"Time to throw the bouquet! All the single ladies to the dance floor!"

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in the life of my cousin Pamela.  Today is her wedding day.  This has to be a special time for her and her future husband but this day also has me thinking about my own future.  Ironically enough I was one of those people that always thought marriage and kids was not for me. I swore that I never wanted to have children and that I never wanted to be tied down to one person for the rest of my life.  But of course I grew up.  I'm now 26 years old and feel the weight of 30 creeping up on me slowly.  I'm a sucker for romance and true love so I'm trying to prepare myself for any type of emotion that I might be feeling later on today.  It's good to know that some people still believe in the unity of marriage and that not everyone feels romance is dead.  So many people my age don't hold the same morals and traditions that I do.  No longer are the days of first comes marriage then comes baby.  Nowadays we see the baby first and luckily marriage to someone other than the child's other parent down the line.  I may seem old fashioned but doesn't it just seem easier and better for all involved if marriage comes first?  Yes, divorce does exist and marriage is not a sure thing all the time.  I come from a family of divorce but they have each found love again and remain civil with one another.  But let me say this, my parents were married for 18 years, have 2 wonderful children from that marriage and many upon many happy memories.  People (including myself) laugh at the commercials on TV for Match.com or eHarmony.  But just think, how hard is it these days to find someone serious about being married?  Personally I haven't met one guy that wants to get married any time soon.  I know that many people may think that I'm still young and should just keep having fun and I agree to a point.  I'm not in a rush to marry.  I would like to be in a long term relationship before the thought of marriage even happens.  But I can say that I don't want to just be finding true love when I'm over 35.  It would be nice to find someone within the next year or so.  Are traditional men really that hard to find nowadays?