by Steve Watters
It still happens, but not like it used to. There was a time when weddings followed quickly on the heels of graduation. In fact a generation ago, couples could almost send out dual graduation/wedding announcements to save postage. That was when the average groom was 22 and the average bride, 20. Today, couples wait a good five years longer.
In 2002, David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead released a study
1) Head-in-the-clouds expectations.
2) Financial limbo.
3) Recreational sex.
4) No role models.
Still Popenoe believes the most corrosive influences on marriage attitudes today is popular entertainment. Not surprisingly, chart-topping shows like Friends and blockbuster movies celebrating the single years come out of New York and California, states with the highest percentage of never-married singles in the country.
Most married men will tell you that reaching the altar is more of an art than a science. Truly the issue of marrying the right woman is one of the most mysterious aspects of life. No five-step plan can guarantee success in what often involves supernatural placement and timing; however, the cosmic issue of marrying well need not be further complicated by bad attitudes and habits.
Guys who take practical steps in the areas of marital expectations, budget, sexuality and role models can often find they are ready to get married -- not a decade from now when maturity has finally caught up with them -- but as soon as the opportunity comes along. Maybe even in time to send out the joint announcements. 
Read the companion article "Why College Women Aren't Ready to Marry."
Steve Watters is Senior Director for Marriage and Family Formation for Focus on the Family. He earned his M.A. in Public Policy from Regent University. He is married to Candice Watters, the founding editor of Boundless.The complete text of this article is available at http://www.boundless.org/2002_2003/departments/beyond_buddies/a0000687.html
