MACON, Ga. — Valentine's Day is Monday and love is in the air, but a new report shows Georgia's marriage rate is on the decline.
According to QuoteWizard by LendingTree, it's dropped by 43% since 2009.
13WMAZ spoke with Central Georgia couples to hear about what makes their relationship last.
Sonya and William Ayears got married nine years ago.
"I figured that if I'm going to make a move, she would be the one I'd make that move with," said William.
They wanted to wait until after they turned 30 to get married.
"We became friends before we actually dated. We just had a really good 'get to know one another' period, so that lead to a natural progression to marriage," said Sonya.
Andrea and Darren Smith got married 21 years ago. For them, being committed to one another is key to a lasting marriage.
"From my husband's family, they seem to have a long history of getting married and trying to make the marriage work. That's what's helpful to me and our relationship," said Andrea.
Central Georgia Technical College counselor Tonja Simmons Lee says she sees a lot of different couples across all stages in life. She says the institution of marriage can be concerning for millennials.
Simmons Lee says many people in that generation are wanting to experience things in life first before they decide to take the risk of getting married.
She says a Pew study from a 2019 survey found that now men are more likely to be single than woman. This was not the case 30 years ago.
"They're going for stability and that comes in all forms; financial, emotional. 'How can I do this and be, okay?'" said Simmons Lee.
Sonya put her career first for many years before she decided she wanted to settle down.
"I was just finding that the pull of candidates were not always satisfactory, so I decided I was going to hold out," said Sonya.
The parting advice these couples gave is don't give up. It's never too late to find the right one.
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