I am 22 years old and will be nearly 24 when I finally tie the knot with my fiancee. Our families are happy for us and our close friends are not at all surprised.

What I have been shocked by is people's rude comments about how "we are too young", or "we just need to slow down and have fun", or "your marriage/marriage-in-general will be a terrible mistake".

We have both been in committed relationships before--this is nowhere near being a first love. We've both had our "fun" playing around and have traveled the world. We have lived together for one and a half years, dated for 2. We both have college degrees. He works full time as a programmer and has for about a year. I am working in a laboratory and contemplating working on a MA/PhD. We both want to move on to the next part of our lives...and we want to do it together.

I am aware that many people my age(and older!) are not ready for marriage. But really, why must people be so rude and claim to know more about our relationship than we do? Has anybody else had a similar experience with people? What did you say to them?

Any help would be great. Thank you!

I know this doesn't exactly address the underlying problem, but every time I am forced to deal with people who should have kept their thoughts to themselves, I try to remember my grandmother's words of wisdom ... "in one ear, out the other!"

Congratulations and best of luck in planning your wedding!