[Cyndalie]

In 1980 that the average age of American women marrying for the first time was 22. Less than 30 years later, the average age for a first marriage has jumped to 26 for women and 28 for men.

I know many people around my ate ('76ers) waited to get married and some have still yet to tie the knot. While many 5-10 years younger are ready to start families - and are doing so at an age when the furthest thing from my mind was marriage and kids - it was finishing college and finding a guy to date longer than 5 months

I was 27 when I got married and we had been living together for 4 years prior. I think we did it at the right time, but I do wish we had been ready for kids sooner than 'oops, you're ready!'. When I was younger I imagined I'd be married by age 28 but no later than 30 and definitely not earlier than 24.

As for the thread topic question - I think it really depends, but I'm leaning towards marrying younger, between the ages for 23 and 25 as ideal.

This gives you time to finish school and spend together before child rearing begins, and yet you don't feel the family planning pressure that being older than 30 presents.

What do you think?