Remember that “back-up spouse” pact you made with best friend in high school, when you thought being 30 and single would be the worst thing ever? Turns out some people have actually gone through with it.
Yep, the “marriage pact” is not just something that happens on every single sitcom you’ve ever watched, real people have married their back-up spouse.
On a recent AskReddit thread, men and women revealed why they made back-up spouse pacts in the first place and whether they actually went through with it. AND SOME OF THEM DID.
"I told her I loved her."
"We were friends for years (since we were kids), we had a 'let's get married by 40' arrangement, she ended up dating a guy and had a kid with him. I gave up on that idea. Then he cheated, I stopped pussyfooting around and told her I loved her, and we're expecting our daughter within the next few days! We're not married yet, but hey we're not 40 yet either." - billyblanks81
"We've been together for seven years now."
"Made a deal with a friend that we would get married at 35 if neither of us found anyone else by then. She decided to skip all that shit after a few months and we've been together for almost seven years now." - Bad_Elephant
"It's complicated."
"The woman I had the deal with is now married to the father of the girl who set me up with the woman who became my wife. Edit: I feel like I need to stress this, because it sounds ridiculous... this is absolutely true." - BindingsAuthor
"We're 31 and he's on his third marriage."
"I made a pact like this when I was in high school. I think ours was 30, though. We're 31 and he's on his third marriage, so I'm OK with it not working out." - maggie5105
"We got married at 25!"
"Yep! I met my wife when we were 19, we made a "if we're not married at 30" pact at age 21, and we got married at 25! Things are pretty great. We'll probably still be married at 30." - wishihadtusks
Listen: The Mamamia Out Loud team debate whether you can cheat on your wife and still be a feminist. Post continues after audio.
"He was my best friend."
"Our deal was 28. He was my best friend. At some point in our friendship he slept with one of my friends, (18yrs) I got the idea we obviously were just friends and we kept it at that... I started dating my now husband and he almost immediately moved home. (A different province). I found out later from a mutual friend that when I got into a serious relationship it crushed him because he was in love with me. He even offered to come back and take care of me when I ended up pregnant a few years ago. I would probably have married him if he would have told me how he felt. Oh well, such is life." - thesparklepony
"I'm glad we didn't wait 13 years to do it."
"We agreed for something like 35. I didn't take it seriously since a. It's a marriage pact, no one takes those seriously. b. He had one with another girl at the same time. Seriously, who gets married on the fallback wedding pact?
Turns out we were terrible at not being together. Started dating within months, were married less than two years later and I'm still glad we didn't wait 13 years to do it." - PennyPridy (Post continues after gallery.)
Our favourite happy celebrity couples .
"Now I'm 31 and still single."
"When I was around 20 I jokingly made one with a friend I had known for about eight years by then (only it was to get married by 30). We had 'dated' when I was about 14. Broken up after a few months but were always good friends after. Got closer again and ended up dating again for about a year before I graduated college.
"It ended after they met their current spouse. And now I'm 31 and still single. They're married and have a kid. I miss the friendship but we wouldn't have worked. We had good chemistry but weren't a good couple otherwise. Also, we looked a bit too much like siblings, which was kind of creepy." - FoxGirl_DPP
"We just celebrated two years together."
"My S/O and I said we would get married if nobody else wanted us by the time we turned 40 (or maybe 30). She's now 22 and I'm 25, we just celebrated our two years together, and we've been living in our own apartment for a year and a half as well." - tswtom
We just decided to live together as friends.
"Me and my bestie had the whole 'if we are still single by 30' thing going. We made it to 28 and decided to just get married anyway. We met at 11 years old. Also both of us are female but neither of us are gay. We just decided we'd rather live together as best friends than keep trying to find husbands we like more than each other." - stiglette
Looks like we might have to get back in touch with some old friends!
Top Comments
Most of these - with the exception of the last one - are not stories of marrying your back-up spouse but more of one of the pair declared their real feelings way before the pact's kick-in date then they end up genuinely together for real.
I thought I was going to read about couples who dated others for x number of years, but never made it down the aisle then went to the back-up plan at / around the agreed age because they were still single.
I wouldn't enter into this arrangement if I were still single (which I was for more than 8 years)
The character Joan Harris/ Holloway from Mad Men nailed my reasons...
Bob Benson's big pitch (for a marriage arrangement) to powerful, beautiful, independent Joan was that she is pushing 40 and a single mother, and he could buy her a mansion in Detroit and they could "comfort each other through an uncertain world." Oh, how romantic! You think Joan accepted that offensive proposal? Of course not. But our awesome, takes-no-shit Joan didn't just give him a simple "No." Instead she dropped this stellar response on him: "I'd rather die hoping [I find real love] than make some arrangement. And you should, too." All hail Joan.