How long is the average engagement?

Question

We want to get married September 5, 2009 because we want to stay a good distance away from his brothers marriage on June 2009. Will we go crazy waiting that long??

Also, can you be engaged without a ring? As you can see, we have a date we want to get married and pretty much know we are, we just aren't telling people we're engaged and I don't have a ring yet.

Opinions please!

Answer 1

Since the "engagement" is the time in which a wedding is officially being planned, they usually last up to year as this is usually the amount of time to plan a wedding adequately. Waiting until September would be plenty of time, don't worry! After all, that is about a year from now!

As for the ring issue, I wouldn't tell people you were engaged without a ring. Trust me on this one. When a friend of mine was planning her wedding last year and didn't have a ring, she got some really interesting looks and a lot of gossip (of course, this is also because of *how* she was planning her wedding, but that's a completely different story entirely!). Even if it's just something simple that only costs $100 from Wal-Mart, definitely don't announce an engagement until you have a ring.

Answer 2

we have been dating for 2 years july 1st and we decided we want to get married but we set a date for july 2011 and he in the process of paying off a 2,000 ring set me we,,,he only owes 220.00 left to pay off,,,and we have only told some family ,,,and yes you can be engaged before you have a ring thats kinda normal now adays because everything pricy,,,all that matter is you guys are in love,,,,,,,,so dont worry about what every one else thinks,,,,just love each other and do whats best for you to

congrads

tabby

Answer 3

12 to 18 months.  You are right on track.

And yes, you can be engaged without a ring.  Engagement is intent to marry.  Rings are not necessary.  They are a personal decision.  

And I suggest you announce the engagement.  Tell your parents and his parents first.  

You need to start planning the wedding.  Go to the knot.  Check out their wedding checklist and budget calculator.

http://theknot.com/

You need to book wedding site and officiant and reception venue now . . . September 2008.  Time to get started.

Answer 4

The average engagement lasts until the wedding!! Ha, just kidding! But seriously, I think the average engagement is maybe a year or two. However, some are shorter and some are longer. And yes, you can be engaged without a ring.

Answer 5

About a year or less

Answer 6

The average engagement is about 17 months.

I was engaged for 13 months and the wait was not that much of an issue.    I count my engagement period from the time he bought me the ring, and we told people we were getting married.  We had actually agreed to get married and set a date a few years before that.  After we told people we were getting married, we had to change the date we picked again to accommodate people's schedules.  The years when we knew we were getting married but hadn't told people we were engaged were the most difficult to wait because it was frustrating not being able to call him my fiance yet or consider ourselves engaged.  Once we got the ring and announced it to everyone, the wait for the actual wedding was much easier.

Answer 7

I think that is probably about average? Most people I know wait about 6 months to a year, I guess it depends on the type of wedding you have though.

My friends are all having big weddings lately and those are usually held in summer for some reason and take more time to plan so a year engagement is pretty common. I think your reason to wait is also common. I don't think its really necessary to wait quite that long though unless there are lots of out of town guests who need more time between trips or something?

Only you can say if you're gonna go crazy or not I think. If you are having a big wedding you'll just go crazy with wedding plans not the wait:) It doesn't really matter at all if you have a ring, it sounds like you are engaged.  

Answer 8

An engagement is how ever long you make it. If you want to be engaged for 4 years,6 months and 2 days; then that's your prerogative. Nevertheless...it depends on the couple; it depends what is going on w/ the individual couple. In your case you're wanting to keep distance between his brother's marriage. Some couples have other goals such as finishing school, saving up for the wedding they want, or getting out of debt... You can also be engaged without a ring. If you feel more comfortable of having the ring 1st before telling people; it's cool. Generally, people will ask to see the ring if you tell them you're engaged.  

Answer 9

i think 3 months is a fair amount of time. as far as not having a ring, go pick one up together.

Answer 10

i think the engagement time depends on wedding preparations and what not.  sometimes it can take a while to book a place and all the things that go along with it.  i think its nice to wait til after the brother's wedding is done, so not to upstage them.  Yeah, you can be engaged with out a ring, but really:  WHAT THE h**l IS THE FUN IN THAT!  congratulations!

Answer 11

my husband and i were only engaged 4 months.

i think 1-2 year engagement are a little too long.

a wedding can definitely be planned in 3-6 months,

less if you really need it to be. i would definitely

go crazy waiting that long! i'd set a date for early

'09 if i were you, and don't worry about not having

a ring... it will come. good luck with planning!

Answer 12

1 -- 2 years. And if you plan on getting married next September , you have a lot of planning to do, So if you don't mind that you don't have a ring you better start telling people now, and start planning, It takes at least six months for you to order a bridal gown, And the reception venue takes time to book.

Answer 13

Being engaged without a ring is perfectly fine. And the time of an engagement really just depends on the couple. Some people are engaged for several years, and others, just a couple of months. Personally, I think a September wedding would be the perfect length to wait. My fiance proposed on September 7, 2007. We set the date for October 4, 2008. We thought the wait would be horribly long, but wanted at least a year to plan, save money, and so on and so forth. Now we're down to a month before the wedding, and still have quite a bit of planning to do. When you're engaged, you have a lot of things to think through, and time will go by so fast. Come September of 2009, you won't even realize that it's been a whole year! Plus, a wedding is nothing to rush. I think a year is wonderful so that you can plan every little detail of your wedding exactly how you want it. And you'll have the rest of your lives together, so there's no rush! I hope this helped some. Good luck on your decisions, and congrats on your engagement!  

Answer 14

I would say average is about 1-2 years.  Mine however was only 5 months.  I think it really depends on what you want at your wedding and how long it will take to plan it all.  We were going crazy waiting trying to save money for a bigger wedding then decided on havign a small one that was planned in one month.  if your keeping busy with wedding plans you should be fine,

Answer 15

Yes, you will indeed go crazy waiting that long. Set up a speed dial for the counselor(s).

Answer 16

how long is a piece of string....?

as long as u want it to be!!