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I may be one of the only women that hasn't been planning my wedding since I was 12 years old. I don't have my dress picked out or the perfect cake, and I definitely don't care about what flowers I'll be carrying down the aisle.
The only thing I do have is a boyfriend, but that doesn't mean wedding bells.
I have been with my boyfriend for three years this November. He is my best friend, and we have a wonderful, loving relationship. We live in an amazing apartment together, have met each other's parents and even own pets together.
But we aren't getting married. Not now or anytime soon.
I know it's hard to believe, but being in a long-term relationship for more than a few months doesn't mean marriage is in the foreseeable future. And this is something the two of us have openly discussed. It was a bit awkward at first, but it was nice to be forward with the fact that we just aren't the marrying type, either not to each other or not at this point in our lives.
I am completely fine with the idea of being with someone and not having to worry about what is going to happen in the long run. I'm not ready to pick out furniture sets and plan what our children's names will be. But I think they would be something like Jackson for a boy and Isabelle for a girl.
And the hardest part about all of this is not that we're together and know a wedding isn't going to be the final hurrah - it's all our married friends. I'm not knocking marriage; I'm just saying it's not for me. And definitely not right now.
I'm 23 years old, ready to graduate in December and want to start some sort of career. I want to worry about my own life before committing myself to being a part of someone else's. The pressure isn't coming from my relationship but from all the married people around and the others that are following suit.
Our married friends are great people, there's no doubt about that. There just seems to be some awkwardness about being one of the only couples left who hasn't tied the knot. And I know they're all wondering when it's going to happen. It's not a subject that comes up all the time, but it's there. I guess if they read this column, they'll finally know our stance on getting married.
I remember a time when being married was the most preposterous idea in the world. And here I am, living in a time where it seems we're having a throwback to getting married in our early 20s all over again. My parents did it, but that's because they had no other choice.
I'd still like to think I have a choice. The choice to be in a relationship and not have to be thinking about if this is the person I'm going to commit the rest of my life to.
If getting married when you're 23 or younger is something that works for you, then by all means go for it. If you've found that someone you can look at and see yourself with when you're both old and wrinkly, then go for it. But just because you've been with someone for an elongated amount of time does not mean you have to stay with that person forever.
And if we did ever decide to take the plunge, it would be in Vegas in a chapel with Elvis impersonators and a whole lot of gambling money. Oh, and booze, lots and lots of booze.
