According to a recent study by Conde Nast Bridal Media American Wedding, the average woman gets married at 27. While this accounts for the majority of brides-to-be, there are still many women who are butting the trend by kicking off the union with a bun in the oven. This group is led by influential public figures such as Scarlett Johansson and Nicole Ritchie. These youthful actresses, many who have just recently reached the legal drinking age, made the premature decision to get knocked up before getting hitched. 

While many women in this situation rush the wedding process during the early stages of their pregnancy, others are opting to wait until the baby is out and their physique is back to a normal size. Others are pressured by their family to make the hasty decision of marriage in order to avoid criticism of giving birth while out of wedlock. It’s essential that young women who find themselves in these difficult circumstances receive support from their family. 

A very common situation is friends and family unable to take an adolescent’s resolution to marry seriously. This is something that Jamie Lynn Spears experienced firsthand. The 16-year-old actress found herself in an odd predicament last year when she discovered that she was a few weeks along with boyfriend Casey Aldridge’s baby. The actress, given the choice between birth and abortion, decided with strong conviction that keeping the offspring and dealing with the consequences was the right thing to do. Although Aldridge showed no hesitancy in proposing to his knocked-up girlfriend of 2 years, both his parents and Lynne Spears, Jamie’s mom strongly opposed the decision. 

One 18-year-old girl who conceived with her long-time boyfriend knew that she wanted to marry him for the rest of her life. “No one would take us seriously. They all kept saying that I hadn’t given it a lot of thought, and that we were so young we didn’t know what we wanted.” This seems to be the concern for many girls 22 and younger who are faced with responsibilities that most of their families feel is far too advanced for them to handle. 

While this is unease is understandable, there are just as many divorces between couples who are marrying after the age of 23 than those who are getting married before. When it all comes down to it, the only person who knows if a relationship is going to endure the years are the people who are involved. If possible, try to seek professional counseling prior to walking down the aisle so that you can at least prepare for all potential situations. 

Pregnant Brides to Be

• Katherine McPhee
• Ashlee Simpson
• Angelina Jolie
• Jessica Alba
• Minnie Driver