Married forumites: How long were you engaged before you got married?

Goldiegirl

1 - 2 years

18 months - we waited that length of time to allow us to save for a deposit on a house.

It was more than 30 years ago when living together before marriage wasn't as common as it is now.

We wanted to move in to a house that we owned, rather than rented.

Chickvic

Engaged March 1994, married July 1996 so just over 2 years. Same reasons as others, family being able to attend and we moved into our house in Dec 1996! Had to rearrange the wedding, cancelled the expensive meal/hall and went for a local hall and did it ourselves, amazing day and everyone enjoyed it Still very happily married 17 years later.

MrSmartprice

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

how about a "didnt get engaged" option? We were married within a year of meeting but there was no engagement in the traditional sense.

I agree. We were never engaged, didn't have a party or anything like that. We thought it was far more important to have a home and a secure environment. When we did decide to get married we only told a very small number of people. Most people were told once it had happened.

I think marriage is important from a legal point of view, for inheritance, pensions etc. But it makes little difference to anything in a relationship. However, engagement is an archaic concept that means nothing these days since 'breach of promise' was abolished. It affords no status at all in reality. That's why we didn't bother.

Shoshannah

5 - 10 years

We were engaged about ten months after we met, but we didn't get married until years later.

We got married six years to the day we met. Whole thing (including the honeymoon) cost about £5K.

Torry_Quine

6 - 12 months

Married a year to the day after we were engaged.

seven-day-weekend

0 - 6 months

MSE_Andrea wrote: »

Hi all

Have you had an especially long or short engagement for financial reasons?

Eg did you have to put off getting married while you saved up?

We'd love to know how long you were engaged before you got married.

Met on a blind date in June 1971. Got married in October 1971. Didn't bother getting formally engaged. Still together and happy.

We would not have postponed anything for financial reasons. We just wanted to be legally joined and live together. We had no interest in a huge wedding so just had a few people at the registry office and lived in a caravan until we bought our house five years later.

iris

Met June 1960. Saved and bought a house and married in October 1963. Never got engaged. Just celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary:beer:

Prothet_of_Doom

3 - 5 years

Started going out with my wife aged 17, got engaged as a student aged 21, waited until 9 months after graduating aged 23 before we got married, because that was apparently the sensible thing to do.

I don't think we needed to wait in heinsight. We should have just got married. So what if we we both students studying in cities 40 mins apart? (Coventry and Birmingham)

fluffnutter

0 - 6 months

Didn't get engaged as such, i.e. no ring, wandering around saying 'my fiance' and all that malarky, but OH proposed on the 1st December and we got married on the 1st of the following February. So two months I guess.

catkins

daisiegg wrote: »

I don't understand people who say they didn't get engaged. Isn't deciding to get married getting engaged? From the moment you make the decision to get married, you are engaged to be married! It doesn't have to involve a ring or a proposal.

I suppose technically we were engaged but I had been engaged before even though I never really intended to get married (long story) and so didn't want to get engaged again. Also we didn't have any money for a ring if I had wanted to get engaged.