<human>: Can you provide a brief overview of the text?

We've been friends since we were in our early teens, but only started our romantic relationship after we both graduated college & moved back to our hometown. 

We've both been in at least two very serious relationships with other people & also spent a good amount of time "playing the field" in college. 

When we reconnected after college, we realized how many of our values had aligned -- desire for stability, fun, love, family, friends, playfulness, hard-work, humor, communication, trust, respect.

It was only a month in when we had the "I think you're the one" talk. Since then, everything that's happened between us has only solidified that feeling. Of course we fight and bicker and get snoody with one another, but then we talk about it and solve whatever issue we're having. He's more important than any silly fight and he feels that way about me too.

We both took on full-time work so that we could start saving for a life together. He took care of his bad credit and I got a second job so I can start saving for a nice place for us to live and so we could have the quality of life that we both talk about -- a nicely decorated home and a fully-stocked kitchen with healthy foods.

We have a lot of similar friends who laugh and say that they can't believe they didn't see this coming because "it just makes sense".

We want to save for things that we can enjoy together, like a house, fun vacations, maybe a dog, eventually kids.

It's really not important to me to get an engagement ring and have a big wedding -- so do we really need to? Is it that much of an important step in order to realize that this is really the person who you want to be with?

Or can we just go down to the courthouse with close friends and family?

I would just really rather save that money for vacations that I'll remember forever and nice furniture that I'll use for a long time than spend it on a big wedding.
<bot>: Boyfriend and I are ready to get married in the next few months/years. Should we have a wedding? I don't like the idea of spending money on a wedding.