November 6, 2007

Dear Piper,

Hey Piper! I've met a wonderful, amazing man. We've fallen in love in a matter of weeks. We've both had our fair share of failed relationships, and both know when something is 'for real'. We know we'll get married, have children, and spend the rest of our lives together. How long do we need to wait before 'society' will accept a wedding between two people who, seemingly, have just met?

--Madly in Love

Dear Madly in Love,

Well, well, well, you lucky little minx. Let's just jump into this one, shall we? Revel in this love, throw down with it, get lost in it, rub it in everyone's face and don't even think about coming up for air. But might I suggest a period of engagement? Say, maybe, you set out to be engaged the same length of time that you dated? I say this not necessarily out of caution, but out of pragmatism. If you're so sure about this, I think it's OK to rush into it, but perhaps it's a jogging rush instead of a sprint.

I happen to know a couple who were engaged and married within two months of meeting each other; their sixth child was conceived on the husband's 50th birthday! So, you're in good company. And as for when society will be ready to accept your impending nuptials, if we waited for society to be ready for things, well, we'd all be abstaining from everything fun, wouldn't we? Sometimes we can't wait for others to catch up to us, we just have to drag them along for the ride.

--Piper