I think mid to late 20's-early 30's is ideal in the general sense but obviously it really depends on the individual. For most people, I think it's better to wait until you are at least 25 to get married. I know there are many exceptions, obviously, but I don't think the majority of people are mature enough to get married in their early 20's.

Anonymous wrote:25 was absolutely perfect for us. Out of college and had careers but still had plenty of time to enjoy each other without adding kids to the mix.

I agree. I was 25, DH 26. We were married young enough to grow up a bit together in our later twenties, to have time to ourselves before kids came along. I also love that by having our first child when I was 28, we were young enough that the grandparents were healthy and young grandparents too. My mom in particular was young enough to help me get through the infant years for three children. She could lift them in and out of cribs, chase out of toddlers, and physically care for them so DH and I could go on romantic vacations without the kids. And yet we were old enough to have completed college, our graduate educations and have a couple of years in the workforce under our belts.

I was 26 and my DH was 27. We had both had time to get our careers going after we had completed our MBA's. We waited four years to have children and that was a fun time for us early in our marriage. We saved a lot of money during that period so that when we had children we were not under any financial stress.

26-30 after you have been able to get your career started, saved some money and matured a bit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t know. I wonder if the older you get the harder it gets. I’m so independent and settled at 30 that it will be challenging to merge finances and lives. Sometimes I wish I had been young and naive.

It absolutely does. I know older women who could easily find partners to marry but refuse to upend their current lives.

I'm married, but at 40+ I realize I will never remarry if I happen to outlive or divorce DH. It's just too much hassle to get used to a brand new person!

Yes. The older you get, the more settled in your ways too.