Dating and Engagements - How long?

[minkydog]

We knew each other for about 2 years before we started dating. Since we were both in college we wern't in any hurry to get married. We dated about another 18 monhts, then engaged about 8-9 months. So we knew each other about as well as we could have. The only thing our families were upset about is that in the middle of planning the big wedding, we suddenly got frustrated and fed up with the whole thing. We ditched our plans, drew up a new, much simpler plan and got married 2 weeks later. Everyone thought I was pregnant.

 

[WowLookAtThat]

We were dating for seven years and were engaged for six months.

 

[Adipoo]

We met in 1978, started dating at the end of 1980, talked about getting married in January 1981, got married in March of 1981. His older brother assumed I was pregnant, wrongly so, lol. I was almost 27, he was almost 30 when we married. Still together after 30 years.

 

[jc040404]

We have always been on a sort of two year plan. We were together for two years before becoming engaged. Two more years passed before we were married. It kept going when two years later, our first son was born. On his second birthday, our second son was born. Nothing of interest happened the year of the little guy’s second birthday, so I guess we lost it.

 

[MIGrandma]

DH and I knew each other about 6-1/2 months from the time we met to the day we got married. That was back in 1975, and we will be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary one week from today.

Our families and most relatives/friends were accepting, and if they had thoughts that it might not last they kept them to themselves but DH did have one cousin who bet him $100 that it "wouldn't last a year." She never paid up the money she owed him though.

 

[JVL1018]

Dated for 1 year. Engaged for a year and a half.
Married 19 years next month.

 

[tigercat]

We met in August 1973, got engaged on my 18th birthday in Jan 1974 and got married in Oct 1974. We will be celebrating our 37th anniversary this year. Both families were betting on how long it would last for. Don't think anyone won. We had our 1st dd in Dec 1975, our 2nd dd in May 1977, our 1st ds in May 1979 and our last child ds 1980.
tigercat

 

[disneyfreakk]

dated for 2 months and got married a month later at the courthouse. We have been married for 13 years, no kids. And we were pretty young, I was barely 21 and he was 24. DH says that he had to marry me because I spent the night one night and never went home...

Our parents found out after the fact and they were not pleased (to say the least)

 

[mickeyboat]

We met when I was 12 and started dating when I was 13. We dated (most of it long distance) for 6 years and got engaged the summer after my sophomore year of college. We were engaged for 2 years until after I graduated.

We have been married for 19+ years.

ETA - my parents were less than thrilled when I got engaged. When I told my mom she didn't say she was happy for me. She said she expected it might happen. They liked my fiance', but did not think he was the right person for me. They also thought I was too young to get engaged at 19. And if my DD came home engaged at 19, I would be none too happy, either.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We dated 18 months before we got engaged and got married 9 months after that.

 

[Mickeyluver37]

Dated for 7 weeks before we got engaged.

Engaged for 5 months.

Just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago.

ETA: Yes, our families were surprised and not happy about the idea. My family (for the most part) kept their opinions to themselves. His did not, and our relationship was strained the first few years of our marriage.

Same sort of situation here. We were dating for six months, got engaged, decided to heck with the whole engagement/planning a wedding thing since he was going in the military, and just got married a month later. Also just celebrated 15 years.

Oh and our families were not at all thrilled. We were 18. And no, I wasn't pregnant, but we did have DD 9 months later!

Ideally, I think an engagement should be under 2 years. I don't see the point of being "engaged" if you aren't actively planning to get married/planning a wedding.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Met when we were 20. Started dating a few months later at 21. Engaged at 25. Married 5 months later at 26. First baby born 4 years later. Married 27 years.

 

[Coconut36]

We met when I was 16. Dated for a year and half and got engaged. Married after a year long engagement (I was 18). Have been married for almost 18 years now and together as a couple for 20 years.

(Another with parents less than thrilled I was married at 18 but it all obviously worked out just fine and it was nothing against my DH just how young we were and how we were getting married young).

ETA-We were married almost 10 1/2 years before our first child was born. It was by choice we waited almost 9 years to try for children as there was a lot we wanted to accomplish/do/complete before kids.

 

[Keli]

Dated 14 months, then engaged 6 months. Been married 28 yrs now. Both families expressed some concern because we were so young but didn't actually oppose us. I think they would all agree it was a successful union

 

[LuLuO]

We were engaged one year after we met face to face (we had been communicating online for a couple of months). We were engaged for six months. If anyone thought we were rushing things they didn't tell us.

 

[Owl's Friend]

We dated for 1 yr before getting engaged.
We were married just over 2 yrs later. We waited that long because all the good halls, churches, etc were booked that far in advance.

 

[mrsheppo]

We started dating in April and he moved in at the end of June. We got engaged about 2 weeks later and married 3 days after we were engaged. We have been married 13 years now. It was the second time around for both of us.

 

[Disney Doll]

Dated 1.5 years, engaged 1.5 years.
If I were to change something, I'd have been engaged for a shorter period of time.

 

[hulagirl87]

We dated for 3 years before getting engaged. We got married 5 months later (in Disney World ). We've been married for 4 1/2 years now

 

[bdcp]

We started dating at 18 and 21. Dated for 2 yrs 2 months. Engaged for 7 months. Happily married for 30 years this past summer.