10 People Who Made "Backup Spouse" Pacts on Whether They Went Through with It—and How It Turned Out

"Married by 40" pacts—are they destined to fail? Not necessarily.

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Marriage pacts may seem like the stuff of romantic comedies. But sometimes, in real life, people do follow through on these self-arranged marriages—with mixed results.

Whether it's because they've given up on finding the so-called "one" and are ready to settle down one way or another, or because they realized they were in love with someone they knew all along but had never officially dated, some people totally forgo the whole "dating until you find a husband" method to marriage for someone they've known all along.

recent AskReddit thread polled people who had an "if we're both single by 40..." type of pact, and asked them whether they actually went through with it and what the outcome was. Here are the best responses.

1. "I made a pact for 25, 28, 30, 35, and 55. All different girls."

"I made a pact for 25, 28, 30, 35, and 55. All different girls. I am currently engaged and getting married in June. To none of them. I guess younger me had this foolproof plan of trying the number game. Turns out, it is much easier to go on dates and actually fall in love with someone." —MCSEntertainment

2. "We had both changed too much."

"Did it, and it lasted four years. We had both changed too much. That's all I got to say about that." —askewzero

3. "Her little sister and I plotted to get married by 30 to cash in on all the sweet wedding gifts."

"When my college roommate got married, her little sister and I plotted to get married by 30 to cash in on all the sweet wedding gifts. It became a running joke, with a hint of reality. Like, 'Haha, but maybe?' When she was 29, we were all back in town for Christmas, and she brought her long-term boyfriend. Apparently, she was getting mad at him for dating this long with no proposal. So, I stopped by the grocery store and got one of those candy ring pops. I reminded her of our deal, gave her the ring, and offered her my services if no other suitors had stepped up yet.

"A laugh was had by all, but her boyfriend went out the very next day and bought her a real ring and proposed. I'm going to take full credit for them being happily married for four years now. And in case you're worried for me, I met a girl that very weekend that I've been dating for almost three years. Happy endings for everyone!" —DonVulilo

4. "Made a deal with a friend that we would get married at 35 if neither of us found anyone else by then."

"Made a deal with a friend that we would get married at 35 if neither of us found anyone else by then. She decided to skip all that shit after a few months, and we've been together for almost seven years now." —Bad_Elephant

5. "We didn't make it to 30."

"I had a 'if we are still single by 30' pact. We didn't make it to 30. I was 25 when he told me he wanted to be together. Nine years and going very strong." —Bodymindisoneword

6."We became really good friends and had an agreement for turning 40 that we'd retire to a big house in England."

"Met a girl, she wasn't interested. We became really good friends and had an agreement for turning 40 that we'd retire to a big house in England. Time went by, things changed. I just turned 30, and I proposed to her in front of that big house in England, and we are getting married next month." —BkTrack

7. "Our deal was 28. He was my best friend."

"Our deal was 28. He was my best friend. At some point in our friendship, he slept with one of my friends. I got the idea that we obviously were just friends, and we kept it at that. I started dating my now-husband, and he almost immediately moved home (a different province). I found out later from a mutual friend that when I got into a serious relationship it crushed him, because he was in love with me. He even offered to come back and take care of me when I ended up pregnant a few years ago. I would probably have married him if he would have told me how he felt. Oh well, such is life." —thesparklepony

8. "We were friends for years (since we were kids), and we had a 'let's get married by 40' arrangement."

"We were friends for years (since we were kids), and we had a 'let's get married by 40' arrangement. She ended up dating a guy and had a kid with him. I gave up on that idea. Then he cheated. I stopped pussyfooting around and told her I loved her, and we're expecting our daughter within the next few days! We're not married yet, but hey, we're not 40 yet either." —billyblanks81

9. "We met at 11 years old. Also, both of us are female, but neither of us are gay."

"Me and my bestie had the whole 'if we are still single by 30' thing going. We made it to 28 and decided to just get married anyway. We met at 11 years old. Also, both of us are female, but neither of us are gay. We just decided we'd rather live together as best friends than keep trying to find husbands we like more than each other." —stiglette

10. "She stopped talking to me after I banged her best friend when we were 25."

"Made an 'if we're single by 30 pact,' but she stopped talking to me after I banged her best friend when we were 25. Whoops." —Physalia-Physalis

(Answers have been lightly edited for spelling and grammar.)

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