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Matt and Abby Howard, the couple behind the viral “Unplanned Podcast” and one of TikTok’s most followed family content creators, are opening up about their early marriage and the thoughtful decisions that helped shape their relationship. Matt and Abby Howard got married on July 6, 2019.
In their April 23, 2025, podcast episode, Matt and Abby shared their memorable journey after getting married at ages 20 and 21 by considering if their young union was a wise decision and what kept it strong.
Abby said, “I think it’s a case by case basis, Like, I think if you were to say everyone should get married at 20, I’d be like, ‘Oh, yeah, I strongly, strongly disagree with that.’ But clearly, we were meant to be together. I don’t think there is anything to be gained by like, waiting to make that official, like, we were already, prioritizing each other as a couple."
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She added,
“We had pre marriage counseling. We had a really sturdy group of friends around us, and, like, community. We had mentors. We read a lot of books. We were financially stable.”
During the conversation, Matt acknowledged that premarital counseling between him and Abby was "dope."
He recalled, “We had pre engagement counseling. Which is the norm now, I think, and should totally be the norm. But when we were talking to your grandma, she’s like, ‘Counseling?’"
He added,
“Older people, they hear the word therapy or counseling, and they about poop their pants, like, it’s just a very scary thing. But I love that us Gen Zers — I think we’re technically Gen Z — are embracing the fact that we don’t all have it together.”
Abby explained that the couple built a powerful network of support while receiving mentorship and undergoing extensive emotional, mental, and financial preparation.
"We're still making progress. I feel like we were in a community where we were encouraged and praised. No one was making you feel like, ‘Oh, maybe they’re struggling with something.’ Like, ‘cause the fact is that you have a lot to learn, and you gotta learn it really fast when you get married, and so it’s good to, like, prepare yourself and to be, forward thinking.”
Abby Howard explained that counseling should be treated as an empowering and proactive approach instead of being treated as a mere problem-solving method.
Abby Howard and Matt's Relationship Timeline
Married couple Matt and Abby Howard operate as social media influencers who establish their online presence through TikTok and YouTube, along with other platforms. The initial meeting of Matt and Abby Howard occurred at a summer theater program operated by The Muny in St. Louis, Missouri, in eighth grade.
They started dating in high school after starting middle school together. On July 6, 2019, Abby and Matt were 21 and 20 when they got married. They participated in their college sophomore term at that moment.
Griffin Douglas Howard was the first baby for the Howard couple on July 3, 2022. Matthew and Abigail then gave birth to their second son, August, on August 10, 2023. The Howards regularly post about their family life, their journey as parents, and their individual development on their social media accounts and podcast, The Unplanned Podcast.
