How long do people know each other before they get engaged?

BornStar

Diamond Member
Oct 30, 2001
4,052
1
0
My wife and I knew each other for 9-10 years before getting engaged although we had been dating for only 4. We were engaged for a little over a year. My uncle knew/dated his wife for six months before getting engaged and was only engaged for six months before getting married.
 

pontifex

Lifer
Dec 5, 2000
43,804
46
91
Originally posted by: Syringer
Anywhere between 1 day and 99 years.

lol, exactly! why do you think they have those drive through wedding chapels and shit in Nevada?
 

NFS4

No Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
72,636
46
91
I knew my wife 5 years before we started dating. We dated for 5 years before I proposed and we got married almost three weeks ago, about a year after I proposed.
 

RKS

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,824
3
81
Knew for a couple weeks
dated for 7 years
engaged 1 year
married almost 9
 

SonnyDaze

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2004
6,867
3
76
Originally posted by: Syringer
Anywhere between 1 day and 99 years.

Why only 99 years? Why not 100?

Oh wait. .9999999 years is 100 years isn't it?

 

FelixDeCat

Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
30,111
2,463
126
As long as it takes to:

1) Verify the gender of your partner

2) Verify the assets, liabilities and credit rating of your partner

3) Verify the arrest record of your partner

..in no particular order.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Dated for a little over 1 year.
Engaged for 8 months (supposed to be 1 year but wedding plan logistics dictated it)
Married for almost 2 years now.
 

SonnyDaze

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2004
6,867
3
76
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
As long as it takes to:

1) Verify the gender of your partner

2) Verify the assets, liabilities and credit rating of your partner

3) Verify the arrest record of your partner

..in no particular order.

:laugh:
 

her209

No Lifer
Oct 11, 2000
56,336
11
0
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
As long as it takes to:

1) Verify the gender of your partner

2) Verify the assets, liabilities and credit rating of your partner

3) Verify the arrest record of your partner

..in no particular order.
Add one more to that list:

4) Verify the sexual promiscuity of your partner on the Internet
 

Deeko

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
30,213
12
81
My parents knew who each other were for 10 years, but only dated for less than a year before getting married. My brother dated his wife for about 6 or 7 years, then they were engaged for a year or so. I have a friend from college who met, started dating, engaged, and married in about 8 months.

Short answer...it varies, there is no answer to this question.
 

FelixDeCat

Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
30,111
2,463
126
Originally posted by: SonnyDaze
Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
As long as it takes to:

1) Verify the gender of your partner

2) Verify the assets, liabilities and credit rating of your partner

3) Verify the arrest record of your partner

..in no particular order.

:laugh:

No sense in dating someone for two years only to find out you've been had.
 

darkxshade

Lifer
Mar 31, 2001
13,749
6
81
On average, the engagement is typically long enough for the couple to figure out they don't want to get married and break it off.
 

AstroManLuca

Lifer
Jun 24, 2004
15,628
5
81
Varies a ton. My grandparents on my mom's side got married six months after they met, and that's including a separation of a couple months brought on by my grandfather's parents (who didn't approve of their Jewish boy seeing a gentile). But you know what they say, love conquers all and he came back and they married almost immediately.

I know a couple that just got married last year after having known each other for ten years. Another family friend had an 11-year-old daughter and at least one other kid before she got married (to the father of their children).

I do think the average time from meeting to engagement to marriage has gotten longer, possibly because of the social acceptability of pre-marital sex and the lack of societal pressure on women to marry young.