I'm 23 and I've been with my boyfriend, Keith, for 3 and half years. 
Even when we'd been together a year or so, Keith would get asked when he'd pop the question.  I think he's always found this awkward and although he says he wants to marry me, he only wants to do so when we're 'secure' with a house. I can understand what he means. Being married and still living seperately with each of our parents just wouldn't feel right. 
But that doesn't stop me feeling very impatient. Most people who are really keen to marry however, seem to want huge weddings in which they put a lot of money into making their special day.
For a long time, the idea of a proper church wedding sounded like an ideal to me. I got to about 18 and realised I'm not religious in any way so that would just be silly.
Recently I attended a wedding between Keith's uncle and a lovely lady called Georgia. They got married in a function room in a grand house.  It was ok, but the atmosphere was very static and I felt very uncomfortable. That may have been down to the fact Keith's uncle had lost his previous wife in a tragic accident many years ago.  Since I hadn't met most of Keith's family before and a lot of them were crying, I felt like I was intruding into their private grief.
The idea of marrying in a similar setting doesn't leave me feeling inspired, and I don't want to spend thousands on silly weddings like getting married underwater or something.
Maybe we should just sign the papers and have done with it?  Think how much money that would save, and perhaps we'd be happier anyway!

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