I would also add that people are more in love with the idea of being married, then actually being in love with the one they are marrying… I also think that people are afraid to be the last one if their friends to get married and thus force things along, when perhaps they shouldn’t have…
although i knew after the first date I was going to marry my wife, I waited just under a full year before asking her to marry me… While a long courtship may not be right for some, it allowed me to make sure it was 100% right…and now after 2 kids, mortgage, and a dog, things are better than ever…