If I promise not to talk about it all the time, can I tell you something?

Okay, good: I’m engaged.

It seems I am not alone in our age group, at least not in my desire to be married.

A book recently published by the London-based Institute for the Study of Civil Society, “Second Thoughts on the Family,” by Anastasia de Wall, reveals that 70 percent of young people still have dreams of wedded bliss and walking down the aisle.

Of course, we have differing timelines. For some, finishing school and achieving some semblance of financial stability is a priority. For others, it’s more a matter of finding that someone who’s worth our while — for a very long while indeed.

And others, I’m sure, are quite content and confident in their own right, without the complications of a serious relationship. And then there’s everyone in between.

But most of us want to get married — and for good reason.

A 2002 CDC report on cohabitation, marriage, divorce and remarriage in the United States provided a summary of research from the past two decades suggesting that on nearly every measure, married persons are healthier and happier than their unmarried peers. They have lower mortality, less risky behavior, more monitoring of health, more compliance with medical regimens, higher sexual frequency, more satisfaction with their sexual lives, more savings and higher wages.

Such benefits of marriage may be due in part to a selection effect— Healthier, happier people may be more likely than others to find a mate and marry.— but research suggests these benefits are partially due to true benefits gained from being married as opposed to unmarried.

With all this to gain, that might just mean there’s more to lose.

Divorce statistics can be disheartening. Many of us have seen the ill effects of divorce in our own families or in a friend’s. For some, the possibility of divorce might scare them away from marriage altogether.

For my fiance and I, our solution is simple and perhaps simplistic: Divorce simply isn’t an option.

When there is no easy out, we’ll have no choice but to work through the issue and find that we each have more to give, after all. When we get married in June, we want to celebrate that day for decades to come.

Likewise, if and when you do make the decision to get married, I hope it’s safe to assume that simultaneously planning for a divorce will not be high on your list of things to do.

As we’ve planned the wedding day, I’ve noticed there is little talk about planning for the marriage itself outside of our religious-based premarital counseling and family circles.

One night while perusing the multitude of wedding Web sites, I read an article about “how to keep your groom happy.”

Among the advice to the bride was the suggestion to designate one night per week when talk of the wedding is not allowed. That’s right — one night per week without talking about the registry, the favors, the table linens or the first dance song.

After I finished laughing out loud at the absurdity of talking about minute wedding details for six days out of seven, I realized that the article was likely written to address some couples’ reality.

If most of us want to get married at some point and presumably want it to last, I wonder why there isn’t more conversation about what makes a marriage last. Are there things we could be doing now to help secure a happy marriage later?

That will have to wait for another column.

Andrea is going to the chapel, and she’s gonna get married. Send her unsolicited advice at andrea.summers@asu.edu.