Luther women say, “Put a ring on it!”

For many college students, the word “marriage” is one that is far removed from reality, a distant milestone, one that will come far after scrambling to finish their senior papers. For some, however, marriage has taken on a new, very real meaning.

Several student couples are engaged to be married, and upon closer inspection, you’ll start to notice engagement rings around campus.

Over spring break, nursing students Christy Eminger (‘12) and Jessica Mietz (‘12) both got engaged. Now engaged to Dan Offerdahl (‘10), Eminger wanted to have the wedding after graduation.

“There are so many complications that go along with getting married in college,” Eminger said. “It is the best plan for both of us.”

As for Mietz, the decision to get married was simply the next step.

“I think once you find someone you love and want to be with for the rest of your life, you should make the commitment,” Mietz said. “There is no certain way to be successful in life. There’s no certain age to get married, and no perfect time to have kids. It happens when it happens.”

In June, Hannah Wiles (‘11) and Alex Anderson (‘11) will tie the knot after dating for almost three years. Having heard from their parents about the difficulties of getting married during college, Wiles and Anderson chose to wait until after graduation. Wiles also didn’t want to miss out on some of the finer points of college life.

“There were inside jokes, low-quality TV watching and closet raids to occur between my roommates and I that would have been tragic to miss out on,” Wiles said.

The transition between college and the real world can be a daunting one, especially when combined with planning a marriage. Becky Willis (‘11) and her fiance Ben Harkins (‘10), however, do not see this as a deterrent or formidable challenge.

“If anything, it makes that transition a little less scary,” Willis said. “You kind of do it together and don’t have to go through the tough stuff by yourself.”

Hailey Punke (‘11) and David Boehmer (‘12) chose to get married right after college because they both had very similar goals and plans for their futues.

“For me, getting married to David after college is exactly what I want,” Punke said. “Each couple has to do what is best for them.”