Marriage
When you think about getting married, what age do you imagine yourself being? Is it 18, fresh out of high school and looking for an adventure? Or maybe it's around 21, getting settled into college life and just starting to find yourself. For others it might be more around the 30 year mark, having graduated with a degree, you've "found yourself", and you're finally ready to make the last big step in life that says, "hello, I'm an adult." There isn't really a wrong age to get married, (unless it's a teen marriage, I highly recommend not doing that.) Whether you get married when you're 20 or when your 30, there isn't one that is significantly better than the other one. There are however some pros and cons to both younger and older marriages.
Some cons of getting married when you're 25+, the transition period in your marriage will be a lot more difficult. A lot changes once you're married. Things like changing names, moving in together, combining finances, mixing lifestyles, etc. become a lot more difficult the older you are. Once you are established and have become who you want to be, it is extremely difficult to let someone new in. They will have different ideas and opinions about how to manage a home that you have been running by yourself for quite a few years. There is also the concern of children. Couples who marry after they're 25 are much more likely to have less children or no children at all. You get into a routine you like and children would only ruin that routine, so not having them looks more and more attractive the older you get. Fertility rates also go down the older you get.
One plus of waiting to get married is that you are more financially stable. You also don't have to endure a lot of the stress that younger couples do because of the instability in their lives, such as constant job changes or moving wherever your schooling takes you. And there is more emotional and mental maturity than younger couples possess.
Some cons of marrying when you're younger, there is a lot more instability during the first few years. The financial problems can get extremely tough, you may have to deal with more immaturity from both you and your spouse. You also have to endure your spouse's "growing pains", in other words them trying to become who they want to be, while also trying to become who you want them to be.
Both men and women have shown more sexual satisfaction when married younger and they tend to show a little more satisfaction with their marriage as a whole vs. couples who married later. While finances and other issues are hard on a marriage, studies show that couples who go through those trials together and are able to keep a healthy relationship during them, are better off and more unified than those who do not endure those trials together. You are also able to be more flexible about having children, you can start right away or wait until you're a little older, there is no worry about the "biological clock".
Again, there are no studies that show that one age is 100% better than another. It is important to allow people to make their own decisions though. If you married when you were 21, you shouldn't judge someone who is waiting until they're 28. And if you're 30, you shouldn't discourage your 23yr old cousin from marrying her fiancé just because you feel differently about it. There is no one size fits all, the important thing is making sure that you as a couple are happy and are maintaining a healthy relationship with each other.
