also, to the OP, after reading your situation i think the only reason you want to marry this brother is because you see how happy your friend is with him and you see their happy family and because you don't have one yourself you see this as a way of getting what you don't have. you may not think this, but this is psychology - google it. of course it is natural to lust after what you don't have. so it is understandable that you want to marry this man because in your mind you see this man = happiness, so you think if i had him, me = happy. but what you need to understand is that how it appears now, all happy and lovey dovey and you getting along with the wife and kids, it may change after you marry him, and in fact i can almost guarantee it would because this is 2011. kids might start hating you and you might not want to take a bullet for the first wife anymore. also, you said you live in the states, where polygamy is illegal. how would you provide legal proof for your marriage? what if you had children? legally what would you do? marriage and everything is ok, but you need to think about these other things too. if you are having trouble finding someone to marry in the States, why do you not consider moving to a muslim country where you can be with more muslims and find someone appropriate? do NOT try to find someone yourself. this is why you have been hurt before. be patient. you are complaining about being 26, there are people with serious disabilities who are treated like crap by everyone and have no marriage prospects ever, so think of people like that and be thankful for all that you do have. instead of looking online, you need to consider moving to a place where there is a huge active muslim community, get really involved at the mosque, find elders to look for someone for you, and do it that way. sitting around and considering your friend's husbands is when you know the situation is getting sad - you're young, it's not the end of the world. however if marriage is SO serious to you (which i personally don't understand why it is, but moving on) then get real and do things properly.