Like Millie Bobby Brown, I got engaged at 19 — ‘screw’ the haters

nypost.com:

announcing her engagement to rocker Jon Bon Jovi’s son, Jake Bongiovi, 20, via Instagram Tuesday. The post sparked fierce online debate about the appropriate age for a modern-day marriage.

While virtual well-wishers congratulated the Gen Z fiancés, who’ve been together since November 2021, naysayers under the trending Twitter hashtag #Shes19 cautioned Brown against getting hitched as a teen, saying, in part, “This is absolutely not going to last” and “Don’t do it Millie.” But Ashley, 27, who ignored similar warnings and is preparing to celebrate eight years of wedded bliss next month, says the actress should listen to her heart rather than her haters. “Screw them and screw what they think,” advised Ashley, a mom of three and a human resources executive for a digital tech company from Shreveport, La.

She and Detric, who’s also now 27 and works as a trucking entrepreneur, exchanged vows one year after high school graduation. “We got so much criticism,” Ashley told The Post. “People even tried to convince my husband to leave me at the altar on our wedding day.

But our love was strong. It was puppy love that grew into a power couple love.”Couples who get hitched at a young age — Justin and Hailey Bieber and Kevin and Danielle Jonas also tied the knot before the age of 25 — are certainly running counter to current societal trends.According to a recent report from virtual wedding hub the Knot, the average age of first-time female newlyweds in 2022 was 30 (32 for males).