8 women reveal why they broke off their engagements

While Millennials are saying "no" to tying the knot in record-breaking numbers, the sanctity of marriage refuses to diminish. Certainly, though our parents and grandparents believed it was perfectly normal to settle down in their early twenties, we on the other hand, harp on about how marriage is nothing more than a money-making institution.

However, when in the throes of love, it's hard not to buy into committing to one partner till death do you part as something romantic.

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As such, we tend to hear horror stories of those who almost make it to the chapel, only to pull out at the last minute. Let's take a gander at the reasons why these women of Reddit called off their nuptials, shall we?

1. Jealousy can be a serious deal-breaker 

"He was super jealous of me having relationships with anyone else, including friends and family. I had only seen my family once or twice in the two years we had been dating. He even made me miss my sister's graduation. When we were planning our wedding, we were planning to have it where we live. My family would be coming to visit us in the state we lived for the first time since he and I had gotten together. I wanted to spend the night before the wedding in the hotel with them (and the night of the wedding with him at his mom's house, as requested). He said no, that I had to choose between them or him and if I spent even one night with them it would undermine our relationship. I picked them. I've never regretted it!"

2. A seriously "lucky escape"

"When I got engaged he became controlling, like a whole different person. I called it off when he became physically abusive. Lucky escape!"

3. Good call 

"I called off a previous engagement after a year because I woke up to behaviours that I had been ignoring that pissed me off. He was low-key abusive, and wanted a housewife, which is not what I want at all. Once I got my first adult job that fully supported me on my own, he started to become more controlling, unsupportive, and just plain mean. I got out shortly thereafter and now I'm dating an incredible man who never makes me feel like an inconvenience, something I couldn't say before!''

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4. Fair 

"We didn't like each other anymore. We would talk about hypotheticals like, 'What if I don't want to live with you all year?' 'Could we be non-monogamous?' 'Would you be mad if I regularly worked 100hrs a week?' I finally put the pieces together, and we split."

5. Being overly competitive is a turnoff 

"He was very insecure. Needed me to tell him his college program was harder than mine even though I was at an ivy league school and working part-time. I think the insecurity came from unexamined abandonment/neglect in childhood."

6. Some people change after they become engaged 

"Ring went on and suddenly any time I turned down sex (with legit reasons no less) he would pout and be a total ass. No thanks on that forever..."

7. You don't want to be stuck with that forever...

"He moved in with me and literally every single thing he did was annoying to me. The way he didn't put the dishes in the dishwasher, leaving Kleenex lying around, not putting his phone on silent when I was trying to sleep, his re-doing his hair 3-4 times a day, the selfies he would take constantly, etc. After one week I didn't even want to go home after work anymore because I was so irritated. So I was so angry I couldn't feel the love anymore. Sometimes I look back and think I was too harsh, but I honestly was so glad to have my home back to myself after I told him to get out."

8. Well, it all worked out wonderfully! 

"We got engaged while in university. He was a really sweet guy and all that. Before my [last] year I did a study abroad, and came back to him. The next morning I woke up and realised I couldn't wake up next to him for the rest of my life. I started to question how smart that decision was, because I was single for three years after that. Got set up on a blind date. When I saw him I knew he was 'the one'. We married and every morning my heart sings when I turn over and see him."

In most instances, these women got a lucky escape! Good on them for spotting that something was off.