I totally thought this was Devon’s cousin or someone being funny.
Apparently we left quite an impression on our furniture salesman when we moved this summer. He actually sent us a Christmas card. He’s just one of the many people who think were already married.
We stopped at Sears Monday night because Devon needed a new car battery (another story for another day), the guy says “your wife can sign it if you want”. We are at the stage where we still start laughing when people say it. Like “lol no”. We don’t really outwardly correct people anymore. We just go with it, whilst laughing. We know it’ll happen so it’s not like people are being overly presumptuous. It’s just not happening yet.
His Gramma always refers to me as his fiancée and gets upset when he corrects her. She’s like well what are you waiting for? Nothing, really. But it’s not 1950 anymore, just because we’re both in our late twenties doesn’t mean we have to be married yet. And in fact a recent article from The New York Times says we’re following the current trend in dating/marriage.
Studies are showing a drastic decease in divorces because people are doing, essentially, what Devon and I are doing. We’re getting married later (meaning we aren’t married at 21 anymore), having kids later, and living together first. It’s almost like a test run of marriage but without the worry of divorcing if it doesn’t work. For traditionalists, this is appalling. But it’s realistic. I’d rather know now that it wouldn’t work because I only want to get married once.
As far as Devon and I are concerned, we live as a married couple just with different last names. We cohabitate as married people, we own property/things together as married people, we have invested in this relationship as if we were married. The legality will come later. It’s not like either of us is planning on going anywhere.
So for now; while I’m not Mrs. Banks yet, I will still usually answer to it, if for no other reason than for practice for when it is my name all the time. Not being married by 30 is okay; I have my partner in life regardless of whether there is a ring on my finger signifying it or not. That’s all that matters to me.