The couple began talking about marriage a few months before Jordan proposed. The two were driving back to Tuscaloosa from Disney Land after visiting his brother and sister-in-law, when they first discussed getting married in the summer. It was then Jordan said he knew he was going to propose.
“We went to the botanical gardens in Birmingham and we were just going to walk and talk,” Jourdan, a senior majoring in English, said. “There were flowers there and they were my favorite flowers, then he began talking about our relationship and how we had grown in the past for years together and he just wanted our relationship to continue to grow for the rest of our lives together.”
Jordan then got down on one knee and proposed. Waiting behind a bush not far away was Jourdan family and friends, taking pictures of the entire proposal. Afterwards the entire family went to dinner to celebrate.
Out of the 20,928 undergraduates surveyed by the National Center for Education Statistics in 2008, about 18 percent reported they were married. Many couples in long term relationships do not consider marriage in college for a variety of reasons, one being it does not seem feasible due to financial stability.
The Berrys never lived together prior to getting married, but they took precautions so they would be financially stable. Jourdan had a savings account specifically for her wedding and Jordan had already graduated by the time of their wedding so he could work full time and help pay living expenses.
The Student Counseling Center does not offer marital counseling or pre-marital counseling specifically, but does offer couples’ counseling to students. Some of the most common problems young married couples face, according to relationshipanswers.com, are communication and money management.
“All young couples are sorting through relationship compatibility and understanding themselves and each other,” Lee Keyes, executive director at the Student Counseling Center, said. “I think whether they intend on getting married or just maintaining a long term commitment those dynamics are pretty similar, and sometimes they come to counseling to sort through things. That’s not all the time though, sometimes they are just here to prepare for the future.”
While young couples face problems different than those of couples merely in long-term relationships, many also find benefits. Jourdan said one benefit of being married and living together is that as soon as she got married, her grades went up. Having Jordan around keeps her focused and encourages her to do better, she said.
For Jordan, he said the best part of marriage is always having his best friend around.
“The worst part about dating or being engaged is that at the end of the night I would have to drive back to my apartment,” he said. “Now I’m with my best friend and we’re together mornings and nighttimes, and we never have to tell each other goodbye for a long period of time. Just knowing that every night you get to go home to your best friend has been the best part of marriage so far.”
