Cheerful –
90% of us married folks wrestled with doubts as to wether or not the person we were going to marry was “the right one”. And most of us turned to a parent or mentor for advise, but in the end, the descision needs to be yours, beacuse after the confetti stops falling its just you and Mr. Cheerful. If its a decision you are both enthusiastic about, you will both give it 110% effort, and make it work.
As for your parents (forget your friends / neighbors), speaking as a parent, as long as we are still talking 100% frum (color / kind of hat is irelevant), your parents WILL understand. Tell them what you really feel, and let Hashem do the rest.
PS – your real friends will come to terms with the decision that’s best for you, and the ones that don’t were not your friends to begin with (sorry, that’s the parent in me talking.. its hard to suppress all the time.)