Editor’s note: This is the final in a four-part series exploring the relationship statuses of Ohio University students.
Walking down the aisle in a long, white gown is something countless girls picture throughout their lives.
For some Ohio University students, that dream has already become a reality.
Kiley Harkins, a sophomore studying exercise physiology, met her husband Steven Harkins in their hometown of Mansfield, Ohio. After a year of dating followed by a yearlong engagement, the two married this past November.
“We got married in Galbreath Chapel here on campus, and we had our bridesmaids and groomsmen and family and a few close friends with us,” she said. “We had a reception the next weekend in our hometown and had a lot of people there. The ceremony was really close and intimate, but we could still celebrate with a lot of people later.”
Steven is in the Air Force and stationed 22 hours away in New Mexico. His military lifestyle partially contributed to their decision to get married while Kiley was still in college.
“Being married makes military life easier because, as a wife, the military cares a lot more about what you do than if you’re just a girlfriend,” Kiley said. “It makes it easier to travel to see each other, and we knew we wanted to be together anyway.”
Although the Harkins only see each other every three to six months, Kiley said almost constant communication has made it easier to be apart.
“It is very hard, but we Skype a lot and talk all day long, every day practically, and make it work,” she said. “He’s done with active duty commitment in February of 2014, and I’m practically counting down the days.”
Still, living in the dorms and spending time with a group of single friends, Kiley said she frequently sees examples of how her life as a married woman in college is different from a lot of her classmates’ lifestyles.
“It’s a tough balance. Some people are like, ‘Ugh, I have to take finals, so I can’t leave early to go on spring break,’ and I’m like, ‘I want to leave early because I haven’t seen my husband since Christmas,’” she said. “It’s a little different than wanting to go to Florida to party.”
Although Kiley said it is difficult for her to relate to her friends when they are going out to look for new relationships, she is happy with her decision to marry before graduation.
“I love knowing that, no matter what is going on, he is always there for me and that is not going to change ever,” she said.
After staying together through good times and bad, Bailey and Xander Dumaine decided that officially sharing their lives together was their next step.
“I spent a quarter abroad, and he was out of Athens with a co-op for a while,” Bailey said. “I started to think that, ‘If I’m going through all these tough times and this person still wants to be with me and we’re still together, well that’s great.’ ”
Bailey, a senior studying Spanish education, said that, when explaining their decision to family members, she realized her desire to share her life with Xander.
“I said, ‘You know what, it might be hard for us, but I can see the roots of who he is as a person, and I know that I want to see where life takes him,’ ” she said. “And now I get to see where life takes us as a couple, and that’s one of the best parts of sharing my life with him.”
During winter break in 2010, while visiting Xander’s family in Florida, the couple married in the courthouse and went to the beach later that evening to celebrate.
“It made it really intimate for the two of us,” Bailey said. “I respect the fact that no one else was there.”
Although the two are happy with their choice to have a small private wedding, Bailey said there is still a part of her that wants to fulfill her childhood dream of wearing a pretty white dress.
“We plan to have a nice wedding ceremony with a wedding party after graduation when we can save up our money,” she said.
bm257008@ohiou.edu
