how long were you together before engagement?

soyaddict

I was just wondering how long you ladies dated your FI before getting engaged and how long between that and your wedding date. 

awayagain

Met in 1989 - began dating in 1998 - got engaged in May of 2006 - married in July of 2007

jdrose5

Met him in 1993.   Started dating Jan 2010.  Engaged May  2011.  Getting married Sept 2012. 

On one hand it seems short, but compared to my 1st marriage we are moving much slower.   That time met in 1993.  (Ironically I met late DH and FI same night.)   Started dating April 94, married August 94.  

blush64

We were actually dating for over 2 years before we got engaged. And then stayed engaged for about 2 more years and we are now planning the wedding.  We are just taking things nice and slow. WE met a long time ago before we started dating.

handfast4me

Met in November, 2004.  Handfasting originally mentioned in May, 2006.  Officially engaged through our Pagan Handfasting ceremony, December, 2006.  Legally married, March 2008.  One more ceremony to go--no date decided yet, we'll just plan it when it feels right. 

Marrin713

Dated 6-1/2 years before officially engaged.  Then engaged for 5 months before marrying July 2010.

right1thistime

met 1998, dating 2/99, engaged 10/04, married 7/06.  ~Donna

shytownkelly

Met and started dating in Sept 2009

Started talking marriage in May 2010

Engaged Christmas day 2010

Married on Friday June 10, 2011

fireytiger

Oddly enough, I dated my FI for a relatively short time considering my past. We got together in 2009, got engaged in 2010, and now married in 2011. I never thought I would get married so quickly after my first marriage turned sour so fast. But we've lived together, we've met all of my prerequisites, and I'm not feeling any second thoughts. Although I will admit that I am a bit nervous, but that's both because i'm once bit twice shy, and also because my wedding is less than a month away.

hsbstone

I met FI in June 2005. We've been together ever since with two break ups (4 and 6 months in 2006 and 2008/09). Got engaged in August/2010 and we're getting married in July/2011.

Lisa50

Met/first date: July 3, 2006
Engaged: December 25, 2009

... so, that's almost 3.5 years.

Wedding date: July 3, 2011.  Awww ...

vexie

met in May 2009, first date was June 11 2009... engaged Nov 14 2010 and will be getting married on June 11 2011.. our 2 year dating anniversary

rapunnzzll

Started dating 7/19/02, moved in together May 2004, engaged Dec 2007, getting married in just over 6 weeks.  Yikes!  So much to do it feels like.

Mandalynn9112

Met and started dating Sept 2009
Engaged Feb 2010
Will be married Sept 2012

People think its weird that we only dated 5 months before getting engaged but then have a 2 year engagement.  Well I wanted a long engagement so we can plan longer and save more money (we have kids from previous and are paying for this ourselves).  And we only dated for 5 months before becoming engaged because we knew right away that we were meant to be together.  I actually knew the night I met him.  It was so magical.  While we were sitting outside of the bar talking (his cousin introduced us) I looked into the sky and saw 3 shooting stars.  3 is my lucky number!

lindaloulubbock

We met and dated briefly in 1996.

This time our first date was July 2009.  We bought our house in July, 2010, and got engaged Christmas 2010.  We're getting married June 11, 2011.

I had a long 2 year engagement with my first marriage, and there was no way I was doing that again.  2 years of wedding planning agony.  This time it was really about 5 months from the time I started planning until the actual wedding.  Much, much less traumatic!

BeccaMichelleS

We started talking in 9/08, first date 11/08...moved in together 1/09...bought our house in 10/09...started to discuss elopement around 1/11, made plans/reservations for wedding moon 03/11...got engaged officially/publicly announced engagement 4/11 (I was really surprised at getting the ring -- it was the icing on the cake)...getting married in a little over a week! 
I knew right away also...and I have no worries at all:)  We are super excited, and I am really happy that we are eloping/having a private ceremony and a party 5 weeks later...soooo much less stressful/expensive, and way more personal and what we want!

MikesAngie

Wow reading all of your stories are so nice!!

We met October 1978, we were sophomores in high school. Started dating in November 1978, his mom broke us up in January 1979.  We were best friends from late January 1979 until late 1984 when he went to Germany (he was in the Army at that time).  Lost touch until 2001 when our emails were exchanged for a high school reunion. We were married to other people at the time, and respectful of those relationships. In 2008 both our previous marriages ended for almost the same exact reason (both partners cheated, my x just also happened to go nuts as well).  Started talking in January 2009. Reunited April 3, 2009  did the LDR thing unitl August 15, 2009 - I made the almost 1,000 mile move.  Got engaged April 3, 2010 and married April 3, 2011. 

