The typical 2013 college graduate not only snagged a diploma at the end of his academic sojourn: He also walked away with about $28,000 worth of student loans. Students who go on to graduate law or medical school likley have several times that much.

As these young adults start getting engaged to one another, these spouses-to-be immediately find they’ll need to battle with debt. Many financial experts say couples need to talk honestly and openly about the debt burdens they’re bringing to the relationship. Wayne Titus, an owner of AMDG Financial in Plymouth, Mass., says they should go on “money dates in addition to movie dates” in order to keep their merging financial houses in order. Some couples delay getting hitched because of debt, according to a 2011 study by Pew Research. About 7 percent of couples admit they’ve postponed weddings (which often come with huge price tags of their own) in order to whittle down their student loans. (USA Today)

Paul Asay has covered religion for The Washington Post, Christianity Today, Beliefnet.com and The (Colorado Springs) Gazette. He writes about culture for Plugged In and wrote the Batman book God on the Streets of Gotham (Tyndale). He lives in Colorado Springs with wife, Wendy, and two children. Follow him on Twitter.