College sophomore Travis Hilley met his future wife while riding past her house on his frequent bike rides in Navapine, Wash. Alissa Joahann, Hilley's neighbor, soon started biking with him, and they fell in love. After dating for eight months, Hilley asked Joahann to marry him.

Despite opposition from their parents, who feared the couple would struggle financially, neither Hilley nor Joahann wanted to delay the wedding until after Hilley graduated: "Honestly, I didn't want to wait," he said.

They were engaged for six months before their wedding on Aug. 8, 2010, just a few weeks before Hilley, 21, started his junior year of college. Joahann was just 18.

For the last 30 years, the average age at which American couples marry has been steadily rising. Waiting until the mid to late twenties is now the norm, even among evangelical Christians, a trend some church leaders say increases the temptation of sexual activity outside of marriage. But young Christians often feel pressured to postpone marriage for financial reasons.

Those who buck the trend admit getting married young, especially during college, can be hard. But, they say, if you've found the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, financial fears shouldn't be a reason to put it off.

Although Hilley and Joahann dismissed their parents' worries before they got married, their insights turned out to be well-founded, Hilley admitted. During their first year of marriage, Hilley worked two jobs, while taking 18 credits toward his degree in pastoral ministry at Corban University, in Salem, Ore. They often had to scrounge for money, leaving Hilley to wonder whether getting married while he was still in school was such a good idea after all.

"In hindsight I might have done it differently," he said.

Although the Hilleys had a hard time making ends meet, other couples who attend Corban say being married in college improved their finances. Jake and Tina Johnson, who got married at 20, qualified for more financial aid after they filed for independence from their parents, and it was easier to get government grants and scholarships.

Jeff and Becca Forrest got married in July, and are saving money as well. Although their costs are less now that they're sharing living expenses, the Forrests still have to work hard to pay all of their bills. Jeff works 20 hours a week at Les Schwab, a tire company, while maintaining a full course load.

Kyle and Paige Nash also got married in July, when he was just 20 and she was 21. Like the other couples, they work hard, but so do lots of single students, Kyle said: "We're broke, but not worse than any other college students."

Unlike the Hilleys, Kyle and Paige Nash had support from their parents, who saw no reason for them to postpone their marriage until after graduation. The Forrests' parents also encouraged their children to marry, mainly because they'd already dated for six years.

"Her dad told me that he probably wouldn't have thought it was a good idea the year before," Jeff said, but after their second year in college, Becca's father saw the maturity in their relationship and gave his consent.

Marty Trammell, who heads the English department at Corban and often counsels young couples considering marriage, says maturity, not age, is the key to making marriage work. Trammell encourages Christians who think they're ready to pair up for life to be sure they're not falling prey to their feelings.

Young couples particularly are susceptible to thinking they're mature enough to make a life-long decision, only to regret it later, he said. Character, not feelings, should be the determining factor for a couple's decision to get married, he said: "The truth is that age doesn't predict the quality of a marriage - traits like patience, kindness, selflessness, self-control, and perseverance do."

The Johnsons dated for five years before getting married between their sophomore and junior years of college. They had known for a while they were going to get married; it was just a matter of when. As they discussed the possibility of getting married before graduation, Tina remembers thinking, "Why wait another two years?"

After they returned to school, the Johnsons discovered their financial situation caused fewer headaches than their new social status. In an environment geared toward singles, they suddenly found themselves in the minority.

"It took time for people to realize we were married," Tina said. And some of their single friends had a hard time adjusting, leaving them with fewer invitations to social events.

But the Johnsons don't regret their decision to marry young. Neither do the Forrests, who say the struggle to make ends meet has brought them closer together.

"If you're ready to get married, you shouldn't let finances stop you," Jeff said. "We're still in debt from school, but we're married and going through it together. It's a struggle, but it's good for us even. Becca and I are glad that we waited, but we're glad we're not waiting any longer."