How Long is Engagement Before Marriage?

During your wedding engagement, you should cherish your love and look forward to imagining and organizing your future together, sporting a glittering ring on your finger and an unwavering smile. After you answered yes, it's time to begin planning your wedding.

One of the most common queries is how long to be engaged before you and your spouse move into the next stage of your life together, even if you undoubtedly wish you were married yesterday. We've outlined all the necessary information to help you decide how long to engage.

What is the purpose of an engagement?

An engagement is an official means to announce to the world that you intend to marry, even if you may have known your spouse was "the one" from the moment you lay eyes on them. While much of the engagement phase is spent preparing for the wedding, it's also a time to be ready to start a family.

Depending on your current relationship status, your engagement may be the perfect opportunity to strengthen your bonds with each other's families, confirm that your long-term objectives align, and make the required preparations to merge households to make the transition to married life seamless.

What is the average engagement length?

In the United States, couples typically stay engaged for 15 months, according to The Knot 2022 Real Weddings Study. This, however, does not imply that you have to wait precisely that long to tie the knot or that you cannot be engaged for a few years or longer. The average time between the ring and the vows is 15 months, but many couples take longer or shorter—and you can, too.

Long vs. short engagement: which is right for you?

Aside from the typical duration of an engagement, how can you and your partner decide on the ideal duration for your relationship? Though every couple's situation is different, take into account the possible advantages and disadvantages of a lengthy vs a brief bridal engagement:

Why have a long engagement?

Long engagements are not unusual, even if a few years may seem like an eternity when you're in love. If you're the type of person who prefers to plan and be organized, a lengthy engagement might be in order.

What are the benefits of a long engagement period?

Long engagements allow you some leeway in ensuring all the details of your wedding planning are taken care of, especially for large, complex weddings or parties with lots of moving parts. Among the advantages of prolonged engagement are:

  • Increased likelihood of obtaining your essential suppliers
  • Extra time to plan and save costs
  • Less anxiety due to timing constraints
  • Having the patience to check the compatibility

WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF A LONG ENGAGEMENT?

The most evident drawback of an extended engagement is waiting longer to marry your best friend! Other possible disadvantages to think about are:

  • Family and friends pressuring you to choose a date
  • Potential adjustments to one's life and career
  • fading patterns
  • Too much time has passed to reconsider planning choices.

A lengthy engagement allows you to cross all "T" s and dot all "I." But remember that overplanning can also be an issue, so consider your personality and planning style.

Is it OK to have a short engagement?

Of course! Go for it when the timing is perfect, even if it means your wedding is quickly approaching. If you're debating whether to shorten your engagement duration, take into account the following benefits and drawbacks:

What makes a short engagement a good choice?

Above all, a brief engagement expedites the next phase of your life by allowing you to marry your partner sooner. Additional advantages consist of:

  • less impact from family members with strong opinions
  • The capacity to focus on the most crucial aspects of your wedding day
  • Make decisions without giving them too much thought.

Additionally, there are ways to streamline the planning process for an impending wedding. For example, you can use prefabricated décor and floral arrangements to save money and time without compromising style or quality.

What are the challenges of a short engagement time?

The most difficult part of a brief engagement is cramming all of your planning and preparation into a limited amount of time. That doesn't mean it can't be done, though; you just have to be adaptable and imaginative in handling the details.

Some possible drawbacks of a brief engagement are as follows:

  • Having to make do with suppliers who aren't top choices
  • restricted availability of locations
  • Not providing adequate time for guests to attend

Should you decide you simply can't wait, the only factor affecting the duration of your engagement is scheduling a time to have it officially announced at the courthouse. You can quickly enter married bliss with a readymade bridal bouquet from Flowersarch and a few witnesses to witness the signing of the documents! 

Communication is critical when deciding how long to be engaged.

Even though that's the norm, it's optional for your engagement to last the entire year. Talking to your partner is the most important thing to remember when preparing for a wedding. After weighing the benefits and drawbacks and considering other essential aspects, choose a duration that suits you best.

Other considerations for deciding on engagement length

Your engagement may ultimately depend on several things, even if you and your spouse have decided on a specific time frame. Whether your engagement is short or long, the ultimate aim remains the same, but bear some of these points in mind when you organize your Pinterest board for your wedding day:

Wedding Budget

Your budget is a major factor in wedding planning and date selection. Booking your providers and finalizing all the little things can take time, so if you're on a tight budget, you might need more time to save money and consider other original ideas for realizing your ideal wedding.

Guestlist

Think about the people you wish to attend your wedding. Short engagements can be simple for more intimate, small-scale weddings where all guests are from the area. A more extended engagement will give you and your guests plenty of time to clear their schedules and arrange travel and lodging, especially if you want a huge guest list.

Additionally, keep in mind that you'll probably need to leave enough time for save-the-dates, invitations, and RSVPs to obtain a final guest list.

Seasonal preferences

Do you envision your wedding in denim blue and russet orange with warm, rustic elements on a crisp fall day? Or maybe you have in mind a Garden Blush springtime fête, complete with delicate décor and muted hues. Your engagement period may be shorter if you have a particular season in mind.

For instance, if you're one of the numerous couples engaged in December, your spring wedding may come up too soon for you to coordinate everything in a few short months. Choosing to get married in April of the following year will relieve you of some of the planning burden.

Wedding venue

For some couples, the venue is the first item on their list to be finalized, and everything else related to the wedding is planned around it. The availability of the date may be the deciding factor in how long to be engaged if you have a specific venue in mind.

For instance, when Emily and Jackson, Flowersarch's couple, began planning their wedding, they had a specific location in mind and were fortunate to find available dates in the same year. Even though the wedding date was approaching, they had to move swiftly to organize everything. Nevertheless, they managed to pull together a flawless day in just six months.

Given that some in-demand locations fill up years in advance, your ideal engagement period may be extended. Occasionally, you may also be lucky enough to experience cancellations and enter a location far earlier than anticipated. If the area is everything, it will significantly impact how long your involvement lasts.

Wedding theme

When deciding on the duration of your engagement, consider how basic or elaborate you want your wedding theme and décor to be. An infinite number of personalized elements may require much more effort to assemble, develop, and style. The likelihood of experiencing stress in the run-up to your wedding day increases with the time you have left to realize your goal.

DIY decor

Some brides feel that personalizing the day by handling wedding arrangements yourself is crucial. If you want to DIY your wedding, account for how long it will take to organize, find, manufacture, and decorate your unique touches.

If you decide to DIY, Flowersarch's designer wedding colour collections provide everything you need, including flowers and tools, to make stunning floral arrangements.

Milestones and life goals

Some couples schedule their weddings around significant events, such as waiting until after graduation or having enough money saved up to have their ideal wedding. Consider wearing a ring as a promise to tie the knot when the time is perfect for you rather than a sign that the engagement clock is running out.

Make Your Wedding Planning a Breeze with Flowersarch

Your engagement is a unique period for you and your fiancée as you prepare to commit formally to each other's lives, whether for nine months, nine years, or several years. You and your future spouse can decide upon the ideal duration of an engagement, whether short, long or somewhere in between.