Now that I’m in my mid-20’s, and most of my friends are the same age or a few years older, I’ve noticed that some of my single friends seem jealous that I am married.
This is a huge turn around from the first 5 years of my marriage, where all my single friends thought I was crazy and giving up my life to get married so young.
I attribute the shift in attitude to the societal pressure to settle down and get married that most women feel once they hit around 25/26. At that point, they are done with college and likely a few years into their career, which means that the priority should now shift to relationships; finding the right man, settling down and getting ready to have a few kids once they hit 30.
I’ve find that I feel very odd about the jealousy; because they are jealous of my marital status, not my marriage.
As my friends, they of course care that I am happily married, but the jealousy isn’t about my happiness with my husband, it’s about the fact that I have a husband.
They think that I have “won”; I’ve crossed the finish line of life…I am married.
I wish that I could make them see that marriage isn’t the finish line; it’s the start of a whole other race.
Getting married isn’t the destination; it’s just the start of a new adventure.
look beyond the imperfections 
I think you are very right. People want to ‘be married’ but not the marriage. And there is a huge difference!! One is about a day, and the other is about a lifetime together, when it is difficult, when it is heart wrenching, when you dont agree with each other, when you fight. One is about the dress and the flowers and how you ‘feel’, and the other is about loving someone despite, or maybe because of the imperfections. Our imperfections become something spectacular because of our spouses. Being married means having the rough stuff scraped off and us becoming the best us we can be.
100% what I was trying to say!