Edited: changed 1K to 1,000

PhoenixMama

lol ~ Mandalynn9112  same story as you, sort of.

I never expected to even want to marry again.  But by like the second date with FI... I knew.  I knew he was the one I had been searching for all along. 

We met in Nov. 2010, started dating in Dec. 2010, engaged May 2011, and wedding date is set for Dec. 2013, on our 3 year dating anniversary. 

Also similiar reason for long engagment... we are paying ourselves and need time to save (aka, 2 income tax returns, yay! lol).  We want something nice, not extravagant, but something more than what we could pull together in the next year or so...but it also happens that 2013 is the year our dating anniversary falls on a Saturday... not that it really matters, because we could have done a Friday... secretly I still wish we could make it 2012.  lol  But I know we won't be able to come up with the money we need for what we want by 2012... so 2013 it is.

2dBride

We met in real life (after knowing each other online) in December, 2000.  She went back to the UK to get a visa, and returned in January, 2001.  We got engaged in August, 2008, and married in October, 2009.

coralee715

First date was 7/18/2009 (met online 7/11/2009), engaged 8/18/2010, getting married 10/1/2011

squarepeg72

Blind Date (well almost - a good friend brought him to a baseball game and then we all went out after the game. Every restaurant in town was closed by the time I finished working at the game, so I ended up making pizza at my house for all of us) - June 21, 2009
First date - June 25, 2009
Engaged - Oct 17, 2010
Wedding - June 30, 2012

He bought the ring in August and showed it to my oldest. He asked her permission before he asked me to marry him. We are paying for most of the wedding ourselves and It seems only fitting that we get married the last weekend in June, 3 years after we met.

Mrs.Paz

6 weeks together, then about 10 month engagement

letyourselfgo

Met on September 15, 2009.
First date December 19, 2009
Became official June 19,2010
Got engaged on June 1, 2011
Wedding date is now August 19, 2012

shytownkelly

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_second-weddings_long-were-together-before-engagement?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:35Discussion:5e0485c7-9635-448d-a890-20a199763a63Post:1cae5b6a-b117-4508-81bb-5cb201f6bd09">Re: how long were you together before engagement?</a>:
[QUOTE]3 days.  Married 2 months later.  We've been married 35 years.
Posted by CMGr[/QUOTE]

THIS is awesome! 

I love the romance - Is there more to your story that you would share with us? 

regfalange

Met in 2002 or 01' not sure which.  Started dating in 2003 engaged in 2010 married this July 2011.  But this is my first and only wedding. And I'm not trying to insult anyone, I'm just saying, we aren't gonna be a statistic.

ginadog

Almost 3 years.

lunadex84

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/special-topic-wedding-boards_second-weddings_long-were-together-before-engagement?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Special%20Topic%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:35Discussion:5e0485c7-9635-448d-a890-20a199763a63Post:5304e528-784f-4537-8e20-baed5ba5d969">Re: how long were you together before engagement?</a>:
[QUOTE]But this is my first and only wedding. And I'm not trying to insult anyone, I'm just saying, we aren't gonna be a statistic.
Posted by regfalange[/QUOTE]

Just curious... what are you doing on the second wedding board then?

Also... I'm pretty certain no one here ever thought they would become a "statistic" on the day of their wedding. Not trying to insult you, I'm just saying :-) even if a new first-time bride has doubts/jitters, I think most everyone gets married with the intention of staying together forever. That's why it's called marriage :-) You know, I used to say the exact same thing for a long time, that we weren't going to be a statistic, we were going to make it work! In the end, we divorced. It's definitely not that I didn't want it to work, on the extreme contrary, he was the one and we were going to last a lifetime (or so I thought). Life and humans aren't perfect. That's why sometimes people divorce. And you cannot understand the pain of divorce until you go through it. I do not wish it on my worst enemy.

That being said, congratulations on your upcoming wedding and may it last a lifetime. Cheers.

venus909

I met my FI in 1999 BUT we didn't start dating until Jan 2011... we got engaged April 2011 and are getting married in June 2012.  Some say we are moving very fast, but after knowing someone for almost 12 years I don't really agree :-)

My last marrige, I met my XH in August 2001 and we found out we were expecting in September 2001... don't think we could move any faster than that...lol we were married for 6 years....

vallane2009

Started dating May 2009; Engaged July 2011, married on April 14, 2012.