We’ve all joked about it with friends: “If we’re both still single by age 40, let’s get married!” But have people ever gone through with one of these pacts? It turns out, yes – _sort of_.

When the question was posted on Reddit, these 14 people shared their experiences with marriage pacts and revealed how it worked out. 1. “She was the social butterfly, and I was the awkward

sheltered kid. By way of sheer luck and proxy, we became very close friends in high school. I had a crush on her, but I wasn’t going to make the move on someone so far out of my league. At

one point she brings up how we should totally get married if we’re both still single by the time we’re 30. Obviously she’s joking and will find someone way before then, so I sheepishly agree

again. But then the conversations got longer. Like, phone calls that last from midnight to six a.m. And then she brings the pact back up, and tells me that her relationship is over. She says

she loves me and always had a thing for me, but didn’t want to say anything for fear of ruining our friendship. We were together for three years long-distance, only ever seeing each other

during holidays and long breaks, before I graduated college and moved across the country to be with her. We’re getting married in October, five full years before the pact would’ve happened.”

via GIPHY 2. “My aunt did a marriage pact type thing. It lasted for a few years until they split, and since then she has been married seven other times. I’d say her life didn’t go too well

after that.” via GIPHY 3. “We met at a school dance in 7th grade. We ‘dated’ for just over three years into 10th grade, then she broke up with me just before Christmas. Luckily for me, she’s

the most kind-hearted, caring person I’ve ever met, and we remained friends despite my general awfulness. We both dated other people through the rest of high school and college and into our

mid-20s, and somewhere in there we agreed to get married if we were both single at 35. I’m not sure either of us really meant it, but I do know that we both cared deeply for each other. I

had gone south for college while she went north, and neither of us stayed in contact with many people from high school, but we always made a point to catch up once a month. Then, this past

Christmas, almost eleven years to the date that we broke up and the first time we had been single at the same time, she asked if I had ever seriously considered the two of us getting

married. A few days prior, she sent me a text asking if I wanted to ‘get drunk and watch Christmas movies,’ which was a bit different from any of her previous invitations to hang out, so I

was anticipating (or maybe mostly hoping for) this very conversation and had bought her a gift reminiscent of the one I gave her back in 7th grade. I gave her the gift and told her she had

always been the most special person in my life. Two months later, I quit my job and moved to be with her. We’ve lived together for the past four months, and two weeks ago I asked her to

marry me. She said yes, and I’ve never been happier in my life. We jumped the gun by about eight years, but I’m not complaining.” 4. “A friend and I decided that if neither of us could find

a good hook-up in six months we may as well just hook up ourselves. It was amazing when we did it, but it trashed the friendship.” via GIPHY 5. “We were never single at the same time, but

always best friends. We made a pact in high school: If we were both still single at 30, we’d get married. We stayed friends after graduation, and at 25, we started hanging out more and more.

We fell deeply in love, and on our 30th birthday (yes we have the same birthday) we were married. Life couldn’t be better!” 6. “I had one of those! He got married the year before our pact

to get married was [supposed] to happen – it turns out he’s into dudes.” via GIPHY 7. “Kind of. We left our spouses around the same time (not for each other) and decided to share a house. We

got to talking one night and decided we each had all the things the other was looking for, plus we got along really well. We were in our mid-thirties by then and sick of the dating scene,

so we just laid it out like a business arrangement. What started off as an ‘arrangement’ eventually evolved into something extremely serious and passionate. We’ve been together now for

almost seven years and married for almost one. We are extremely in love.” via GIPHY 8. “My best friend of 10 years said to me one day that if we weren’t with anyone by the time she was 30 –

she was 25 at the time – that we would have to be together. As beautiful as she was/is, I never made a move because I used to date her female best friend. Sure enough, once she said that, I

was like, ‘Hold up, she’s possibly into me?!’ I made the move! Six months after that conversation, we got married. It was a fairly easy transition. We’ve been married for three years with

two children.” via GIPHY 9. “My boyfriend and I made such a pact about seven years ago. We met online and were friends and would shared our misfortunes of broken hearts and bad

relationships. We made a pact that by 30, if we were both single, I’d move the 2000 miles and be with him. I jumped the gun and moved here at 28, and two years later we are engaged, and I

couldn’t be happier.” 10. “I made a pact with a childhood friend. I got married to a different woman last year, but the childhood friend and my wife get along so well that my wife suggested

she move in with us. We’ll see how this goes.” via GIPHY 11. “My best friend and I made that pact when we were 13 and just friends. We pledged to marry each other when we were 30 if we

hadn’t found anyone else by then. He was worried I’d find someone else within that amount of time, and he’d be left alone. So, he was kind of prompted to ask me out. Long story short, we’ve

been together for about four years. We’re still really young, but yeah, we want to get married. And move to California. And raise some cats together. And become teachers. Maybe we’ll get

married in a few years. At least, before we’re 30.” via GIPHY 12. “My uncle had a pact with his best friend that they would marry if they were still unwed by 40. He called her on her

birthday, and she announced her engagement.” 13. “When we were 20, my best friend and I said that if we were still single in 10 years, we would get married. That ‘best friend’ and I

accidentally fell in love, and he’s my fiancé now. We’re 23. We skipped a few steps …” 14. “I made one of those in high school. I got married. She didn’t. She didn’t know I was married and

called me totally serious about it. That conversation went awkwardly.” _All posts have been edited from Reddit for length and clarity_.