When we are children turning 30 seems ancient, and girls especially, hope to be married before they hit their thirties. But is there really a perfect age at which to get married?

The answer is obviously “no”. There is nothing perfect in marriage; except the foundation with Christ, of course! There are advantages and disadvantages in making this big life decision regardless of age. If you are in, or just passed your thirties, don’t worry. There are advantages to saying “yes I do” later in life.

When a couple is still in school, or fresh out of school, the decision to get married may be easier. It’s easier to abandon your past life when it’s still quite short. When we are young we already live life with more recklessness and are continuously going through big changes. We have nothing to fear because we have almost nothing to lose, and it’s a time where pregnancies have fewer complications. So there are good benefits to tying the knot at a young age.

But there are cons too. When we are young, we are just beginning to learn about ourselves. There will be big changes to our character when we enter the workforce, and begin to live our “adult” lives. The monthly bills and more stable income means it is also a period of financial changes. All these changes can really transform a person. How many people do you know that complain about the person they married no longer being the same! And rightly so, when someone marries young, they should expect their partner to change and grow.

When someone enters their adult life without being married, these major changes will not affect their future spouse. After a few years, they will understand what they like or don’t like in most areas of their life. Their financial situation is usually more stable and saving for retirement and even purchasing a property is often on the menu. The advantages in getting married at this stage in life are that your partner will be more stable in their character and there should be fewer surprises after a few years of marriage. Financial management is an acquired skill (or should be!) so planning the finances with two, should be much simpler.

However, there are cons. Since financial achievements have already been accomplished on both sides, it may be difficult for some to share their finances with a partner. Giving our life to another person, when our life is just starting, is easier than when our life is already well established. This also applies to the small habits that we pick up during our years of being single. These will need to be negotiated or abandon so that we can live with our beloved.

We can’t always choose the moment when we get married, but don’t worry if you are tired of waiting, there are advantages to getting married later in life.