Marrying Your High School Sweetheart Just Became Cool
Okay, so I’m not the world’s biggest golf fan - although I do know my way around a mini golf course - but I do recognize the name Jordan Spieth when I hear it, thanks to my future brother-in-law and his love for the links. And I believe congratulations are in order for the PGA VIP, according to numerous reports about his Christmas Eve engagement news. Though it’s still not confirmed, the photo that’s been circulating on social media the last few days has everything that a just-engaged couple usually posts following an epic proposal - smiling soon-to-be spouses, a gorgeous future wedding-worthy mani, a not-too-shabby sparkler on that all-important left ring finger. You know, all the things.
What we love even more than a perfect holiday or winter proposal story, though, is the fact that JS and his new bride to be, Annie Verret, are actually high school sweethearts. I’m going to be horribly biased, because I married my own high school sweetheart, but it’s one of the greatest things ever. And considering how many times Jordan has told the press about the order of priorities in his life (golf isn’t first), it seems like Annie tops that list - as she should!
The duo lives in Dallas, under the same roof, and started dating their senior year of high school. Since the start of their relationship, they’ve gone to two different colleges, started careers, and been by each other’s sides through it all. And while some would say that committing yourself to one person so early in life is suchhhh a bad decision - you know, the whole ‘you haven’t lived your life, you’ve only ever been with one person, you’re going to have regrets later on, blah de blah de blah’ perspective - we take a different approach over here. Not just because I share the same beginnings as the future Mr. & Mrs. Spieth, my husband and I started writing our love story during our senior year of high school…
There are certainly reasons to be skeptical of the longevity of young love, but Jordan and Annie seem to hush those hesitations - giving hs sweethearts everywhere some hope that they, too, can make it. For starters, being with someone for so long before getting married can help ensure that neither of you threatens the other with the phrase ‘you let yourself go’ before saying ‘I Do.’ If nothing else, your partner has seen you at various stages of your life - bigger, smaller, happier, less happy, successful, struggling, etc. - and they should be able to think about the consequences of bringing up those glory or gloomy days.
Check out a few more reasons marrying your high school love might just be the best idea ever. You’ve probably heard that the key to a long and healthy relationship is being best friends. Well, we can’t think of any high school sweetheart success stories that didn’t first start with a tale of BFFs.
Photo from: @golfdigest
you know each other better than you know yourselves
It’s seriously scary how well my husband knows me and can anticipate all of my reactions, thought processes, impulses, etc. well before I’m privy to them. And for high school sweethearts, that’s the truth, across the board. If you’ve been together for the greater part of your formative years, you’ve figured out all of your S.O.’s buttons, trigger points, hopes, fears, and can help them get through adversity with outright aplomb. And when it comes to wedding planning drama or roadblocks on the way to the altar, they’ll help you through it, because they know what you’re thinking before you even do. Photographers: Bryan Apen on Unsplash
you know how a partnership works years ahead of your peers
Being with the same person since you were a teenager can pretty much guarantee that you know the meaning of teamwork. Some would say that it’s smarter and more advantageous to establish an identity and independence, on your own, before getting married, but being able to navigate situations as a unit not only makes hardship or new experiences easier, it almost forces you to stop only considering yourself. You approach every new life event, milestone, decision, with a second person’s best wishes in mind, and that codependence can basically set you up for a stronger foundation and foothold into new roles (parenthood, new career paths, etc.). Photographers: Jenn Evelyn-Ann on Unsplash
you don't have exes, hang ups or past hookups haunting your happy home
Okay, yes, high school relationships are usually looked at with hugeee question marks, because college is the time that ‘you should be experimenting,’ ‘learning about yourself,’ ‘making mistakes,’ ‘finding out what you like or don’t like,’ and on and on and on. But! If you’re each other’s person, from day one, you don’t have to worry about ex bf’s or gf’s creating issues, or even how you’d be able to handle the dating world. My husband and I definitely didn’t get to ‘experience the wonderfulness of the dating world,’ buttttt hearing horror stories from my best friend and her Bumble blips and mishaps really don’t paint a pretty picture of what it’s like to play the field. We’d much rather Hulu and hang or Netflix and chill from the comfort of our own home, with pjs, cozy slippies, sparkling wine and whisky in hand, watching the peeps on screen struggle to find their special someone. Photographers: Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
you don't have to get to know your in-laws, they're already family
By the time I was getting married, I was already 8+ years into knowing my guy and his family. I was excited to gain older siblings in his sisters and brother, and I got to know my new parents way back when they were picking us up from school dances and dropping us off at the movie theater to meet our friends. I considered them family before I was even required to do so. And with so many unchartered territories in the process of meeting the in-laws, getting accepted into the family fold, and dealing with future hard times as a united front, it helps to already know the lay of the land and feel comfortable with your new ride-or-die tribe. Photographers: Ben White on Unsplash
your friends are his, his are yours
Unless you were one of those opposites attract high school stories, you probably ran in the same social circles and can name many of the same childhood friends. Sure, you’ve both grown since your teenage years, picked up college friends, work wives, and gym buddies along the way, but if you still keep in touch with friends you shared a limo with to prom, then you’ll probably be sending a save the date their way, or even including them in your bridal party. And when it comes time to make your guest list for the wedding, having mutual friends makes keeping a manageable number of invitees a reality. Later down the line, once you start getting table arrangements set for your venue, you’ll be ahead of the game again. Because, they can all sit together. Photographers: Yanapi Senaud on Unsplash
your honeymoon years are over, but you're still going strong
NOT saying that couples who haven’t been together for so long get engaged and then married and then suddenly feel their sparks go out. BUT. If you’ve been together since high school, you’ve had your ups, downs, laughs, cries, peaks of total bliss and valleys of totally despair, and you’ve still decided to make a go of it with your bae. While you may have a ring on your finger, it’s really just a new chapter of your love story, and not the most monumental change to your relationship. So, you’ll revel in your new role as fiancé, but not cringe once you have to turn it in for a newer role of wife. And by the time you get married, you’ve probably already had your fair share of fights over the years, so it won’t be the first time that you and your boo have a disagreement. You know how your arguments manifest, you know what kinds of blows each of you usually throws, and you can throw down and then kiss and make up quickly and quietly. Photographers: Freestocks.org on Unsplash
you have some of the best memories to share with future generations
When I look at my baby boy, and remember that he’s a part of the world because me and my hubby fell in love and stayed that way since we were 17 years old, it’s the most surreal thing in the world. I look forward to the day that I can say ‘Oh, buddy, your daddy was the worst dancer in the worllllld at prom” or hear my husband tell him what a prissy, perfectionistic princess his mommy was as a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. Or both of us tell him how much we didn’t like each other our first year of high school, but lo and behold, we were inseparable only four years later. Remembering your former selves and old memories is a wonderful thing, and being able to reflect on those shared experiences together can be such a strength to your relationship. Photographers: Caleb Woods on Unsplash