"If we're both still single by 35...": The real-life marriage pacts that actually worked out.

Many of us have made a marriage pact with one (or maybe a few) of our friends. It usually went something like, “If we’re both still single by [insert personal “scary age” here] then we have to get married.” Cautiously, jokingly, you made this arrangement in case things didn’t work out with other people.

I have this pact with a close friend who’s extremely good looking. I’ve never actually dated him; it’s my way of claiming dibs on him if we both end up single. We made the pact, as most people do, after several rounds of tequila shots at a mutual friend’s wedding. Originally we set our marrying age at 35—it’s since increased to 50.

It’s disheartening to think we still feel pressured by society to get paired off by a certain age. But all the same, it’s kind of romantic to know that sometimes, these marriage pacts actually work out.

For these Redditors, the marriage pact was a success, and as many of us can attest, a relationship that grows from friendship is often the best type.

One listener tells Mamamia that she even though she feels embarrassed about it, she desperately wants to be in a relationship. (Post continues after audio.)

“We made a pact in high school.”

“We were both never single at the same time, but always best friends. Made a pact in high school that, if at 30 we’re both single, we’d get married. We stayed friends after graduation, and at 25 we started hanging out more and more. We fell deeply in love, and on our 30th birthday (yes, we have the same birthday) we were married. Life couldn’t be better!” —tightnrain

“I used to date her female best friend.”

“My best friend of 10 years said to me one day in a group conversation that if we weren’t with anyone by the time she was 30 (she was 25 at the time), that we would have to be together. As beautiful as she was/is, I never made a move because I used to date her female best friend, so I thought the ‘girl code’ would halt my advance. Sure enough, once she said that, I was like, ‘Hold up, she’s possibly into me?!’ I made the move! Six months after that conversation, we got married. It was a fairly easy transition. Currently married for three years with two children. I’m fucking loving every moment of it.” —BioKlean911

Scroll through to see of the most famous on-screen couples. (Post continues after gallery.)

“You could say I was a pact player.”

“I made pacts with a bunch of female friends through school, college, and university…on my wedding day, just before the service, one girl made reference to it (the fact we had made a quote silly pact), only for two of the other girls which I also made a pact with to overhear her and state that they also had a pact…all three were shocked I went to such lengths…I was coy about it, though, and made the pacts at different ages in case one or two became off the market… You could say I was a pact player…” —ReaperBallz

“It started off as a business arrangement… (now) We are extremely in love.”

“We left our spouses around the same time (not for each other) and decided to share a house. We got to [talking] one night and decided we each had all the things the other was looking for, plus we got along really well. We were in our mid-30s by then and sick of the dating scene, so we just laid it out like a business arrangement. What started off as an ‘arrangement’ eventually evolved into something extremely serious and passionate. We’ve been together now for almost seven years and married for almost one. We are extremely in love, and I have zero regrets.” —1throw9away79

So if you’re single, don’t rule out that person who’s “just a friend”. They could be the love of your life.

This post was originally published on our sister site, Spring Street.