Ain't what it used to be.
I was looking at wedding photos this morning, there is not a lack of them coming from my friends on Facebook.com, and I began to feel teary eyed. Yes, I am one of those people. The very thought of a wedding makes me the wedding equivalent of clucky. I am one of the women who has always wanted to get married, there has never been a time in my life where I have thought that being married would be pointless. I love the idea of being someone's wife, their partner. I love the idea of a big, puffy dress, a huge cake and more importantly, the idea of being a little family. But in recent times, our generation has destroyed the idea of marriage. Back in the day, marriage was not something considered lightly. The very act of getting engaged required months of courtship. It was a huge deal when someone eloped, or got married "suddenly". It was a serious part of life, that meant that the couple expected to be together forever. These days things are not the same.
Nowadays, people are getting married when they are 18, to people they have only known for a month who they claim to be in love with after one date. Bullshit. Now, I am not a cynic, I do believe in love at first sight, but I also believe that those feelings can change. I fell in love with Karl the moment I saw him (I didn't know that at the time though) and we went through that stage where we were together 24/7, and I wanted to spend my life with him. That lasts about a year. Then you live together and you realise all of the other person's quirks. Maybe they are messy, or too clean. Maybe they stay up early or too late. You start to have an idea of what domestic life would be like with them, and that "honeymoon period" most definitely wears off. Feelings change, somtimes dramatically, sometimes not so much. I got annoyed with things Karl does, I still do, but atleast I know those things and I still love him. Many people decide to get married and they have never lived with each other, they get married, begin living together and they realise that spending 24/7 together may not be something they want to do. I think there is no coincidence that marriages don't last as long nowadays. People do not take marriage seriously enough.
People plan so much for the wedding day, and not the marriage. They don't ask the important questions because they are too wrapped up in the fact that they will be married. I have been with Karl for almost four years (in July), I am still learning new things about him every single day. There are new things that annoy me, there are new things that surprise me. People ask us all the time, "When are you guys getting married?" and the truth is, not soon. Karl didn't want to be married before he was 24, and he is only 22. We may get engaged soon but it will be a long engagement. I am happy for all of those people who think they have found true love, and have gotten married (there are a select few that I support). But I hate to admit that I have little faith that most of these marriages will last. Most of these 20 year old people that are getting married will probably not be married when they are 40. It frustrates me because when people like Karl and I, who have been together four years, get engaged there will be people who think it wont last because of the bad name these "marriage rushers" give to marriage. I want mine and Karls engagement to make people happy, I want it to be special. I don't want people to think "Oh, another set of people getting married. Oh well". That annoys me.
Ah, I am ranty due to this INSANE HEAT WAVE.