesn't matter. Some people do and some people don't.

All of it really depends on who you are and who you are going to spend your life with. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

Yes!! At that age a person is still in high school, and whether they think so or not, is not ready to live their life as an adult. School is more important than love (don't hate me for saying that please!) because if it really is love, it can wait, and will be there when you're out of college! And if not, then it wasn't meant to be, and its a good thing you didn't marry that person! How long you should know a person (in general) before marrying them depends on the situation. If you mean just knowing a person, i'd say at LEAST a year. If you mean going out with them, i'd say three months... if that full year is included. (i.e., knowing them a yr before dating them, or just dating them for a yr or more, etc.). 16 is too young, and i'd say the right age (at least) would be about 21 - by then a person has experienced life enough to make (hopefully) the right decision, and has had enough relationships (or a long enough relationship) to know whether their love is true and whether they are ready or really want to marry. Personally, though, I wouldn't even marry at that age. I have friends who are 20, and to me, they might as well still be teenagers, and i could never see them getting married yet. They're still just kids, no matter how old they seem to think they are!

Answer 4

I'm not a person that thinks there is an age limit on love, but however I do think that a person should wait until they are a bit older than 16, perhaps 18 os more like it? Just so the couple really knows that it is what they want. I also think that a couple should KNOW each other atleast a year before the wedding, and depending on how long they have been together would affect how long a couple waits from engagement to wedding.

Answer 5

some people are ready for all that marriage / committment entails at an early age - some NEVER ready regardless of age.
marriage is a partnership where both parties need to communicate openly from the start; learn to compromise so that you both achieve what you want from life (this can be constantly changing)- discuss BEFOREHAND what your expectations of a marriage are . do you both want children & how many,also time frame, other family expectations, roles within the household( shared chores , child care etc)
I have seen & heard of people marrying at an early age & going on to have a LONG successful union , as well as those marrying later in life & the relationship disintegrates in a short time
the amount of time a couple is involved before deciding on that step is also an individual thing.
ALSO a BIG expensive wedding ceremony/reception does not make you any more married than a smaller intimate less costly celebration. TOO MANY people think just about the ****wedding*** ( which is after all just 1 day )))) & give little thought to the **MARRIAGE** - which is supposed to last a lifetime
you do not have to '''get engaged'' as such to go ahead & get married - the engagement is just a committment to marry . -I married my husband 10days after making the decision to do so; my daughter & her husband married in a month ( 7 years ago her 22 him 24) you just need to check the legal requirements where you live as to how much notice of intent to marry that you must give the authorities

GOOD ON YOU for thinking about these things at your age

Answer 6

16 is too young. People that are 16 right now will probably live to be at least 120. Would you really want to be married for 100 years?

I think if you are still in your teens, you are not mature or life equipped enough to make the biggest decision of your life. I think people should get married at least a year after engagement. if you are engaged for four years, it just seems kind of silly, get it over with already. I think that if a couple is in their 20's, they should get married after four years of dating.(After 4 years you know each other well enough to know if you can live together forever). If a couple is younger than 20, they should be together at least 8 years before they get married(you will know each other really well and have had a chance to grow up a bit).

Answer 7

I think it's certainly young to get married. If I saw someone at 16 with an engagement ring I would certainly pass judgment in my head, but I can't actually say anything since I don't know the relationship. I'm 19 and would love to get engaged to my boyfriend soon, but we wouldn't get married for awhile. I feel that there should be at least a 1 year trial period between engagement and marriage. However, my boyfriend and I have been living together for almost a year now, while we're in school, and that has certainly helped strengthen and propel our relationship forward. I've been dating my boyfriend for 4 years next month.

Answer 8

16 is too young. I know several people who got married young, and they all say they would have waited, but they also say that back then they were convinced they were doing the right thing an no one could have told them different.

Personally, I think people need to date minimum 3-4 years before getting engaged (the more the better). You shouldn't live together until after married. You should definitely finish all of your schooling before the ceremony.

The world is a big wonderful place. Explore it before starting a family of your own.

Answer 9

ABSOLUTELY. My mom was engaged at 16 , married at 17 - and divorced at 33. I thought I was better, I knew my BF for 4 years, we were 'perfect' for each other...so I got engaged at 17, married at 18. Had 10 good years, but divorced when I was 28 with a toddler.

You just can't know how you will change as a person as you age. Your early 20s are a time of HUGE personal change. Get out of high school, go to college or get a job. If he's "the one", then he'll wait.

Answer 10

16 is definitely too early to get married. You still don't know who you are. You are still maturing, and guys mature slower than girls, some are still not mature after 25. I got married at 20, but I had been dating the same guy since 13. I think you need to wait until at least 18, but also make sure you are really emotionally ready. Don't get married just to have someone, that usually ends bad. Make sure you are truly in love, and not just puppy love. I think a year is a good time frame to be engaged, unless you have a specific date and day of the week you are waiting for (ie-you want a saturday wedding and you want it on the 25 of May, so you have to wait longer or slighty shorter than a year). Make sure your family is comfortable with your plans, because you don't want to be constantly defending your actions to them, it will cause you headaches. Just be sure you know who you are dating. Make sure you know their previous relationship history, health history, and make sure you each understand the other ones goals in life. You must be completely honest and open with each other, NO SECRETS! IF there are ANY doubts in your mind, then you are not ready.