While most students will walk to receive their diploma's before they walk down the aisle to wed, some are heading towards matrimony before the end of their college careers.
Sophomore Tyler Lee and junior Terry Kipp who met the summer before college will marry on June 9, 2012 after being engaged for over a year.
The couple, who dated for six months before their engagement, is looking forward to their upcoming nuptials.
"I'm really excited to share that moment with Tyler," Kipp said. "I think I'm most excited for us to start the rest of our lives together. College is just a small stepping stone."
Tyler is looking forward to spending the rest of her life with her "best friend."
According to the couple their families were both extremely excited and didn't question or doubt their decision.
However, some people seem doubtful of their marriage.
"Whenever we tell people we're engaged we get a lot of weird looks," the couple said. "More people say 'good luck' instead of 'congratulations.'"
The couple spoke of the many perks of marrying young.
"Marrying young allows you to share moments and tough times with someone else," the couple said. "It allows you to share experiences that normally you would have to deal with all on your own."
According to the couple they are very supportive of each other and look forward to helping each other out in tough times.
"I really feel like the biggest benefit is giving someone unconditional love and receiving it back," Lee said. "It's a feeling that builds a person up so high that it rolls over into everything they do."
Although Senior Megan Dunham will not wed before her graduation this May she has been planning her wedding for some time.
Dunham and her fianc?© Christopher Marenco, who attends the United States Military Academy, will wed August 3, 2013. The couple had been dating for five years when they were engaged on December 30, 2012.
Despite their age, Dunham said everyone has been supportive.
"Most of my family responded with phrases like 'finally' or 'about time,' Dunham said. "Not one person has been upset about it."
Dunham agreed with Kipp and Lee that there was a huge advantage to getting married young but noted that it might have been harder to marry young if her fianc?© weren't in the military.
Dunham noted that the couple is very prepared to start their lives as a married couple.
"Once we get married I will be under his insurance and he already has a steady income," Dunham said. "Hopefully I will be teaching and have my own benefits and salary, but worst comes to worst we are both taken care of."
Lee, Kipp, Dunham and her fianc?© all agreed that they were excited for what the future holds as married couples despite any doubts people may have.
Ashley Duvall can be reached at ashley.duvall@student.shu.edu.
