In this episode of Let’s Talk 30, Latesha and Tiana discuss dating and marriage. With Latesha just a few months away from tying the knot, she talks about her experiences leading up to marriage and offers Tiana some advice on dating while in her 30’s. Both ladies take a walk down memory lane, discussing their dating horror stories and mistakes and exploring how they approach situations differently being in their 30’s.

With me being on the brink of marriage (my wedding is September 2) and Tiana hopping back into the dating scene, it got us thinking of how much dating and marriage have changed over time. Tiana found, in this article from The Atlantic, that the average age that women get married is 27, which is slightly older than what it was in the 90s which were 23 years old. Well here I am at 32 and just about to take the plunge. So what is the right age to get married?
Well, Brides.com tapped some relationship experts who came to the conclusion that the ideal age women should get married is 28 and for men, that age is 32. We make it clear in this episode of the podcast that we both agree that most men need a bit more time to mature before they make the commitment to marriage. As for my relationship, my fiance will be 33 by the time of our wedding so we’re right on track!
So what is our take on relationships? Well, we are complete OPPOSITES! Tiana has a habit of not giving in to the emotions that being in a relationship can bring. That results in her missing out on the high level of interest shown by her guys in the early stage, and then catching on to it when the guy has begun to check out later on.
I, on the other hand, am a habitual dater and a serial monogamous. I have the patience of a 2-year-old when it comes to relationship problems so I have a habit of kicking a guy to the curb, without putting in the work it really takes to have a lasting relationship (up until now).
“What do you think would be different if you were dating now rather than being on your way to marriage?”
Tiana and I have both had a yo-yo relationship with the dating apps, meaning we reactivate them when we’re single and lonely, then we run into a bunch of creepers, some catfish, and some potential boyfriends, and then promptly delete those apps time and time again. Speaking of apps, in this episode Tiana poses an interesting question to me, “What do you think would be different if you were dating now rather than being on your way to marriage?” It’s a hard question to answer. When I was in the height of my dating life where I wasn’t really ready for marriage and just trying to find my way, dating apps like Coffee Meets Bagel, Tinder, and Bumble were just starting to become popular.  Even though I found my now fiance on OkCupid back in 2013, I was still so skeptical that you could meet your “forever” on these apps.
Think about it, 40% of Americans use online dating sites according to eHarmony, and apparently of that, 53% of them are lying on their profile about things like their age, weight, height, income and relationship status.