Richard Pulman, 31, and his fiancée Jo Bateman, 40, are getting married this summer, having known each other for ten years and lived together for almost five. Financial reasons have played their part in the delay.

“It was clear fairly soon it was going to be a serious relationship so we moved in together pretty quickly, mostly because I was working in Newcastle and she was in Northallerton [North Yorkshire],” Mr Pulman, a police officer, told The Times.

“I thought we would live together, then get married and have children. But things have happened the other way round. We both thought that when we get married we would do it properly, so that meant saving up because neither of us had a great deal of money.

“ “We wanted to have a baby after we got married, but Jo was advised she should start trying as soon as possible for medical reasons. She has two children already but there had been complications. So we got engaged and tried for a baby and she got pregnant straight away.” With a baby on the way and two children aged 14 and 11 from Ms Bateman’s previous relationship, the couple thought that they ought to find a bigger house. After trying to sell up and find somewhere new, they decided to stay put in Northallerton and build an extension.

“That was pretty expensive so it was either run off to a register office in secret or wait, save up and do it properly, so we have saved and waited,” he said.

The couple will finally marry in July at their local church.

Mr Pulman said that he did not believe that marriage was out of fashion, but there were clearly reasons why people tended to put it off. “You hear all time that marriage is going out of fashion but I don’t believe it. Of course weddings are expensive but people still want to do it.

“I was on a stag weekend recently and of my mates, who are all about 31, half are married already and the other half just haven’t met the right person yet. It isn’t the case that they don’t want to get married,” he said.

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