Engagement Length Options

Getting engaged is the moment most men are not ready for, and is what most women are excited about. Men, no matter how serious their relationship is, still have this typical fear of commitment. They're scared of having to throw their single status away and opening up to an entirely new relationship level. But no matter how long or short it takes, when a couple is ready to take their commitment to the final level, the road would still end and everything will go down the aisle.

But after the boyfriend-girlfriend phase, most couples often wonder how long (or short) the engagement should be? For some, short engagements are preferred to eliminate any second thoughts or cold feet. They wanted to get-it-over-with with lesser pressure, stress or wait time, while others wanted their engagements to last to avoid making rush decisions.

Either way, the engagement stage is supposed to be, and should be, a fun time for all couples. It could either be a time for getting-to-know-each-other more, or getting to know both sides of the families. This should be the time to spend more time with each other while there are no kids around yet. It should be the time for planning and more open communication. Besides, the length of the engagement is dependent on a lot of factors. And most of these are varied and depends on the case of the couple, their initial plans, the span of time they are together, their readiness to have a family, etc.

For a short engagement, one of the advantages is that the long wait is eliminated. The couple won't have to anticipate each moment because they got to spend the rest of their lives together sooner. Both individuals will not the time to have second thoughts or make careless mistakes that might ruin the relationship. The major downside of a short engagement is the need to make rush and quick decisions. Getting married and starting a family needs to be carefully planned and when you're married, there is almost no room for it-could-have-been's and what-if's. Also, shorter time means lesser money on the bank which may cause additional stress due to having to plan and organize on a tighter budget and schedule. Not to mention not having much time to enjoy being engaged.

While in a long engagement, as expected, the couple will have a long time ahead of them to plan and prepare not just for the wedding but also for the marriage ahead. Nothing is more important than planning the family, the kids, the finances, and the future. Also, a longer engagement would give other people close to the couple enough notice to avoid any conflict with everyone's schedule. Most importantly, it will give both individuals enough time to decide whether they want to spend the rest of their lives together. Though perfect it may seem, but long engagements also have its drawbacks. The long wait may be perfect for the organizers but it may generate second thoughts for one or both partners. Although grooms will normally be glad with their extended singleness but some brides get consumed by the long wait, which may trigger the change of plans, cold feet or worse, runaways.